George Said:

Which course would you take considering job opportunities? Pharmacy or Med. tech?

We Answered:

Pharmacists are in really high demand in the US. You will need a 4 year college degree to become a licensed Pharmacist. You can easily earn well over $100,000 a year. Plan on working long hours in a really stressful environment though.

The Pharmacy tech works with the pharmacist filling prescriptions but is poorly paid. All that is required to be a Pharmacy tech is a certificate. I was a Pharmacy tech but got burned out by the long hours and crappy pay.

I don't know much about being a Med tech. I think you would work much more closely with the patients.

Edgar Said:

I am an Indian Diploma holder Pharmacist, Can you please guide me about job opportunities for me abroad ?

We Answered:

You better look through some friend in Dubai

Peter Said:

What job opportunities can I earn with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology? Is it worthwhile?

We Answered:

Lots of questions...

First, you should remember that university degrees are not job training, but rather educational in nature. So your degree doesn't qualify you for any job really. Instead, it just gives you the background that might be appealing to certain employers. After all, you'll be **trained** by your employer pretty much regardless of where you end-up working.

So on to your questions... Where you're eligible to work depends mostly on which assortment of courses you take, combined with your outside (read: volunteer or work) activities. For instance, with one assortment of course work, you might be more qualified to work in wildlife management, but with another, a cancer research lab. So strictly speaking, this is difficult to answer on Y!A. This is why I tell my students that their choices of course work is *really* important, and that they need to make these decisions in consultation with an academic advisor. I'd suggest the same for you. Decide which general direction you want to go (that's done already), and then choose courses that put you on that general pathway.

That said, you've got the major ones, but there are a few other possibilities. Many students go into biological equipment sales. You can make a great living this way if you're a people-person and (in my experience) have a little luck. Another option is in... gasp... insurance administration. A good biomedical background can be very helpful here, and a growing number of biology majors are working for insurance companies, though you'll also need good math skills and excellent attention to detail.

As to the transfer issue you raise... While most schools deny that they have a bias toward their own students, the statistics suggest that they do. Generally, you are more likely to get accepted into a pharmacy program if you went to that institution's undergraduate program. But the presence or absence of a specific pre-pharmacy program at another institution is largely irrelevant. The bias toward their own students is real, but it's not *huge.* The school admissions folks I've spoken to say that it's not a bias at all, but reflective of better performance of their students on standardized tests because their classes tailor their teaching to those tests. Once admitted, however, they say that there's no advantage evident in subsequent performance.

Good luck!

Diane Said:

Pharmacist's job in KSA.. opportunities and process to get employment?

We Answered:

I infact know a person who came to Saudi with the same qualification as yours back in April and still could not get a job in Pharma. As I understand there are two categories Registered and Unregistered Pharmacist as well as companies are looking for 2 to 3 years of experience. He was telling me that as unregistered pharmacist you may get a job with salary as high as SR 2,500/- while a registered one can fetch upto SR 4,000/- At the same time there is not much awarness about PharmaD qualification here in KSA and thats also a difficulty.

I am living in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and this information belongs to this part. Situations can be different in Central (Riyadh) and/or Western (Jeddah) regions. Try checking out jobs at http://www.bayt.com and more info about the regulation of your profession on Ministry of Health website http://www.moh.gov.sa/english/

Erica Said:

Will having a tattoo on my wrist hinder my opportunities of getting a good job?

We Answered:

It definitely could. Depending on what job you end up doing in the future, they may have a policy against tattoos, requiring you to cover it up all of the time. While it may not be said in the interview, a company may also decide not to hire you based on your appearance - if a tattoo is considered by the company to be part of a "negative appearance". All of the jobs that you listed are professional and for those where you'll be interacting with the public, appearance could definitely be a factor in whether you get the job or not. However, if you're wearing a lab coat all day and it isn't visible, it may not be a big deal. If you're concerned, you may be able to come up with a more creative way to remind yourself of your faith, daily.