How Can Your Career Shape After Bachelor of Pharmacy

Degree – Learn From Sunil Acharya

MAY 8, 2018

Insights

1. The pharmaceutical industry is an extremely stable industry, since

everyone requires medical attention at some point in their lives,
regardless of their age.
2. Location plays a very crucial role when it comes to this profession.
Majority of the prominent companies establish their manufacturing units
 outside this city, hence it’s necessary to relocate to a smaller place or
travel frequently.
3. Everyone pursuing this career commences right from the bottom,
working their way up the hierarchy, gradually. Hence, patience and
persistence are two very essential traits an individual should possess.
4. This profession provides opportunities for high income but in the later
part of the career.

Profile Details

Name – Sunil Acharya

Profession – Regional director of quality system and compliance at Abbott

Gender – Male

Age – 56 years

City – Mumbai

Industry – ​Pharmaceuticals

Linked – ​https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunil-acharya-611b6a11

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Mumbai and have been brought up in this city. I completed my
schooling, my graduation, and post-graduation all in Mumbai. I’ve worked here
throughout too.

What is your family background like and who would you say,
had a remarkable influence on you growing up and how?

I was born into a middle-class family. We were a family of five, my parents,

two of my siblings and me. My father was a businessman and my mother, a
homemaker. We were a happy middle-class family.

I’d say a few of my uncles had an exceptional influence on me when I was

young. All of them were from the medical background, which magnified my
penchant for pursuing this profession.

Please give me a summary of your career.

Since everything was pretty foreign to me when I’d just started out, I worked
as a management trainee for “​Johnson & Johnson​” for a certain period of
time.

Next, I served as an officer at “​Cipla​” after which I worked with “Rosh Products
Limited” as an executive before I advanced towards becoming the assistant
manager there. Following this, I joint “​Uni-Kem​”, where I was given the
responsibility of a deputy manager. I was then elevated to the position of a
senior manager.

After this, I started working at “​Zydus​” as the deputy general manager.

After a while, I seized the opportunity of working at “​Abbott​” as the general
manager before being promoted to the post of a regional director, which is my
current job role.

Which institutes, according to you, are the best for pursuing

this career?

Bachelor of Pharmacy is a requirement to enter my line of work in the pharma

industry. Though, there are different careers within pharma industry such as
Sales, Marketing, Finance, HR etc.

To pursue B. Pharma., in my opinion, ​Mumbai University​ is a superlative

institute offering various pharmaceutical courses. Along with this, “​Bombay
College of Pharmacy​” and “​KM Kundnani College of Pharmacy​” are two
commendable institutions where you can pursue your degree from. Their
academic productivity, industry interface, number of projects provided are
some factors that make them better.

Also, there are colleges in different cities where you can secure this degree
from if the location is not a hindrance for you. You can probably forage for the
best pharmacy colleges in the city/country of your preference on the internet.

What is the expenditure associated with the education/training

of this profession, approximately?

The cost of bachelor’s in pharmacy is generally about 3 lakhs in all. As for

your master’s, it’ll probably come up to the same figure.
However, there are no coaching institutes or tutorials that can coach you
when it comes to these degrees. You’ve to direct all your attention towards
what’s being taught or explained in your lectures. It’s very crucial to prevent
your focus from wavering at any point in time since you won’t have any extra
assistance.

If you’re planning on attending a university in a different city/country

altogether, you’ll have to take into consideration the lodging and boarding
expenditures too. However, I’m not very familiar with the fee structure in that
case.

How does one manage to enter this field?

After completing your school, where you must’ve opted for science, you’re
expected to appear for an entrance exam for pharmacy. When you get into a
particular college based on your merit, you’re supposed to pursue your
Bachelor’s in Pharmacy, followed by your Master’s. These two degrees will
take about 5 years to complete.

After you’ve pursued these degrees, you’ve to start applying to different

companies. Sometimes, the college that you’re pursuing this degree from
offers placement opportunities too.

What is the range of remuneration one can expect when

starting out in your line of career & industry?

Starting out – 6 lakhs per annum

5 years of experience – 25–30 lakhs per annum

10 years of experience – 60 lakhs per annum

15 years of experience – 80 lakhs per annum

20+ years of experience – 1 crore per annum

The above figures may vary from person to person. The pharmaceutical
industry is doing phenomenally well currently since everyone needs
healthcare.

Describe your work, please.

Since I’m currently occupying the highest position in the hierarchy of the
company, my responsibilities include calling for and attending innumerable
meetings, receiving updates from the juniors, making them aware of anything
that may be lacking or missing in their research or updates, guiding and
counselling them on what the next steps should be, etc.

I spend about 8–10 hours at the office and work from Monday to Friday.

In your opinion, what are some benefits that would encourage

an individual to consider this career/job?

First of all, this industry can never die out or just disappear. Everyone, at
some point, requires medical/healthcare attention, regardless of whether one
is a senior-citizen, teenager or a middle-aged person. So, the stability that this
career offers is incredulous!

Once you’ve established your mark in this industry, there’s no looking back
since it assures ample growth. This growth is not only in terms of your position
in the company, but financially too. I think two of these factors are people’s
chief priorities at the end of the day.

Your work-life balance depends upon what department you’re working in since
this industry comprises various functions. If you’re talking about support
functions like the quality and regulatory department, you can have a good
balance between work and personal time.

Can you mention a few challenges that you would want

someone to be aware of if they’re considering this career/job
course?

Everyone opting for this profession starts out right from the bottom and works
their way up the hierarchy eventually.

If you’re the kind of a person who wants everything to happen effortlessly or

hurriedly, it’s not going to work out in this profession.

Location/traveling shouldn’t be a hindrance for you if you’ve opted for this

course. Most of the prominent companies have their manufacturing sites
outside Mumbai. Only the head offices of the majority of the companies are
located in Mumbai. Hence living in a big city is inconvenient and even
impossible in many cases.
Next, every department in the industry has different work requirements or
work hours. If you’re part of the finance and marketing department, you won’t
have much time for yourself.

What are some relevant trends/skills/technologies that are

currently commanding a premium in your job profile?

You ought to be well versed with the latest developments in the

pharmaceutical industry. You’ve to possess management abilities, all the
relevant skills required of you, abundant knowledge, etc.

What kind of a person, do you think, would be content in this

field?

If you don’t have a problem with residing elsewhere to work for your company,
that is, if the location is not a hindrance for you, I’m sure you’ll be content in
this career.

You should also be committed to your work no matter what. It might be

strenuous since your work may overshadow your life initially.

If you’re not in a hurry to climb to the top and take things as they come your
way, you won’t face any conflict/problem as far as this field is concerned.

For an extrovert or a go-getter, sales or marketing would be an ideal

department to work in. For someone who’d prefer working from the confines of
the office and reading up plenty, finance would be great. So, try to identify
what category your personality would fit into.

Given another choice, what would you do differently as far as

your professional selections are concerned?

I would’ve loved to become a doctor, however, due to unexpected

circumstances, I had to maneuver my way around things, explore and find my
interest in something else.

Nonetheless, I’m assuredly content with the way things are turning out, so no
regrets or complaints from my side!

What advice would you offer to students or professionals who

are just starting their journey on a path similar to yours?

Keep your head on your shoulders. Figure out what you want in life. If you
want to create a name in this profession, be patient, that’s the only piece of
advice that you should follow and more importantly, manifest in your thought
process.

If you liked this article, you may also like to check out ​our conversation with
Mr. Probir Kumar Thakur​ (Team Leader in Quality Control).

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