Recently, I was offered a retail pharmacist position for after my upcoming graduation. The company was offering excellent compensation for this position. Not only was the pay good, but I was also offered the opportunity to get my student loans paid off in return for a three-year service commitment. Truthfully, it pained me to turn down this amazing opportunity, especially since pharmacy school is costly and $100,000 worth of student loans is terrifying.
Ultimately, I decided to turn down this offer because I know that I want to pursue a clinical position and this requires residency training. I went through a rigorous residency Match process and ended up at my top choice. Though I will be receiving financial compensation in this position, less than half of what I would in the retail position, I will also be receiving additional training in a clinical setting. The experience that I will gain during this additional year of training will be equivalent to three years in the field. The learning opportunities will be abundant and residency training will be full of invaluable experiences.
So, while I would be earning more than double and getting my student loans paid in full at the retail position, it would mean that I would not be able to pursue additional training to obtain the clinical position that I see myself practicing in. And for me, this instant gratification is not worth sacrificing the career I have spent so much time pursuing, for initial higher pay and student loan repayment. The compensation, in the form of career development, is far more valuable to me than the monetary compensation.
