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Pharmacy or accounting??!

  • 01-11-2008 10:45pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 83 ✭✭


    Im a 6th yr looking at doing either pharmacy or accounting in UCC.. yeah, i know there completly different:cool: but is there any1 out ther doing either of those courses that can help??


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 630 ✭✭✭Lucas10101


    I'm doing Pharmacy, and in 2nd year at the moment. If you have any more specific questions, then ask away?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 83 ✭✭wexhurdler


    Lucas10101 wrote: »
    I'm doing Pharmacy, and in 2nd year at the moment. If you have any more specific questions, then ask away?

    thanks a mil:) ammm well like whats the course like? one thing putting me off doing it is how hard its made out to be, would u agree with that??

    and then money... salary seems to be getting less attractive every day but realistically what will you start off on after your pre reg year nd how much wud that get up to??


  • Registered Users Posts: 265 ✭✭Blarney92


    And I'm in second Accounting so fire away with the questions.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 83 ✭✭wexhurdler


    Blarney92 wrote: »
    And I'm in second Accounting so fire away with the questions.

    legend:) amm well whats the work load like? wierd question but what made u pick accounting?
    what are you looking at after college? n what kinda money wud u be expecting?


  • Registered Users Posts: 265 ✭✭Blarney92


    wexhurdler wrote: »
    legend:) amm well whats the work load like? wierd question but what made u pick accounting?
    what are you looking at after college? n what kinda money wud u be expecting?

    At the moment its easy but i can see it getting a lot harder. About 20 hours a week in 1st year but really spread out- 4/5 hour gaps. It wasn't that hard in first year. Management is similiar to leaving cert while financial reporting is much more theory based.

    Business Finance(needs a new paragraph)!!!! Was convinced I was going to fail this at the start but its one of those courses where you have to work hard and it'll be fine. Stats, IS(waste of time) and economics were the other first year ones- law and marketing this year.

    Not really sure why i picked it- suppose its a very handy course to have in business and i was really good at it in the LC. And with the standardisation of rules it should be possible to travel with it.

    Hoping to get a big 4 company at the end. Starting at 26k when you're out but up to 38k after you qualify about two years later.

    We'll be the 1st group from UCC to go on placement with accountantcy so that probably adds to the course.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    if you can afford it, you're better off forking out the dough to go to one of the fee-paying colleges in dublin for accounting


  • Registered Users Posts: 265 ✭✭Blarney92


    if you can afford it, you're better off forking out the dough to go to one of the fee-paying colleges in dublin for accounting

    Wouldn't agree with this- the majority of companies( all big4, BDO, banks, MNC's (Google, Apple)etc) hire directly from UCC anyway but maybe its quicker in Fee paying colleges....

    Exemptions from exams are pretty good as well..


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 83 ✭✭wexhurdler


    Blarney92 wrote: »
    Wouldn't agree with this- the majority of companies( all big4, BDO, banks, MNC's (Google, Apple)etc) hire directly from UCC anyway but maybe its quicker in Fee paying colleges....

    Exemptions from exams are pretty good as well..

    im sorry to make this about money now but like u qualify as a chartered accountant and get up to say 38k wud you stay on this for long? like does it go up much? how much wud your average chartered accoutant earn?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    the big 4 are the same as any company, if the staff are good enough, they get the raises they deserve, and of course a bit of **** licking doesnt hurt


  • Registered Users Posts: 265 ✭✭Blarney92


    I'm not 100% sure but this should help:http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055386906

    Figures vary like crazy as do the horror stories about being a trainee accountant. I do know that you acan earn big big money(70k+) if you work hard and get promoted to department head or upward of 250k if you are a partner. Takes about ten years according to my cousin who was a tax partner with PWC....


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 630 ✭✭✭Lucas10101


    I don’t know where you got the idea that salary was decreasing all the time, the demand for Pharmacists is still relatively high and there will always be a need for Pharmacists, by the time your qualified, things should be back to normal.

    I recently viewed a job hunting website, and salaries were in the same range as they always were i.e 70-80K. For a Pre-Reg, I think there is a set-wage so to speak, I’m not sure what it is actually, I forget, but for any pre-reg, even a doctor, the salaries are low, as technically, your still not qualified, so that’s no reason not to do a course.

    How hard it’s made to be? Depends. If you have an aptitude in Science, and especially Chemistry and Human Physiology, then that’s nearly half the battle. Even if you like these, it still requires a lot of work, but it’s easily manageable as long as you don’t leave everything to the last minute. If you do incremental amounts throughout the year, then it’s easily passable.

    For example in First Year, you would have the following modules:

    Physiology (Reasonably easy, nothing tough to comprehend, easily passable)
    Anatomy (Guaranteed Pass, Nobody ever Fails)
    Pharmacy Practice (Dispensing a Medicine, comfortable and easy module)
    Pharmaceutics (A little boring, but the material is short and easy enough, the lab work is crap, but it’s still easy)
    Chemistry (One of those that needs to be knuckled down on, I never really had an interest in Chemistry until I studied it at UCC, which helped, I found it very interesting)
    Biochemistry (Long course, I found very interesting, probably the toughest in terms of memorization, and there is a fail rate high enough in MCQ’s and the Exam)

    So as you can see 4/6 modules are easily passable, when I say easily passable, I mean that you still need to put in work, but it will never be mind-blowingly overwhelmingly difficult and impossible to comprehend.

    I think the syllabus has slightly changed though, that your year will now have less Chemistry, approx. 25%...so Chemistry will be easier for you that way. If you have any sort of an aptitude toward Science, then you can pass this. If you have no inclination toward Science at all, don’t do it.

    I’ve noticed you’re crazy on Salaries, that’s the worst reason for doing a course, and you’re destined to fail if that’s your reason. My advice would be to tot up your academic preferences, and see which one they match the most: Accounting or Pharmacy. Note with Accounting, you’ll be branded Boring for the rest of your life, whereas with Pharmacy, you will be branded a Lifesaver ( or a Murderer if you do something stupid )…plus there’s nothing interesting about re-arranging numbers on a balance sheet…whereas with Pharmacy, you’re learning something new and interesting all year. With Accounting, it’s numbers forever (practically).


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