Opinion
 

Careers about fulfillment, not cash

By Timmy Le

I am a pre-pharmacy major, and one of the 1,500 or so students on campus hoping to one day become a pharmacist. Unfortunately, the UH College of Pharmacy only admits around 110 students each year. This means that you have to be the best of the best to enter this school. I would consider myself a little above average, but that may not be good enough. So this leaves me in a very big predicament. 

I really want to do research in the pharmaceutical field one day. This may take an extra three years added on to the four years of graduate school, but that's OK. Unfortunately, my dreams and aspirations may just one day be crushed, because I may not be admitted. This leads me back to the story of the 1,500 pre-pharmacy students on campus. This is absolutely ridiculous. I find that many of them don't even know what pharmacy is really about; many think its just about counting pills. I have two-and-a-half years of retail pharmacy and one year of hospital pharmacy experience, and I can tell you the field involves more than that. 

Many other students are not even sure why they are majoring in pre-pharmacy. Some have told me their parents are making them or they think it's the easiest medical profession because of its short undergraduate program. These students should try to find experience in the pharmacy field, because a hands-on job is the greatest way to determine if you enjoy something.

For some reason, students who do not know much about pharmacy are getting admitted and then dropping out because they were overwhelmed by the college's expectations. They are wasting other people's time. There are many qualified people out there who aren't getting accepted or even getting an interview. 

I'm not implying that those students should switch majors, because many do really want to be involved in this field. They just may graduate and be happy with being in this profession for the rest of their lives. But for the unsure people, work experience will definitely tell you if this is the right profession for you. 

This applies to all majors. Do the things you want to do, and not because your chosen career will yield lots of money or because your parents told you to. It's better to be something that truly makes you happy, even if that job doesn't pay well, than to dislike your job for the rest of your life and live in depression. 

Personal satisfaction and fulfillment should come first when dealing with a career.

Le, a columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at timbo301@yahoo.com.