@DonMilton Look, there’s no guarantees out there. No one can forecast the future. Two years ago, I would have said to graduate with a four year degree in chemical or petroleum engineering would have put you in a pretty sweet spot. Now, not so much. You want the biggest bang for your education bucks - learn to write computer code and figure out how to sell your apps - you don’t even need a high school diploma for that.
Your question illustrates why the annual number of PharmD graduates has more than doubled since 2002.
How about this:
Get into med school,
Then graduate from med school,
Then get into a specialist residency program,
Then successfully complete a specialist residency program,
Then get into a sub-specialist fellowship,
Then successfully complete a sub-specialist fellowship.
At that point you’ll probably get into a practice and pull down a six figure salary - of course you’ll be $250,000 in debt, and it’s taken you eight years after you graduated with your bachelor’s degree, but hey, you’re making your six figure salary.
Or:
Get admitted into a T7 Law School,
Graduate in the top 10% from a T7 Law School,
Get hired by a white shoe law firm and make more than six figures. Of course you’ll be working 90-100 hours a week with no guarantee that you’ll stay on in the firm after the first two years.
@QuietType hahahahahaha… 90hours a week!!! WoW ! There is no easy way to make money on this planet. I think I’ll stick with Pharmacy and do Coding. I’ve been teaching myself how to code for some time now and I think it is something that will really help in the near future. As you said ‘‘THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES OUT THERE’’.
The best way to go is to be creative and be able to market that creativity.
@DonMilton
IMHO, Nurse Anesthetist is an excellent career field. Many CRNAs start somewhere around $150K. Requires an MSN. Most programs are transitioning to DNP, as in the past it was a 2.5 year time commitment post BSN (undergraduate degree). Work settings vary and higher salaries are possible in rural area. Many work 3 to 4 days per week, 10/12-hour shifts. Very competitive to get into a CRNA Program and requires at least 1 year (more like 2-3) adult ICU experience.
Cardiovascular (Certified Clinical Perfusionist) Perfusionist salary can get up into the $100K+ per year.
Software engineering. You can earn a very good salary (often $100k+ starting) straight out of college without having to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years in school, yet have more job opportunities compared to pharmacy. You don’t even need any degree to become a software engineer as there is a huge shortage.
As others have said, if you want to earn big bucks as quickly as possible with as little debt as possible, then learn coding and switch your major to computer science.
My niece graduated from pharmacy school three years ago and went to work for a chain store for 30 hours per week. Sometimes she works more, but she likes just working 30. She makes around $60 per hour. We live in a low-cost state, so she’s happy with it.
My understanding is that there are still places like West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, etc., where a pharmacist can make a fortune, reason being that these are dreadful places to live with lots of sick people needing medicine.