WWYD? Career decisions...

[Lab_Rat]

I'll be finishing up my Master's/Pharmacotherapy residency program (I'm a pharmacist) this May so it's about time I start my job search. I have a couple of different avenues to pursue, but I can't quite figure out which way to go, so I figured I'd write it down and see what y'all think.

Option 1: Critical Care residency
I loved my critical care rotation. I have the opportunity to apply for a critical care specialty residency.

Pluses: I would become a specialist in Critical Care and a better clinician. Every day is intense and the time goes by quickly. I think it's a really good fit for me and I love working in the ICU.

Minuses: Another year of crappy pay. 12-16 hour days 5 days a week, plus projects on the weekends for an entire year. Hours at the hospital are 3am-3pm or until everything is done. 30 hour call days every 3 days. Would have to defer student loans another year and accrue a lot of interest. Is yet another year that I will have to live in an apt and not have a house. Also very high stress/intensity which is very tough physically and emotionally. Lastly, the market for critical care pharmacists is pretty saturated. There is no guarantee I'll find a job, at least not in a place I'd want to live.

Option 2: Pharma

I'm currently working as a consultant with a pharma company for my Master's thesis project. One of the reasons the pharma company is interested in taking on students like me is the internship is to serve as a feeder program so there is a good chance I'll get a job offer from them. Plus, yesterday the administrative assistant was asking me if I'd consider working for them, telling me a lot of the perks, etc, all in casual conversation.

Pluses: Awesome pay. Probably 5x what I'm making now, if not more. From what the administrative assistant was saying, moving costs are paid and they help you find housing, not to mention a sign on bonus. The research I'm doing is pretty interesting. The hours are pretty much normal work hours, not the insanity I'm used to. The work atmosphere is great, everyone is really nice.

Minuses: It's an office job. I find when I'm there I'm looking at the clock a lot, which I never do in the hospital. Maybe it's because I've been reading a lot of manuscripts and just getting started, but it's most definitely not an exciting environment. I'd likely have to move to an area that is not really somewhere on my list of places I want to live.

Option 3: Academia

I've been strongly considering a career in academia, it's why I'm doing the Master's/Pharmacotherapy dual program.

Pluses: I think I'd really enjoy academia, since I could teach and have a clinical practice rotation. Pay is decent, though lower than what clinical or retail pharmacists make. Flexible hours, plenty of job demand.

Minuses: I don't really feel ready to be a professor. Maybe that's just nerves, since I've taught lectures and led plenty of small group sessions, and maybe it's one of those things you never feel ready for until you do it. You also don't get to pick what you teach. You teach where they need you. Pay is nowhere near as good as pharma.



Now I haven't even gotten any job offers, though the program where I'd want to do the residency knows I'm very interested. Also, I'm pretty darn sure (especially after the convo yesterday) that I'll get an offer from pharma. The area in which I'm doing my thesis is very very hot right now. One of my old professors, now an assistant dean, said she wanted to hire me as a professor when I finish with my program. I have a couple of months before I start applying for positions/programs.

Thanks for reading, and any advice y'all have is very welcome.

 

[happypoet]

I wouldn't touch Pharma with a 10 foot pole if you find yourself clock-watching.
You have an advanced degree in a field you like. Get a job you would enjoy doing for a large percentage of your waking hours in the future.

For me the question would be: do you like Academia? If you can find a stable job in it, and you think it would be as fulfilling as Critical Care, it's a much nicer lifestyle.

Or are you passionate enough about the critical care to be happy with it despite the stress it brings? I wouldn't worry so much about not finding a job in the field. It sounds like you have excelled so far (considering that you are wanted by all three jobs). Even in saturated markets, the top candidates get jobs. But, of course, take this with the big-freakin' grain of salt that I don't know a **** thing about the market in your specific field!

Teaching high school is a high-stress, low-paying job, but I loved it. Do what you love.

 

[SubRosa]

We should all have such career problems! Do what you love most and don't worry about money or hours or and you'll live longer and be happier.

 

[Somervell]

Take the pay. Build up the reserves. Get some different experience in the Pharma field and THEN head to academia. The research that you do might give you additional "prof cred" and make you more confident in front of a classroom.

Either way, it's terrific that you have so many options! Good luck!

 

[Lab_Rat]

Thanks for the advice so far, I know it's a great problem to have, but that doesn't make it less stressful.

I do have the option of doing the critical care residency then going into academia, so the career choices are not mutually exclusive. I can also act as a pharma consultant with the academia route. I admit, the pay thing is going to be hard to get past in terms of pharma. I'm pretty adaptable, and like almost every job I've done, so I don't think I'd hate it, but it would be a job.

Just so you guys get an idea of an approximate wage difference:
Residency: $30-40K/year
Academia: $80-100K/year, institution dependent
Pharma: $150K/year or more, wouldn't do it for less

 

[jbradt]

In the end, Labby; you have to do what'll make you happy. You're an awesome lady and I have no doubt you will excel at whatever path you choose. It's just a matter of doing what will be fulfilling and rewarding for you.

Keep in mind also that the choice you make now doesn't have to be the last choice you make. If you decide to go a different way in the future, those options will be open to you.

 

[stephcps]

All of my best professors and mentors had a lot of clinical experience. Just a thought...if you don't feel ready to be a professor, maybe your not. Plus it is an avenue that will be open to you down the road as well.

I know that the residency doesn't sound appealing right now as you are finishing up your degree...but personally think it probably gives you the most long-term options.

I think pharma is too overrated...I have 2 friends who work for a large pharma in CT. Every other year it is "Is my research going to be cut this year"? Good years are good...bonuses etc. Bad years are bad.

It is a lot to think about.

 

[dundadundun]

keep your feelers open. honestly, i'd opt for the best paying to hold me over. it doesn't sound like any of these jobs would completely fulfill you atm... more like choosing the lesser of the evils. you have a dream obviously... follow it. when you second guess yourself you increase your chances of making the wrong decision significantly.

choose what feels right for you at this time and follow the path it leads you down. when it's time to make a change you'll know it. just don't let anything get in between you and your dreams.

 

[J double R]

I have a soft spot for EMS, so Critical Care is the closest choice, and thus the one I made.

 

[BioHazard]

I wouldn't go academia first. I know I have had issues with Profs who have spent all their time in academia, although your field might be different. I would try to get out, get some work experience, and then come back to academia. Just my opinion, of course.