Welcome!

I get asked this question pretty often. I worked at Astellas Pharmaceuticals for about 18 months – 12 months in Analytics and 6 months in Market Access. After that, I moved to Arizona for medical school.

Although the two industries are related, the day-to-day experience is very different. Each career also has their pros and cons, and I’ll outline some of the main ones below.

On a personal level, I went for Medicine because I wasn’t the biggest fan of the office environment and because I wanted to increase my salary ceiling. Another factor that I don’t want to overlook is that I feel Medicine awards more independence in your work, although I may find out later in my career that this might be a myth. But per my current understanding, you don’t really have a boss or manager as a physician. Although you may be at the mercy of hospital administration or insurance companies, I don’t think you really report to anyone (except patients?). I also appreciate the respect and prestige that comes with being a physician. It makes me feel appreciated for the work I am putting in. On the other hand, Medicine has a massive barrier to entry: 4 years of medical school, 3-7 years of residency training, and all the tuition + accrued interest along the way. I’m also finding that Medicine does come at the cost of balanced living and has more work-related stress, at least in my specialty. In essence, Medicine requires you to spend a lot of upfront cash, time, and effort for the increased compensation, security, and prestige down the line.

All this is not to say that a career in pharmaceuticals isn’t worth it. Quite the opposite. My colleagues from the Master of Biotechnology at the University of Toronto are doing really, really well for themselves. Despite their young age, many have achieved titles of Director or Senior Managers in the industry, which I think is really impressive and it speaks to the career field’s potential. The work is always evolving with new technologies and market dynamics. The company’s products help patients live healthier and longer lives, and that gives your work meaning at the end of the day. The pharmaceutical industry is also pretty tight knit in Canada – everyone knows each other – and I think that gives rise to lots of access to career opportunities and cross-company movement.

Overall, both careers are exception and like many things in life, it ultimately comes down to individual preferences. Feel free to reach out to me through any of the channels in the sidebar if you’d like to discuss more! Thanks for reading.