love outdoors might mean a biology or geology degree and then a job with a state wildlife (fish & game) agency - be warned that a BS in Biology requires 2 years - years, not semesters - of Chemistry & only qualifies you to dig ditches - need an MS for a decent job; need a PhD for a job with the feds - USFWS

outdoors + mech'ly inclined.... hmm; let me think about that one

whoa.. all your sentences are "I..." which is typical for generation X. I don't mean to offend but to inform that all the questions you have are normal for a young person like you.

Don't feel trapped, think that no matter what you do there is nothing that will make you 100%. Part of life is to compromise. That phase seems never ending but when you find the one and have kids, etc. you realize how easy all that was and you'll enjoy your life as-is cause you won't be able to change a damn thing. ;)

One of the most difficult things to do is set life goals, and then stick to them. Basing your career goals on what you like to do is not good. Every job eventually becomes drudgery and is especially disheartening when the thing you love to do becomes something you don't want to do any more. It is a lot better to find what your talents are and exploit them to reach your life goals. You will be a lot happier as you reach your goals instead of trying to be happy in a specific job.

Sound advice above...

Sydney, it's good that you are thinking about this now...before you have others depending on you. No career suggestions...just wishing you well, and good luck.

Sounds like just a funk. I'd stay with pharmacy for the time being. If you still feel the same way in a year or two, consider changing.

Pharmacy is one of the few areas I see stability and growth in a good-paying profession in the coming years. I would not recommend engineering to be honest - I know way, way too many engineers that are out of work right now. The opportunities for engineering are directly tied to technological development which is directly tied to the economy and to manufacturing, both of which are going to be poor prospects for a while. And if you feel this way about pharmacy, you'll probably feel the same about engineering once you've been in it for a while...

Make the most of what you've got. Seriously that'd be my advice. It is very, very expensive to go changing career paths in the pursuit of something that doesn't exist (i.e. the "perfect job"). Look for the things that you enjoy and which brought you to the field you're in and try to focus on those. There's B.S. and stupid people to deal with in any career - it's inescapable but you don't have to focus/dwell on that.

I think the idea of a job you love is just a myth, like leprechauns, unicorns, and Eskimos. Pharmacy is going to be a stable and well paying field for a long time. I would work on dealing with the aspects you don't like, and use your stability and money to do the things you do like in your free time.

Sid, I don’t know anyone that said as a teenager “I want to be a (fill in the blank) for a living” and is now doing that many years later. Almost every job becomes just a way to make a paycheck.

The man that started this company loved to fly and take pictures. In his own words he took “early retirement at age 92” because no insurance company will write insurance for a 90 year old man to fly the airplane and take pictures. He was doing that at age 89 and still enjoyed it. He is 95 now and still drops by and tells great stories. He still misses the job.

I know many pilots that now hate to fly and they only do it for the paycheck. To find a job you really love and that pays good is rare. Good luck on deciding what you want to do. Whatever you do don’t lock yourself into a job that you hate. No paycheck is worth that.

1. I have tons of buddies who graduated with engineering degrees. Very few are actually working as engineers. Either they didn't like it, or had a hard time getting a job. ...which led them to IT or some other field. The ones that are doing it, ended up going to grad school and specializing.

2. Whatever you do, don't become a pilot....unless the military pays you to do it.

I'd stick out the Pharmacy thing for a little while longer. Any job worth having is not going to be easy. I know a lot of Purdue Pharmacy grads who are not even traditional Pharmacists...they've got cool research jobs working with Eli Lilly, etc.

I know many pilots that now hate to fly and they only do it for the paycheck

Most spot-on quote. I don't know a single guy who loves flying for the airline. All of the guys wish they did something else that allowed them to by a Cub or Pitts on the weekends. ...and fly for fun.

Stay the hell away from the telephone companys. stay the hell away from anything the telco's touch.

Also, Look both ways before you cross the street.

Kyle

Astronaut. Secret agent. Race car driver. Victoria's Secret store manager.

Endurance race car driver...


KT

That was going to have money flowing the wrong direction....

In college I had to decide between computer science and geology. I love the outdoors, so I picked geology and am glad I did. I would hate to have a job that kept me indoors full time. Try taking a geology class.

Love geology. It really opens up a lot of doors. Just stay away from the enviromental side of it. Not a lot of jobs down this way.

An oldie but true...If work was fun, people would be paying to do it!

I respectfully disagree--my health insurance co. is pushing HARD to get me (and my family) on a "prescription by mail" service. They've told me my out-of-pocket costs will go up if I don't bow to their will. How many pharmacists will lose their jobs as this sort of forced consolidation increases?

In addition to this--leaving ALL politics aside--I have to wonder what the recently passed healthcare legislation will really do to the pharma industry?

Yes, there are a lot of engineers out of work right now. But I find it difficult to believe that this is anything other than a few years' blip. A solid technical education will never be a bad thing to have.

I'd love to be on a RX by mail. It drives me nuts to have to reorder and stand in line at the pharmacy every 30 days for a Rx I've taken for 20 years and will take for the rest of my life. My insurance won't pay for more than a 30 day supply. Stupid.

BTW, just from the customer window, being a retail pharmacist seems dull, rote and mechanical. Receive Rx, fill bottle, file claim, hand over bottle and collect deductible, computer flags drug interactions, give customer 10 second boilerplate talk, next customer please, working every single day in the same 600 sq ft windowless space. I don't really understand why the job requires multiple years' education. It actually seems like it could be done by an ATM-like machine. Sorry, I don't mean to disrespect pharmacists, perhaps I'm not aware of all the exciting things that go on back there.

John I bet you go to Walgreens, CVS, or somewhere similar don't you?


The place I am working in now is much smaller... The pharmacist is the sole owner of the store... We are much lower volume than the chain stores.... We have quite a bit of interaction with our customers. Were the schooling comes in is when a customer asks a question about the meds.

Maybe so... Got any tips for getting out of it? I'm taking Organic Chemistry right now. I've got like 0 motivation at the moment. Makes studying a beeotch...