Well, crap
There is discussion of a huge upcoming life decision in this post. But first I need a bit of personality back story.
I remember being a sophomore in high school. That was when I got my first hands on experience computer programming. Sure, I'd tweaked around on a commodore 64 when I was younger, but that was primarily just to load whatever game I wanted to play. In 10th grade, we all used graphing calculators (TI-85) in math class, and we were taught how do do simple programs. The entire class was walked through how to write a program that calculates the quadratic equation. I had older friends who did more advanced programming, and I got interested enough to fill up the memory of my calculator with all sorts of random programs I'd written.
And tron of course. I didn't write that program, but we all had tron on our calculators.
When I filled up the memory on my calculator, I would have to delete programs that I no longer wanted. After a while, I reached a point where there was nothing on my calculator that I wanted to delete anymore. So I decided it was time for an upgrade (TI-86 baby!). However, for the price of a TI-86, I could get an old computer that ran DOS or linux. This would give me way more space to program, and would let me do cooler things. And if I spent just a little more money, I could get an even better used computer, that would do even neater stuff. This is how I ended up spending $1,000 (roughly 10x the price of a TI-86) on my first computer, a brand new machine with (if memory serves) a 2GB hard drive, 16MB of RAM, and a pentium 166MHz MMX processor. I think it was a loss leader at Fry's. I remember Goldie was there with me when I got it, and we were creeped out by the salesman.
Recently, I had decided that I needed some software on my home computer. I wanted a newer office, and a newer adobe suite, but I couldn't afford them. Last year, I could purchase them both for about $300 total, while now it would cost me over $2,000! Holy crap! I was really missing the ol' student discount.
So I applied for admission to PCC. I figured I could take a couple accounting classes that I wanted to take anyway, become a student again for a while, and get my software. Win-win. I applied, was accepted, and signed up for an accounting class.
But you need six credits to get a software discount. The second class I wanted wasn't offered at the PCC campus near me, so I started looking around for other classes that may be helpful.
Most of the other accounting classes looked dumb. I debated a video editing class, and a sociology class, but I wasn't sure I would have the time to spend on homework for a video editing class, and the sociology classes didn't interest me.
Then I was like, heck, if I have to take another class, why not take one that could potentially be beneficial? I'll just take something like anatomy and physiology, which is a prereq in case I ever decide to go to pharmacy school. That makes the decision easy.
Of course, that little thought opened the floodgates. I am nothing if not an obsessive compulsive researcher; before doing anything of consequence, I spend tons of time analyzing all my possibilities from every angle. This has sent me on a rampage looking into all things pharmacy school. Luckily, there is a pharmacy school literally across the street from where I work, I know people that work at the school and we currently have a pharmacy student intern. So the resources I have available to me are virtually limitless.
Unfortunately, I managed to bring up for debate an issue I had hoped I could keep dormant for a while longer. And all because I wanted to save some money on software.
Here are the key points:
* Pharmacy school would take me three years to complete. The school I would go to is accelerated, as this normally takes four years.
* The first two years would be classes, with a six week rotation after the first year (likely I would do this at my pharmacy).
* The third year is all rotations. Seven rotations, each six weeks. One would be at my pharmacy.
* School days the first couple years would be roughly 8am-3pm M-F. Every other Thursday I would spend time at an off site pharmacy gaining experience. This "off site" experience would be done at my pharmacy.
* The curriculum is actually very well organized. Information is presented based on topics, so we would spend (e.g.) two weeks on Topic A, then one week on Topic B, etc, instead of having four separate courses going concurrently.
* To get in to pharmacy school, I would need about three terms of prereq classes. Each term would be one evening class (anatomy and physiology), with the possible need for two other classes to be taken depending on how they interpret my transcript.
* If I applied now, I wouldn't begin school until August 2010. That gives me one year to get everything in line (prereqs and business-wise).
Anyway, that is a summary of the program details. But my mind is debating many other things.
1) Am I too burned out to go back to school again? Isn't 24+ years in school with two advanced degrees (I have a masters in addition to my PhD) enough?
2) How would this affect Natalie in the pharmacy? Would it put too much stress on her with me occupied most days in school?
3) Would I even be a good pharmacist? I like big picture things, not small details. I already struggled with this for my PhD.
4) How would the growth of the business suffer without me there daily helping nurture it? How much time could I realistically spend at the business while I'm in school? How much time does the business actually need me to be there?
5) What does this mean for starting a family? I would be 32 when I finish pharmacy school, which was about when we had planned on having kids. But that plan was originally based on the assumption that we would have had four or five years as post-school "real" adults with a "real" income to live a little...
6) Can I handle going through three years of pharmacy school knowing that I already have a pharmacy? I can totally see myself become super condescending and arrogant towards everybody at the school if I start getting burned out in the program. (I'm sure some would argue that I would become *more* condescending and arrogant :)
7) Can I handle being 32 when I finish school?
So what are the benefits of going to school again? If I had a pharmacy degree Natalie and I would have way more flexibility in running the business. Natalie would be able to have way more days off, would have less job stress, and we would be able to save ourselves tons of money (by not having to pay for additional pharmacists except when needed).
Also, if I had stayed in academia, I would have had to do a 3-4 year post-doc. I have lots of friends who are just starting these. I would very likely finish my pharmacy doctorate before they finish their post-doc. Thinking about it that way doesn't make it sounds so bad (except that my friends are actually getting paid, albeit not a whole lot, to do their post-doc).
