What I Enjoy About My Career in Pharma
Today’s blog was originally published in 2021…
What I Enjoy About My Career in Pharma
Many physicians are concerned about transitioning to pharma because of the stigma around this industry. When I was considering my first job in pharma I was terrified to tell my mentor and fellowship program director. Read to the bottom to see how that turned out…
As in all industries, we often hear the negative more than the positive.
I want to share my view, as a physician, of the things I enjoy about working in pharma/biotech (more than 15 years of experience!)
- innovating
- helping patients and families
- stretching myself; always an opportunity to challenge myself to do something new
- interacting with world and national scientific and medical experts
- learning about finance, marketing, manufacturing, regulatory…. (so many functional areas to be exposed to!)
- working with really smart and motivated people
- getting to attend lots of conferences and congresses
- having time to read and think
- understanding the intricacies of drug development and why it takes a long time
- learning something new every day (often many new things per day!)
- traveling all over the world
- 15-20 holidays per year (there are times I have to work on holidays but generally it is nice to know that I don’t have to rotate coverage or take call on holidays AND these holidays are in addition to 2-4 weeks of vacation per year)
- mentoring
If you are ready to make the transition to a great career, consider pharma – the industry needs physicians to help provide the medical voice.
And, to my fear about what two of my most respected mentors would think… they were happy for me and supportive of my choice. Our fears hold us back – let your desires and needs drive your career.
Ready to make a career transition to pharma/biotech… want to explore a way to use your medical training and knowledge in a fulfilling way without nights and weekends call or charting. Watch this webinar on Getting Past the Three Major Hurdles to a Career in the Pharma Industry HERE.