<p>As of now I am pre-pharmacy but I heard the job market for pharmacy is awful, so I wanted to switch to something else, but every degree I look at is either considered useless or there are no jobs for it. I want to stay on the medical/science track but I don't know what to do now.</p>
<p>How about toxicology? You can stay with tox related to biomedical sciences or even move into something that is related to the environment or even materials. People always seem to need a toxicologist or clinical toxicologist. Also, learn how to do bioanalytical work. People that know how to use and interpret data from highly specialized instruments such as LC/MS/MS always seem to find jobs. </p>
<p>For a typical salary:
[Toxicologist</a> Job In District Of Columbia - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - EPA - Government / Civil Service, Environmental / Ecological Career](<a href=“http://www.jobmonkeyjobs.com/career/1863776/Toxicologist-District-Columbia-Washington-Dc]Toxicologist”>http://www.jobmonkeyjobs.com/career/1863776/Toxicologist-District-Columbia-Washington-Dc)</p>
<p>Not too bad.</p>
<p>That sounds good actually, is that its own major?</p>
<p>Yeah but it’s kind of a rare one. It goes by either Toxicology or Pharmacology. You could still keep taking Pre-Pharm stuff and see if the market gets better.</p>
<p>What are your interests? Choosing a degree based solely on job salary is risky and dangerous.</p>
<p>I agree with Jdpaul, if your true interest lies in Pharmacy, you should by all means pursue that goal. Markets change, you don’t want Pharm to be “back” when you get out of college and regret not doing it for the rest of your life.</p>
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<p>Automation isn’t going away.</p>
<p>Pharmacists will always be in demand until they are able to create robots that are 100% accurate at depositing and refilling prescriptions.</p>
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<p>Like this?</p>
<p>[Robotic</a> Medication Dispensing : McKesson Corporate | ROBOT-Rx | McKesson](<a href=“http://www.mckesson.com/pharmacies/hospital-and-health-system/inpatient/pharmacy-automation/robot-rx/]Robotic”>Explore Our Health Care Businesses | McKesson)</p>
<p>That machine is already dispensing 350 million prescriptions per year and is already at 1/3rd of medium to large sized hospitals. A better major would be to study computer engineering or science so you can fix all of these machines that are replacing all of our jobs.</p>
<p>Some people study what they are passionate about, not necessarily a career that has a good job outlook - economies fluctuate and job markets for different careers may differ from one country to the next</p>
<p>If I were choosing based on salary, I would have been going to school to be a surgeon. However, I’m too afraid of my own mistakes to do that type of work and would enjoy being in the lab. I’ve always found biology and the human body interesting, and I would definitely like to have a career in health sciences.</p>
<p>Sadly becoming a surgeon isn’t that easy. You have to do four years of undergad on a Pre-med track, do very well on the MCAT and compete to get into medical school. Once in med school you have to get great grades and do well on your USMLE test, and eventually interview for and get selected for a surgery residency. Those are also very competitive.</p>
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<p>I seriously think academics live in ivory towers. For years we heard the same thing with law schools, that outrageous debt burdens were A-OK because the job outlook for lawyers was good, and even if the market for lawyers was bad now, that they were surely to improve in the future with high income salaries almost guaranteed. New law schools opened like wild fire because no one limited the number of accredited schools. Schools, their administrators, and faculty run institutions like for profit behemoths, they don’t care about their students’ futures, they only care about their own bottom line and soaking their students for as much tuition as possible. Take a look at the headlines about what has happened to the law profession, which is now in dire straits because of thousands of students burdened with massive loan debt that can no longer repay due to complete over saturation of the labor market for lawyers. Word has gotten out about horrendous debt and the lack of jobs, and law schools across the country are seeing their applications drop precipitously. </p>
<p>The story with pharmacy is eerily similar. From 2000-2010, the number of schools that are now pumping out PharmD degrees like candy increased by 50%. Greedy schools and universities knew they could inflate the job and salary prospects of future pharmacists which could convince people to take out massive $100-150k+ student loans. The results are now starting to emerge where many new graduates are having trouble finding sustainable jobs that will allow them to pay off their debt and have livable wages. </p>
<p>Not only is there an oversupply of pharmacists, the job is now being automated more than ever. The only reason even more pharmacists don’t lost their job is because it is law that a place that dispenses drugs must have a pharmacist on duty. It won’t be long until hospitals, which are now also run like major for profit corporations, lobby lawmakers to do away with that law so that they can save even more money on labor costs, and use a completely automated system. Pharmacists’ skills do not keep them employed, only their lobbyists do. But that won’t work once it is realized even further that machines can not only do the same job, but do it better and provide more safety. </p>
<p>Studying what you like is a nice message, but that doesn’t pay the bills later on in life, especially when you’re asking people to take out what amounts to a 2nd mortgage in debt for a professional degree with increasingly grim job prospects.</p>
<p>Choosing a degree without considering salary and employment prospects is far more risky. I can tell you the people I’ve seen study what they loved and then end up working a min wage job or unemployed are far more miserable than the people who studied more practical majors and got a job they didn’t love. They gripe about their jobs but come home to their own house or apartment in suburbia and find enjoyment through leissure activities.</p>
<p>I Agree with Gravenewworld. A machine can dispense medications and can even flag warnings if the dose is incorrect, or there are other medications on the patient file that can cause adverse interactions based on a preprogrammed database and the patient file. Pharmacy might be in trouble in the future.</p>
<p>I know becoming a surgeon isn’t a piece of cake, but if I were truly in it for the money, I would be over-confident and try anyway 
And I agree that there are tons of Pharmacy schools everywhere, but to be honest, I haven’t found that many that offer Toxicology graduate programs, only bachelors. The school that I’m attending now doesn’t even have it.</p>
<p>“…there are tons of Pharmacy schools everywhere, but to be honest, I haven’t found that many that offer Toxicology graduate programs, only bachelors.”</p>
<p>And not all toxicology programs are found in pharmacy schools.</p>
<p>[Society</a> of Toxicology](<a href=“http://www.toxicology.org/ai/apt/careerprograms.asp]Society”>http://www.toxicology.org/ai/apt/careerprograms.asp)</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.toxicology.org/AI/apt/careerguide.asp[/url]”>https://www.toxicology.org/AI/apt/careerguide.asp</a></p>
<p>[Careers</a> for Toxicologists](<a href=“http://foodscience.cornell.edu/cals/foodsci/toxicology/future-students/careers.cfm]Careers”>http://foodscience.cornell.edu/cals/foodsci/toxicology/future-students/careers.cfm)</p>
<p>With an appropriate undergrad science degree, there are many other options to consider including environmental toxicology, food science, forensic toxicology, environmental health, agricultural biosecurity, etc. Also, consider a Professional Master’s program, e.g., Colorado State: [Professional</a> Master of Science in Environmental Health with a Specialization in Toxicology](<a href=“Master of Science in Toxicology [1-year] – College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences”>Master of Science in Toxicology [1-year] – College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences)</p>
<p>I’ll probably be switching to biology just so I don’t have to transfer, but in the end I still have to go to grad school.</p>