Alternatives to pharmacy?

[Ccpink]

In my area I'm not seeing a lot of hospital jobs and I refuse to go into retail. I saw on Indeed Dental Hygeneists make $50/hr. Worth going back to school for two years? lol. Seriously, alternative careers?

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[letsquitpharm]

$50/hr is like nothing in tech...random search on indeed yielded me this:

 

[Ccpink]

$50/hr is like nothing in tech...random search on indeed yielded me this:

View attachment 367076

I'm assuming tech involves going back to school for a computer science degree for four years, is that correct? I don't have any experience in tech but would love to start.

 

[DH1987]

Yeah, but I'm reluctant to return to school. By the time you get through that, and miss 4 years of income/go back into debt, it could be a completely different situation. Or it could change 5-10 years later when you're still mid-career. It happened to pharmacy, it can happen to any career. I'm sure there will be people who will tell me a thousand reasons why tech will only keep growing, but none of us are fortune tellers. But you could self teach using online courses, build a project portfolio, and possibly get your foot in the door that way, so I think I would rather take that route if you've already got a good paying job in pharmacy.

 

[Emmet2301]

I'm assuming tech involves going back to school for a computer science degree for four years, is that correct? I don't have any experience in tech but would love to start.

Absolutely not.

There's plenty of online learning, tutorials. Even bootcamps.

 

[mentos]

In my area I'm not seeing a lot of hospital jobs and I refuse to go into retail. I saw on Indeed Dental Hygeneists make $50/hr. Worth going back to school for two years? lol. Seriously, alternative careers?

Dental hygienist is one of the best rates of return. Great pay for a community college degree.

 

[projektreverb]

@RXDOC1986 I think you’re married to a dental hygienist?

 

[RXDOC1986]

@RXDOC1986 I think you’re married to a dental hygienist?

Yes, I am, for the last 37 yrs. The reason I didn't comment on this thread was, when I have commented, I have been hammered by blow hards on this forum about BLS, govt stats and figures! AND how I had no clue what I was talking about.
Anywhoo, Dental Hygiene is one of the best ROI out there. The demand has been, and continues to be, extremely high. It is 2 1/2 years, 5 semesters of intense training. You do have to pass a national board and state board exam. This includes dragging a live patient to the test location, often in a far away city, and do a complete cleaning on them, in front of the examiners. Then you have your license, and you keep it active with CEs, live CEs and so on.
Again, my personal opinion: as my best friend of 40 years is a dentist, in private practice. In this market, no experienced dental hygienist, would work for $50 or $60/hr (que the Govt. Stats). And trust me, you want an experienced DH, when you are in the chair. My wife makes about $75-80hr, based on the fact that she works at a smallish chain, w/12-13 locations. She has several colleagues, that make over $140K a year. She only works 10-12hrs a week. She sets her own schedule, only sees patients she likes to see. Schedules her own hours. Works on salary + commissions on the total billing. In Georgia, they passed a law where now, the DH can work independently from dentists. Her office can now stay open and see patients without a dentist being present.
It is not an easy job, it takes a certain amount of skill and dexterity. A family friend, who was accepted to DH school, was dismissed after 1 year because she couldn't master the lab/technical aspects of the job.
A funny anecdote, when she was in school, they would assign them to go to the VA, or to prisons, to practice on those people. At the VA, a preceptor told my wife to avoid deep cleaning and plaque removal as the plaque, in some cases, was the only thing keeping the teeth in place!

 

[Ccpink]

Yes, I am, for the last 37 yrs. The reason I didn't comment on this thread was, when I have commented, I have been hammered by blow hards on this forum about BLS, govt stats and figures! AND how I had no clue what I was talking about.
Anywhoo, Dental Hygiene is one of the best ROI out there. The demand has been, and continues to be, extremely high. It is 2 1/2 years, 5 semesters of intense training. You do have to pass a national board and state board exam. This includes dragging a live patient to the test location, often in a far away city, and do a complete cleaning on them, in front of the examiners. Then you have your license, and you keep it active with CEs, live CEs and so on.
Again, my personal opinion: as my best friend of 40 years is a dentist, in private practice. In this market, no experienced dental hygienist, would work for $50 or $60/hr (que the Govt. Stats). And trust me, you want an experienced DH, when you are in the chair. My wife makes about $75-80hr, based on the fact that she works at a smallish chain, w/12-13 locations. She has several colleagues, that make over $140K a year. She only works 10-12hrs a week. She sets her own schedule, only sees patients she likes to see. Schedules her own hours. Works on salary + commissions on the total billing. In Georgia, they passed a law where now, the DH can work independently from dentists. Her office can now stay open and see patients without a dentist being present.
It is not an easy job, it takes a certain amount of skill and dexterity. A family friend, who was accepted to DH school, was dismissed after 1 year because she couldn't master the lab/technical aspects of the job.
A funny anecdote, when she was in school, they would assign them to go to the VA, or to prisons, to practice on those people. At the VA, a preceptor told my wife to avoid deep cleaning and plaque removal as the plaque, in some cases, was the only thing keeping the teeth in place!

Thank you for your insight. I really appreciate the information.

 

[RXDOC1986]

Thank you for your insight. I really appreciate the information.

I am so sorry for the predicament most new grads are facing. I cannot imagine the hardship and disappointment with completing your degree and then trying to figure out an alternative career. My 4th year in pharmacy school, I worked at the VA for federal minimum wage which was $3.75/hr. I was so looking forward to graduating, passing the boards, and the many job opportunities for a Pharm.D. It was truly an exciting time for all of us. Fast forward a few months, and I was making $37.50/hr in Home Infusion. That was a 10X increase in pay. Not likely to happen again.
Good luck with everything.