This is the kind of decision that I basically need to make in the next few weeks. If I wait a year, I will NEVER go to pharmacy school because I'll be even older when I'm done.
Sorry for the length of this post. Much of this is just helping to hash out my own thoughts on the matter, so thanks for letting me ramble for a while. Any opinions on the matter are appreciated.
answers
1) I may use the PhD professionally, but it will likely never be a primary thing. I am in the process of setting up some consulting, and there is always the chance of teaching a class or two.
2) Financially, there is a huge net advantage of having two pharmacists. Say, $35k/year for three years for school, compared to paying a second pharmacist $120-140k/year (salary+taxes+benefits). The savings add up really quickly. The issue is really the lifestyle balance... we want to be able to have flexible schedules when we have kids. If we are both the pharmacists at our store, will we be too ingrained to be able to have flexible schedules? Or will both of us having a pharmacist license allow us to effectively allow one of us to work while the other is with the kiddo?
3) This is the question. We would hope that me having a pharm degree would allow us to alternate as much as we want to. Personally, I think that regardless there will be some kind of child care situation. Neither of us right now are particularly keen to completely stop working to raise a kid. But if both of us can run the store, then I think our flexibility in our schedule is dramatically increased. Otherwise, we are reliant on hiring a second pharmacist in order for Nat to ever have flexibility in her schedule. In the long run we do plan on hiring a second pharmacist, but the business needs to grow more first. And we aren't sure if that growth will occur fast enough to occur prior to the creation of a baby.
These are tough decisions. I go back and forth every day on what I think is best to do...
Reading what you wrote, I
Reading what you wrote, I don't see a super-compelling reason for you to do it. It seems like you mentioned that the actual Pharmacy work is very detailed oriented (which doesn't seem to be your thing). I think you listed a lot of cons with a couple pros.
While it is nice to be able to be a secondary Pharmacist for your business, it also risks some work-life balance. What if you both want to go on vacation at the same time? Family later on? Monetary considerations are important, but are not the only factor.
Plus, I thought your whole plan (in an ideal world) was within 5-6 years to get your business running and self-sustaining that you would not NEED you or Natalie always in the office. This just seems like you are locking yourself in even further to always having to have at least one of you there. Trying to avoid hiring another pharmacist seems like a way to lock yourself into low flexibility with your life (meaning... it's always one or the other having to work).
If you weren't married and just business partners, that might be one thing but the fact that you share your lives together just screams to me that you are setting yourself up for a lot of frustration with your work-life balance later on.
Ultimately though, you guys know your finances for the business, you know what your life goals are (or at least figuring them out), and you will figure it out. Whatever choice you make, I'm sure it will be well thought out and in the end the right thing for you two. Good luck with whatever you decide. I just refuse to call you Doctor Doctor Gustafson.
Good points all
To play devil's advocate, it might make it easier to expand with a pharmacist from the family at both locations until the 2nd (and 3rd, and 4th..?) are up and running smoothly with someone you trust.
It also sounds like it wouldn't add too much debt from what I understand, so it's a low risk (from that standpoint) decision financially.
As for the concerns about becoming an arrogant ass - You're already a Dr who doesn't save lives :-p j/k - I wouldn't worry about that too much, it's really just 2 years in the classroom and then on to rotations. You may not even have time to become burnt out. lol
I think your concern about becoming a professional student is the 2nd biggest issue (aside from a macro-thinker performing micro-thinking tasks). But again, its just 2 years of school, and the design of the course (constantly switching topics) I think will help.
And as for the Macro thinker in you - I guess a lot of it is how the structure is set up. I think that if you're around to help more when things are busy, Nat needs to be off, or setting up a new store, you can focus for those time periods. If you're performing almost exclusively pharmcist tasks for months at a time where you might suffer from burnout, but for a couple hours, days, or weeks I don't think you have anything to worry about - you're far too prideful (in a good way) about performing good work to be lazy - and who knows - maybe the puzzle nature of mixing and matching will be an interesting enough micro-challenge that it will never be an issue.
One possible additional benefit would be a better understanding the pharmaseutical practice, which would help you as you try to expand your business during sales pitches to doctors for your products.
And finally - how frustrating would it be to live the rest of your life wondering if you would have been a good pharmacist? Not a major issue, but one I could see you having if things are left unanswered.
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I can see a number of solid benefits from obtaining your doctorate of pharmacy even if you're not going to be the 9-5 pharmacist like most. Patrick highlights a number of solid reasons not to do it.
So fret and frown and furough your brow now, but whatever you decide, I'm pretty positive it will be whats best for the life of Dr & Dr Gustafson.
Mmmm, Frys...
I don't have anything super profound to say. But I do remember going to Fry's and buying your computer. And yes, that guy was creepy.
A few thoughts
- Will you be using your Masters & PhD professionally if you don't become a pharmacist?
- Is the net monetary advantage of ultimately having 2 licensed pharmacists in the family (working at the same business) worth the 3 or so lean years while you're in school?
- When you do have kids, what will the child care situation be like? Will they have to be in daycare regardless because both of you need to be at the pharmacy to work, or would your having the pharm degree allow you & Natalie to decide/alternate who stays home with them?