Occupational Therapy vs Pharmacy

<p>I've had a wild ride with school, and I'm finally ready to decide on something. </p>

<p>In high school I was a really bright student that challenged myself- I took 9 APs- but I frequently found myself tired and depressed by the environment. I got a really good scholarship to a Seven Sisters school (Mount Holyoke College) and went there determined to be a biostatistics major, but I found myself worried about the job market and really depressed there too. </p>

<p>After I moved back to the city I grew up in (Chicago- my parents have since moved elsewhere), I obtained my CNA and worked as rehab tech in a nursing home. This was probably my favorite job- I loved working in a therapy setting- but the pay was really low. Since then, I have become a pharmacy technician, and I like that job a lot too. </p>

<p>As I said, I'm ready to go back to school. I am applying to an OTA program, and there's a bridge program to become an OT that's located in the Milwaukee area. It meets one weekend a month for the duration of the program, and working throughout both OTA school and OT school is 100% doable. I am curious about how OTs feel about their jobs- do you like them, how much was your starting salary, what are the hours like, etc. </p>

<p>Because I am working as a pharmacy technician, however, I have become curious about pharmacy school. I know it is intense, but many pharmacists I work with took pre-reqs at local schools and entered into 3 or 4 year programs that don't require bachelors. It's not out of the question for me to get a bachelors either, I just doubt that I would get into UIC's school unless I went to the one in Rockford. That is the one thing really putting me off from pharmacy school as well- the 200k sticker price, combined with people saying that the job market will become saturated over the next few years. (But will that happen with OT as well?) </p>

<p>Does anyone have any advice? </p>