A guest post by my friend Alex Barker!
Job transition is enjoying a revolution of sorts.
Employers no longer expect employees to stay with a company for dozens of years, and employees no longer expect to stay put.
A recent study by LinkedIn found that over the last 20 years, the number of jobs employees work in the five years after graduation has almost doubled. The study also found that job change is more prevalent in some industries than others, with healthcare and pharmacy ranking 4th out of 14 industries.
As younger workers enter the workforce, the norms are changing. These Millennials have figured out that transition can be a positive change, and they have embraced the possibilities.
Here’s why you should, too.
- Your interests and desires change as you accrue wisdom and years.
It’s a safe bet that the things you loved in your 20s aren’t necessarily the same things you love now. Age grants us new experiences and new opportunities we might not have imagined when we were first entering adulthood.
Along the way, we’ve discovered things we hate, things we love, and things we thought we loved until we discovered there was something better out there.
Your career likely won’t escape this journey of self-exploration, so it stands to reason that the job you landed right after pharmacy school may have outlived its usefulness. Perhaps it helped you identify things you love in an employer and things you don’t. Perhaps, though, it’s time to move on.
When you recognize the signs that your job is no longer a good fit, initiate a plan to find something different, but make sure you consider every aspect of transitioning to something new.
- Staying in a job you hate doesn’t benefit anyone.
Sometimes, jobs don’t work out the way we planned. Whatever the reason, pharmacists occasionally find themselves in jobs that aren’t even tolerable. When that happens, you must initiate a change.
Working at a job you hate can be toxic. Staying there because you’re paralyzed by the thought of transitioning to something else can be equally toxic.
Take control of the situation. Begin researching new companies and reach out to people in your networks. The fact that you are gainfully employed will improve your access to the people who know about available jobs.
My own story includes a job I hated, coworkers I couldn’t trust, and eventually a move away from the traditional pharmacy setting. Seizing new opportunity freed me from a sense of feeling trapped and moved me toward financial independence.
- Seizing opportunities puts you in charge of your own career.
Even if you’re currently in a job you enjoy, great opportunities sometimes appear unexpectedly. Keep yourself prepared for openings that may come your way.
Develop a plan for your career. Decide what you’d like to accomplish and then identify the jobs that will help you accomplish your goals.
Don’t rule out the possibility that transition may take you in unforeseen directions. More and more pharmacists are finding fulfillment in non-traditional pharmacy careers, outside of retail and hospital settings.
Job transition allows you to be the author of your own career and to craft a career that is unique from anyone else’s. You’ll have an opportunity to try new things and possibly even discover new passions.
- Salary doesn’t offset dissatisfaction.
Many people are drawn to pharmacy by the ability to help people and the higher-than-average starting salaries.
In many cases, though, the high stress levels and ever-increasing workload represent the hidden side of the job. Burnout has become a very real threat to pharmacists. It’s not uncommon to find pharmacists who feel trapped in their existing jobs because they have come to rely on the paycheck.
The millennial generation has discovered that work-life balance is important, and they are making career decisions with those priorities in mind. Millennials tend to be socially conscious, and they choose positions with companies whose mission aligns with their values.
Be willing to consider a smaller paycheck in exchange for work that you love, and be willing to leave a large salary if the work isn’t rewarding.
- Staying in one place leads to stagnation.
Stagnation doesn’t happen overnight. It builds gradually when pharmacists get bogged down in their jobs, and — left unaddressed — it continues to grow over time.
Easy signs of stagnation are a dread of Monday morning, boredom, lack of challenge, and a sense of hopelessness.
Stagnation, however, can be more insidious than just disliking your job, because stagnation generally doesn’t lead to action. Those who are stagnant generally find they aren’t motivated at work. In many cases, it has been a while since their last promotion. In general, there is no growth in their careers.
Refuse to accept stagnation as your reality. Just as staying in a job you hate is destructive, staying in a job that allows you to coast is ultimately the same.
Understand that job transition will eventually become a reality. Whether you love your job or hate your job, you will most likely encounter a need for change. The fear of the unknown makes the idea of transition a daunting one, but it doesn’t have to be.
Our mission at The Happy PharmD is to do the heavy lifting for you. We’ve done the research and asked the questions that will help you navigate the waters of job transition.
Our free masterclass is designed to help you transition into pharmacy jobs despite having no experience in that particular field. You’ll discover how to make use of your network and other tools to infiltrate new areas of pharmacy.
The Happy PharmD Summit will prepare you for every aspect of job transition, including those aspects of change you might not have considered. Our experts will help you identify the differences between a pharmacy job and a pharmacy career, and they will expose you to disciplines in pharmacy you might not have considered before. Most importantly, during the free summit, you’ll hear stories of those who overcame challenges much like your own to find work they love doing.
Once you’ve identified a potential position, our CV review will guide you through the process of crafting a spectacular CV that will set you apart from others applying for the same position.
As the millennial generation moves into leadership roles, they bring with them new mindsets about job transition and mobility. Keep your options open, and realize that transition is a reality for those seeking fulfilling work.
Change your thinking about job transition, and join the revolution.
Last modified: February 19, 2018
