Since sharing pharmacy career information as a blog post, I’ve received quite a number of enquiries for pharmacy career advices. In person or emails for specific personal situations. In this post, I’m sharing the following emails with the hope that they would benefit those who are facing similar situations.
I’m also sharing some personal stories and crossroads leading to where I currently am in this pharmacy career. It’s been 25 years now. I reveal how I made my career decisions – and in so doing, I hope it would help you make your own.
Today I received an email from a new pharmacy graduate who is at a career crossroad. He’s doing his PRP in hospital because of his parents. Read on…
And my reply as follows…
Assalamualaikum SK,
Thank for emailing me regarding my career pathways blog post.
My first advice:
Follow your heart. Or your gut feelings. Sembahyang istikarah and leave the rest leave to Allah.
That said, afraid I don’t have the whole backstory of your situation… I don’t know why your parents asked that you to work in hospital sector in the first place, despite you wanting to stay in the retail sector. Perhaps it’s because government vs private, thus more secure financially?…
Unlike 20 years ago, careers in pharmacy (retail, hospitals) and pharmaceutical industries in Malaysia are still quite secure and robust. Also, some retail pharmacies are available as PRP training sites, but quite limited and competitive (Please check BPF)
My second advice:
If they strongly felt that way for you, could I ask you to fulfil their request for PRP?
1. Afraid it’s our culture to follow parents’ requests;
2. I understand it’s not your choice. Just do it because you love them. Do tell them that.
Continue to have discussions on career options with your parents. And if you decide to stay on this path, tell yourself to learn as much as you can from the hospital experience. You’re still young. You can always opt out for retail for the FRP.
I learned a lot from my hospital and retail pharmacy experiences. That experiences and insight have greatly helped adding value to teaching medicinal chemistry to my students. It has helped me shape my professional view of healthcare in Malaysia.
You see… Life’s a mystery. Only until years later the why’s would become clear. In pharmacy, I don’t think one can really go wrong; it’s more about finding a good fit. But of course… the decision is yours =)
Thank you for your support. Keep on reading!
Regards,
Dr. Aisyah Saad Abdul Rahim
Pharmaceutical Chemistry Discipline
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 Minden,
Penang.
✆ +6 04 653 4094
fax: +6 04 657 0017
www.draisyah.com
From SPM to USM – a winding road…
Career-wise, I’ve been at several crossroads before coming to my current position in USM. It has not been a straight-forward journey but an interesting one 😉
After my SRP (today’s PMR), I spent a year in the States following my family since my late dad was in the middle of his Ph.D studies. Yes, I had a ‘taste’ of American high school and its culture at an impressionable age of 16.
It’s been nearly 30 years. Since then, I have travelled to many places in the world, but not the States. The calling to re-visit the States is still quite weak. Perhaps one day…
So yes, I skipped my Form 4. Studied for SPM under 9 months. My late dad insisted that I went home for SPM, even though I received scholarship offers for universities in the States.
I remember, for my first chemistry quiz on the first day of school (Form 5), I got 10/100. The 10 marks were for ‘the electrons orbiting the nucleus’ answer. Hahaha.. Few people knew this story… and now I’m teaching chemistry 😉
And the then chemistry teacher was so concerned, ‘Aisyah… do you think you can pass SPM? You know you have less than 9 months to study for SPM. And nobody has done this before… everyone takes 2 years to study for SPM!’
Her concern was valid. I was in the first class, 5 Science A. At a good school in Penang. That a student from a top class would fail her paper. A high chance of getting an F.
My reply to the chemistry teacher was,
‘I’ll do my best’.
That’s the standard answer I gave to anyone. Teachers, students and relatives who decided I would never pass any SPM subjects. That it’s simply a waste of time sitting for SPM, under 9 months. Unheard of. That they think I should start in Form 4, not Form 5.
Also, simply because, at that time, I realised I couldn’t tell the future. I had no idea what I would get. My classmates aimed for straight A’s. SPM results of at least 8A’s were expected of 5 Science A students. I remember I had no target. But I knew I could study.
I knew how to study hard, and smart.
On reflection, perhaps my chemistry teacher was more concerned of her track-record. A failure would mar her good standing amongst her colleagues.
A long story short. I passed my SPM with flying colours. Everyone I knew was surprised, if not shocked. Did quite well in all science subjects too (including chemistry!).
Post-SPM: Decisions and more decisions…
Post-SPM. That’s when I start making choices for my career – starting with my SPM results in hands. Below are the decisions that I went through:
- Local or overseas? Overseas.
- Where? UK, Australia, USA? UK.
- Biology, Biotechnology or Pharmacy? Pharmacy (my mom shouted from the kitchen).
- Then, during A-Level years in PPP/ITM. Pharmacy or medicine? Pharmacy.
- Nottingham or Cardiff? Cardiff. Did my pharmacy undergraduate at the Welsh School of Pharmacy.
- Retail or hospital? Hospital. Hospital Ipoh.
- A year later, retail or hospital? Retail.
- Several years later, retail or Ph.D.? Ph.D.
- Pharmacology or Pharm. Chemistry? Chemistry.
- London or Nottingham? Nottingham.
- USM? Yes, USM… and many more 😎
Listen to your heart
Except for the critical decision of choosing pharmacy as my career – that was my mom’s! Which turned out to be a huge blessing for my family and me, many of these decisions were based on my interests.
Of course, I had long lists of pros and cons before reaching the decision. I asked a lot of people. I read many books (when the internet was in infancy). But to reach the decision, it was more of what I thought was ‘interesting’. Then, I followed my ‘nose’, my gut feelings and my heart.
You may ask,
how do I listen to my heart?
My advice to you: new pharmacy graduates, PRP and FRP – listen to your heart. Seldom wrong, the heart is.
A cluttered and ‘noisy’ mind would definitely drown the voice from the heart. It may take you few weeks to hear the voice.
It’s a bit shy.
Do slow detox yourself from devices. Go offline.
Be on your own. Be present and still. Then you will hear your heart’s voice.
Yes or No. Loud and clear.
Or what pulls you.
A decision that leads to calm and serene feelings would often mean that is meant for you. At that particular point in your career.
As long as we are open to learning, there may not be a bad or good decision… plenty of opportunities for growth and self-reflections.
Looking back, it’s been a good 25 years since A-Levels. I’ve had 6-7 jobs; almost a quarter century in pharmacy – hospital, retail and academia. Seen a lot of things so far. New and same old, same old (as Malaysians would say).
A good time to retire?… Now that’s an interesting thought 😀
