Law or Pharmacy, Which One Should I Study? (Explained)

Students nowadays have myriad options available to them when it comes to selecting career paths.

This is a monumental decision that affects the trajectory of the student’s lives for a long time to come.

Some of the most popular career options, however, are law school or a career in pharmacy.

These two lines are vastly different, and it depends on your inclinations and skillset which area you pick.

Below, we’ll discuss both in-depth to help you have a clearer idea of which one to choose. Let’s get into it!

So which is a better career path, Law School or Pharmacy?

In short, neither Law nor Pharmacy is better than the other. Both are highly prestigious, interesting, and well-paying career options for those who appreciate problem-solving, critical thinking, and community service.

It’s also a question of which is better and more of which one is more suitable for you.

The choice between law school and a pharmacy school depends purely on the student’s career goals, interests, skills and personal strengths.

Both careers have different responsibilities, duties, and qualifications, but both are well respected and have vast fields to perform in and earn well.

If you pick a career in law, you have many avenues open to you.

You can work in taxation law, family law, criminal law, and many other areas.

BLS predicts that the job market for all lawyers will grow by up to 10% by 2028.

If you enjoy investigating and analyzing events, working with a vast range of clients, and serving the public, you will immensely enjoy working as a lawyer.

Furthermore, if you want to become a lawyer, you must have good oral skills, good written skills, analytic skills, empathy, compassion, and trustworthiness.

Conversely, jobs for pharmacists are expected to grow by 25 per cent in the same period, and this is the fastest average than any other industry.

COVID-19 has made the pharmaceutical industry more important than ever, and this reflects in job growth.

A pharmacy career can be a rewarding practice for any student as you work closely with doctors and patients and are responsible for supplying and reviewing prescriptions.

The pharmacist’s primary duty is to ensure that the medicines given to patients are safe. 

Pharmacists must-have skills like paying attention to details, analyzing information, and administering medications.

If you want to pursue a career in medicine that isn’t a doctor, you’ll do exceptionally well in this field.

These skills can help you advance further in your career and establish yourself in the area.

In the end, the career path better for you depends on where your strengths lie.

As a lawyer, you work in a more investigative capacity, where you also have a chance to make a big name for yourself.

As a pharmacist, you work closely with people and help them recover from their weakest periods.

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Is Law School Harder Than Pharmacy? (Explained)

Pharmacy is harder than Law school due to the heavy workload and vastness of the material required to study and learn.

However, It also depends on the natural abilities and capacity of each student.

Both pharmacists and lawyers may need to spend seven years of studying to become professionals and start practising.

Both pharmacy and law school students need to take either the PCAT or the LSAT, which are intensive tests that require a lot of studying and hard work.

Without giving both these tests, you can’t enter either department.

To become a lawyer, you need four years of undergraduate education and three years of law college.

Additionally, lawyers must pass their bar exam in the state where they want to practice.

Furthermore, law school is much more subjective than pharmacy school, and you need to think much more creatively and analytically.

However, pharmacy students must complete two to three years of undergraduate education and then spend three to four years in graduate study.

Furthermore, they may need a one-year course before their Doctor of Pharmacy degree to train with pharmacists.

However, getting your pharmacist degree and fulfilling all the educational requirements isn’t enough.

Attaining the license is of vital importance too.

Without the license, you cannot be considered a registered pharmacist, and you can’t practice.

So, you need to pass two licensing exams which qualify you to practice as a pharmacist.

Furthermore, pharmacy school requires you to memorize a great deal of material, which can get exhausting.

Both careers demand hard work and determination, and while the responsibilities are different, the time period of academic years are almost the same and require the same attention and effort.

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Who Earns More, Law vs. Pharmacy? (Explained)

Whether you pick a career as a lawyer or a pharmacist, you can expect to make good money.

Both professions are incredibly profitable and respected, and depending on your specialization, experience, location, you can expect almost the same salaries.

Pharmacists earn slightly more than Lawyers on average, with a pharmacist’s average salary can range from $129,710 to $148,907  compared to lawyer at be around $126,930 per year.

However, as you progress through your career, you can avail opportunities to earn much more significant sums.

The top twenty per cent of lawyers can expect to make an average of $186,350 per year.

So, you might feel that law is a better career in terms of salary.

A law career is incredibly productive and profitable, but that doesn’t mean a career as a pharmacist isn’t rewarding.

Pharmacists can work in many different capacities, and although they may earn a little lesser than lawyers, they still make a good six figures annually.

BLS ranks both pharmacists and lawyers in the top 30 jobs, and you can expect to have financial stability in either case.

Final Thoughts

Whether you pick pharmacy or law as your final choice, you can expect to do incredibly well financially and avail many personal and professional growth opportunities.

Both of these careers allow you to contribute positively to people’s lives in long-lasting ways.

What degree you pick at the end depends on your inclinations.

Medicine and law are incredibly different, and to make the best choice, you need to consider many factors.

It would be best if you analyzed not only your strengths and weaknesses, but you also need to do all your research.

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References

  • Lawyers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)
  • Pharmacists : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)