Can't Find Job---Help me decide where to relocate

[rxfish]

26 years old. Just graduated pharmacy school and entering the most saturated market pharmacy has ever seen (apparently it will get worse). Found MMM second year of pharmacy school and have been obsessed ever since. Dying to finally start making money and retire as early as possible.

I'm licensed in Florida which is one of the most saturated markets....cannot find a job. I do not enjoy living in Florida anyways so I am planning on moving (each state requires you to pass their own law exams so I have to decide and start studying in order to move).

Considering Nevada, New Hampshire, Washington (state), or New Mexico right now and need help making the decision. I care about bike commuting to work, being able to find work, making tons of friends/having a sense of community in close proximity, fresh produce/quality foods, live music, hiking/camping/outdoors activities.

Any general or specific advice is appreciated.... Thank you in advance

Update: To clarify: the test I would need is the law exam portion only as I have already passed the clinical test (each state has different laws and there is no overlap with the exams covering multiple states). The most saturated states due to large volume of schools are Florida, NY, Texas, and I believe California as well (California has other tests I would need as well). I am browsing the job sites but I can't really apply before I am licensed in that particular state.

[Villanelle]

26 years old. Just graduated pharmacy school and entering the most saturated market pharmacy has ever seen (apparently it will get worse). Found MMM second year of pharmacy school and have been obsessed ever since. Dying to finally start making money and retire as early as possible.

I'm licensed in Florida which is one of the most saturated markets....cannot find a job. I do not enjoy living in Florida anyways so I am planning on moving (each state requires you to pass their own law exams so I have to decide and start studying in order to move).

Considering Nevada, New Hampshire, Washington (state), or New Mexico right now and need help making the decision. I care about bike commuting to work, being able to find work, making tons of friends/having a sense of community in close proximity, fresh produce/quality foods, live music, hiking/camping/outdoors activities.

Any general or specific advice is appreciated.... Thank you in advance

My parents live in Nevada and are constantly mentioning how difficult it is to find medical providers.  Generally, they are referring to doctors, but I'd assume that if that many people are using doctors, they are getting prescriptions as well.

As far as biking, it will depend somewhat on where in NV.  My parents are in Vegas and mostly of note is that there are not-infrequent days over 110*.  My mom happily plays tennis in that.  I'd have heat stroke after about 10 minutes of tennis in those temps.    There's certainly a lot of live music available in Vegas.  And Red Rock Canyon is close (or very close, depending on where you live) which is great for hiking, although again, you have the heat and your personal tolerance of it to consider.

Might you consider just searching for jobs in all those locations (or 2-3 if you can narrow it down a bit) and then just moving to wherever you find a great job?

[Lanthiriel]

Depending on your situation re: student loans, working with an Indian health organization could be great for you. New Mexico, Arizona, Washington, Alaska... all of these have either Indian Health Services or services run by native corporations or tribes that count toward PSLF, and usually will pay a certain dollar amount per year toward loans as a stipend. I have a friend who paid off $190k in loans in 5 years working for Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and then the Navajo Nation.

[2sk22]

What about New Jersey - we have 4 big pharmacies and a hospital in my town alone. This is not unusual, especially in the northeastern corner of the state where I live.

[Saving in Austin]

I would take a job hunt tour and then relocate to wherever you can find the best job.

Find a state without state income tax if possible: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

[Swish]

I have a friend who experienced this challenge. Altho not for everyone she moved to a very small town of 5000+ people that was struggling to find a pharmacist. She seems to have a very good lifestyle coupled with a low cost of living.

[use2betrix]

Do the locations you are proposing have jobs available that you’ve been able to find? If the market is as saturated as it sounds, I’d look for a job first to get your feet on the ground and get some experience. You can branch out to your dream location at a later date..

That would be my focus if I was in your shoes.

[iluvzbeach]

Depending on your situation re: student loans, working with an Indian health organization could be great for you. New Mexico, Arizona, Washington, Alaska... all of these have either Indian Health Services or services run by native corporations or tribes that count toward PSLF, and usually will pay a certain dollar amount per year toward loans as a stipend. I have a friend who paid off $190k in loans in 5 years working for Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and then the Navajo Nation.

I second this approach. I have a cousin who is doing this right now.

[EverythingisNew]

Do any exams qualify you to work in more than 1 state? I would consider taking the test ASAP before you forget topics from school. I’m not sure about pharmacy jobs but I would pick the exam that qualifies for the most states or the most populated states (Texas, California, New York). Texas has a low cost of living and good salaries. No state income. Not scenic, but great for making friends and great food quality, although not much local produce. You would probably like Austin area.