Career Advice MEGA - Courses and Careers related to Drugs

I just love pharmacology, that's why I joined bluelight. Turns out psychiatrists take PP courses after the medical courses. I have yet to find if one can take get a psychopharmacology degree without a medical degree.
Thanks
 
I'm not familiar with pharmacology. Are you basically saying you like to study how medications work? Why not go into research?
 
flyhighk said:
I just love pharmacology, that's why I joined bluelight. Turns out psychiatrists take PP courses after the medical courses. I have yet to find if one can take get a psychopharmacology degree without a medical degree.
Thanks
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Okay, I think I get it.

Are you asking about a 4 year Bachelor's degree? If you are looking for a college in the US that offers a BS in psychopharmacology the answer is No. Bachelor's degrees are not that specialized. The closest you'd be able to get with a 4 year education would prolly be to major in chemistry. Unfortunately there's no easy way to get there. If you want a career like PP, you're gonna have to do a 4 year Bachelor's and at least another 4 to 6 years after that working towards the terminal degree, whatever that may be.

In other words, one cannot simply break into a field as specialized as psychopharmacology without completing 8 to 10 total years of post-high school education. Tude was not far off the mark when she mentioned research. To complete a PP education will require lots of research, which would prolly lead to a career doing more research.
 
The education system is a little different here in lebanon, but you're right I'll have to spend a decade or more in college. Thanks again
 
And economies of scale and costs of production in the global South (particularly China) will put you out of business. I would pursue a chemistry degree at university and figure out if practice in the field even interests you. By the endpoint of your education, you should have a good idea how to launch 'personal side-project', if you want.

ebola
 
With legal highs as popular as they are; the drug-makers must be making a fortune!
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Everyone loves cheeseburgers; those guys at McDonald's must be raking it in!
 
The guys at the top of the food chain (tee hee) do.
 
Drug & Alcohol Counsellor - DRUG USER

I thought I would pop this post up to see some opinions out there.

So I have completed my Bachelor of Technology (Computer Studies) degree from university a few years ago. I hate it. Its boring and has sucked the love out of computing which I once had. I decided I needed something more and have since began study to become a Drug & Alcohol Councillor/Worker. Being an avid drug user with a previous addiction problem (methamphetamine) would my previous experiences and current lifestyle effect my future job performance in aspect of actively helping people in a positive or negative way? (Your opinions)

I believe that my experience within the drug world from being homeless and addicted to now still being a user but to a much less extent, I want to use my experiences and coping mechanisms to help other effected users. I myself have attended quite a lot of drug counselling and my firm stance on it is to teach moderation rather then telling someone they have to quit. Most people aren't truly ready to quit, although if that person was to be in front of me and convince me of that I would of course offer them the assistance to achieve their desire.

Does wanting to enter this line of work and wanting to help people work through their drug & alcohol related issues make me a hypocrite while I am still a frequent user?
 
you say that you are a "frequent user" with a "previous addiction problem" - this gives the impression that your addiction is not as past tense as you are making it out to be. frankly, your entire post sounds like the words of someone trying to justify something that they know they should not be doing. i recommend you work on your own relationship with drugs before you start offering up assistance to others.
 
My choice of words is probably not the best. I honestly have no moral quarrel with choosing this line of work I worded thread this way to instigate some kind of discussion on the subject to help me write an essay I have coming up centered around our own personal journey as a student that brought us to current study. Also by "frequent" I mean once a fortnight I partake, which is still not where I want to be but its a far cry from where I was at using everyday. Although I am still wrestling with the thought that I am the wrong person for the job as I can tend to take other peoples stories on board which can effect me quite a lot, but upon discussing that with a current counselor I was advised that those qualities in a counselor can sometimes be a good thing as long as one can leave it behind at the end of the day.

