Comparison and contrast methods: alternating versus holistic organization approaches

¶ … college majors is daunting to all but those who had a clear vision of their future career since childhood. For most students, exposure to a wide range of academic subjects kindles a desire to explore a multitude of subjects with possible career options. Sometimes a student is drawn to two completely different subjects, which can considerably complicate the decision of which academic major to pursue officially. In my case, both accounting and pharmacy are compelling areas of study. Two totally different fields, accounting and pharmacy do have points of intersection that may make it easier for me to make a decision about my immediate future.

Pharmacy is a growing field with a good variety of career options and working environments. For example, a pre-pharmacy major who pursues an advanced degree in pharmacy can work in a research laboratory for a university or major pharmaceutical company. A pharmacy major can go on to work in the community as a pharmacist or as a consultant to local healthcare institutions. However, in general the working environments of a pharmacist are limited to those within the healthcare or research sector.

Working in the pharmaceutical industry presents some ethical conundrums. On the one hand, I would be helping to develop and disseminate drugs that can potentially cure diseases and alleviate suffering worldwide. On the other hand, pharmaceutical industries do not live up to their highest potential because of the profit-driven business model they pursue. I would need to take ethics and personal integrity into account when choosing a career path.

The time spent on undergraduate and post-graduate work in pharmacy is roughly five or six years. I would be studying coursework in both the sciences and mathematics. Job prospects are high; growth in the sector is higher than average; and median annual wages are in six figures (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011).

Median annual wages for an accountant are generally lower than for pharmacists at around $60,000, but there are also a wider range of potential job options (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). As with pharmacy, accounting is a fast-growing job sector with prospects far above average vs. other career sectors. The time spent on undergraduate and post-graduate work is roughly the same for pharmacy and accounting, but I may need to complete a few extra years of residency training to become a pharmacist vs. An accountant.

The working environments available to an accountant are broader than they would be for a pharmacist. An accountant can develop a lucrative private practice, in which I would set my own hours and be my own boss by developing a list of clients. Such a scenario is impossible for pharmacists. Accountants can also work with the private, public, or non-profit sectors and can even end up taking on positions in foreign corporate offices. There are fewer ethical impediments to working as an accountant, given the fact that I am in control of my performance. I would be committed to ethical accounting practices and would extricate myself from any scenario in which a client was requesting I condone or perform unethical practices.