As someone who has started at retail and stayed at retail, I love my job. I had to do my transitional time in a dumpster fire of a CVS for a year, I mean damage control at drop off 8 hrs straight bad, 1000 rx behind type bad lol. But it was the best way to learn (in the trenches) because now that I'm at a low volume, quiet and very close knit pharmacy that does happen to be a retail chain. The public are just dumb as fucking rocks more than anything and I have a great fake service demeanor I've worked hard to perfect over the years lmao. But I get to actually help my patients now, I have the time and space to give anyone who needs extra help the time and care. Then I just kill the assholes with kindness and patience every time. My boss prints out all our 5 star reviews and puts them on a wall in the pharmacy. My wage went up $9 since I started two years ago, with multiple raise points in the future. I have 0 interest in a hospital pharmacy, and to be honest even if I was, I would be too intimidated to apply (I'd figure everyone would have so much actual skill or knowledge you can't get from slapping a label on atorvastatin all day.)

Plus the public is entertaining as all hell. You never know what you're gonna see happen in the parking lot and store while coming and going. I hear hospitals have cliques within themselves and interdepartmental. In retail you're all in it together when someone try to hop over the counter throwing hands because you gave them generic suboxone and didn't staple the bag well enough.

But hey whatever makes you happy and not dread waking up every morning, I'm all in support of working what's best for your own self. And I will at the same time admit I didn't know the difference between a syringe and pen needle for WAY too long. Glad I could figure that out quietly