I have decided on this line of work because I want to make a genuine difference in peoples lives who are often misunderstood and ridiculed for their life choices. I volunteer currently at a not-for-profit young people (Ages 12-23) drug abuse clinic where I am an intake officer. The main part of my job is to listen to these peoples stories and gauge who is best suited to helping them at their current position regarding their addiction of abuse issues. The disheartened feeling I get knowing that a lot of these teens won't be back for their second session is often over shadowed by the handful of a success stories that the clinic does have.

Thanks for your input though double ewe. :)
 
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lol @ thinking real research chemists go around making legal highs or watever. maybe if you're employed by a shanty lab in china

becoming a chemist because you want to "make dr00gz" is so stupid its laughable
 
Well, you might want to produce something not commonly found on the RC market, but again, that's a hobby/sideproject, not a profession.

ebola
 
I think you would have lots to offer as a former addict as you're now in the field now and see the rewards. You have a natural passion for helping these youngsters and book-training really can't compare to that. I have met dozens of substance abuse workers and counselors over the years and many of them have said they are in recovery. So having that experience is a big plus.

But if you are actively still using, no it doesn't make you a hypocrite but maybe you're not ready yet and this is only my opinion so please don't take offense. I used to volunteer as well and when clients talked about their habits, it would sometimes trigger me to use again even if my drug of choice was not mentioned. Then again sometimes I felt strong and wasn't tempted at all. If I relapsed then I felt tremendous guilt going back to work the next day. It's walking a tightrope for sure.
 
Mathematics for pharmacology?

What sorts and types of mathematics does one need to be competent enough (or proferably excel) in a pharmacology PhD?
:?
Which of these should I do?

Lvl.1

Discrete mathematics for computer scienceSpecial topics in mathematics (dynamics, chaos, algorithms, number theory, logic, operational research, etc.)
Functions and their applications (Calculus)
Analysis of change (More calculus)
Techniques for modelling (Gaussian elimination; matrices, determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, differentials, Taylor series, etc.)
Techniques for modelling (advanced)
Multivariable calculus (partial derivatives, extreme values, Lagrange multipliers. Multiple integrals, line integrals, surface integrals, integral theorems of Gauss and Stokes, etc.)
Statistical methods for science


Lvl.2

Mathematics research project level 2Multivariable calculus
Multivariable calculus (advanced)
Linear algebra with applications
Differential equations with modelling
Algebra and number theory
The nature and beauty of mathematics
Real analysis
Mathematics of uncertainty
Mathematical statistics

Lvl.3

Relativity and cosmology
Physical meteorology
Dynamical meteorology
Mathematics research project level 3
Partial differential equations
Complex analysis and integral transforms
Introduction to computational mathematics
Advanced ordinary differential equations
Differential geometry
Algebra and number theory
Real analysis
Algebra and number theory II
Analysis and topology
Time series and random processes in linear systems
Random processes in the sciences and engineering
Financial mathematics
Applied mathematical modelling
Fluid dynamics

THANKSSSSSS %)%)%)
 
probably financial mathematics - how else are you going to run los pollos hermanos a drug empire?

I would worry about getting university entrance and a B.Sc. in something... choosing specific math courses is the least of your worries right now. Talk to an advisor at your local university and they can let you know what you would need. You're not going to walk in the door, write a test, and walk out with a Ph.D., it's going to take years of education and you will have a lot of time to learn what you need to.

If you can establish a solid foundation in biology, chemistry, and/or psychology, extending to pharmacology isn't too much farther. Generally in the sciences, the more math you know, the easier your life is. Learning multivariable calculus might not be necessary, but it will just extend your toolbox.

This isn't the forum to ask this though.

NsPD --> E&C
 
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I'm already at university (it's 7th in world for pharma according to QS), so I'm all set in that sense, just making sure that I'm choosing the right breadth of math for such a career path. In particular I have no idea whether to do statistics, and if so how much.

PS: Those subjects are what the university offers and lvl refers to the year level. Sorry should have mentioned that at start.
 
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