Pharmacy vs chemistry?? URGENT HELP

I have worked in pharmacy for a decade and I can't stand it. The oy pharmacists I've known who have liked the job are those in hospital pharmacies (clinical and interesting) and those in small independants. Working for big chains in community pharmacy can be soul crushing lol. My personal recommendation is if you are going to do pharmacy, land yourself a job in the hospitals, not the community!

I'm planning on doing pharmacy as well, but I haven't gotten any work experience yet, so I don't know what the job is actually like. I do agree that doing the same old thing for 40 years would be extremely boring and soul destroying. The thing with me is, I have a huge interest in human biology/pharmaceutical-chemistry type stuff, but I hate lab work. So this rules out doing a pure science degree and going onto a career that involves scientific lab work. I'm basically in a similar position to you

Hi guys,,

Currently doing my AS. Had my heart set on doing pharmacy for the past few months but after thinking about it , that id be doing the same thing for 40 years sounds a lil boring , im not to sure now.
On the other hand chemistry has always interested me and has varied career choices however Pharmacy has much higher job prospects, and I wouldnt know what careers to go into in chem which is well paid and interesting.

Any chemistry students out there who were in a similar situation, or would have any advice about the course/career options?


Much appreciated.

If i were you I would do Pharmacy as it trains you for a specific job, and it has a vast amount of chemistry in it. Newly graduated Pharmacists make up to £22 K and £25 K in London. The average salary for a newly qualified chemistry graduate is £16-18 K. Trust me it makes a HUGE difference when you start to pay your bills. Also with pharmacy your guaranteed a job with the nhs working either in the hospital or in the community even before you graduate. Chemistry isnt as clearcut you'd probably need an MSc. or a Phd with work experience for high caliber jobs. To tell you the truth you can do most things that a chemist can do as a pharmacy grad. But its all up to you really.

P.S BSc chemistry qualified 2012. I did chem but i am starting medicine in September, much better job prospect. I loved my degree to tell you the truth it was challenging, it changed my whole way of thinking however if i had no intentions of going back to uni I would have rather done a degree that trained me straight for a job. Try talking to pharmacists and call up uni admission officers and have a chat also if you start one course it probably wont be so hard to transfer to the other if you don't like it , good luck!

Hi guys,,

Currently doing my AS. Had my heart set on doing pharmacy for the past few months but after thinking about it , that id be doing the same thing for 40 years sounds a lil boring , im not to sure now.
On the other hand chemistry has always interested me and has varied career choices however Pharmacy has much higher job prospects, and I wouldnt know what careers to go into in chem which is well paid and interesting.

Any chemistry students out there who were in a similar situation, or would have any advice about the course/career options?


Much appreciated.

There are a broad range of options for chemists, but if you want a well paid and interesting career in Chemistry you really need to be looking at an MSci/MChem (and potentially postgraduate study) as opposed to a BSc these days.

A recent RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) study of remuneration of members showed that AMRSC members under 25 (i.e. recent graduates) can expect a median income of around £23k. This is significantly more than some people on this thread are suggesting and represents a comparable income to those starting a pharmacy career.

The premium for doing an MChem/MSci is reasonably significant as those under 25 with a BSc had a median income of £22k but those with MChem/MSci had £25.5k.

Yes thats true...how did you find your PHD? was it MUCH harder compared to the degree? and what did u do financially while studying did they pay for your pHD?

''To tell you the truth you can do most things a Chemist can do as a Pharmacy grad'' - Funniest thing I've read all day XD

Does a pharmacy grad know about Fourier transforms and the Schrodinger wavefunction?

Does a pharmacy grad know the logic and intellectual brilliance behind the Robinson Annulation, the Bayer-Villiger Oxidation or the Wittig reaction? Would a Pharmacist know why protecting groups are important and have the rational skill to select one for a particular molecule out of a myriad of possibilities?

Could a pharmacy grad deduce the structure of a molecule from NMR data and understand how to run a TLC to follow the course of a reaction?

A Chemist is a Scientist analogous to pure mathematicians and there are excellent paying jobs out there for those that wish to find them. A Pharmacist is a person who is licenced to dispense drugs from a shopfront and is involved in a clinical environment.

A pharmacist would struggle in a Synthetic, Inorganic or Physical Chemistry lab. They are very different, don't let your ego get the better of you!

yeah , think ive ruled out pharmacy ,probably going to do chemistry/Biomedical science

These degrees arent to specific to careers so probably would benefit me in the long run, as i get bored really easily!