If you are over 40 year old and a rep - You are done in pharmaceuticals





Why would someone post mean and negative things about an older rep? Are you so miserable with your life that posting negative things empowers you. Darling, you really need to get some help. Why would you care? Who cares if that is the case even though it isn't. Older reps are wiser and it doesn't matter what they look like, it doesn't matter how old they are, They are proud and could sell pretty much anything they wanted to sell, if you think they are lazy, think again, they are probably pissed off or working on their home. Remember when we first got the jobs? Well, those were the days they hired talented people -unlike today. We won't go into that. You have to come on the boards are post things to make yourself feel like a bigger person. You will be that age one day my friend and if your smart like us, you will have a back up. All of us do have a backup because we are not stupid you idiot!!!! Now grow up and quit worrrying about other people, just do your job and get a life. Don't even try to respond because we all know your an idiot. Bye bye
 








I am a 49 year old rep that took the severance in November. The fifteen years I spent at AZ were great. Not only did I have a great expense account which I took full advantage of, and I do mean advantage, but I only worked from 11 to 4 everyday except when my manager "of the moment" was with me. Many days were often spent having a 2 hour or longer lunch with reps from other companies, and many doctors whose company I enjoyed. I figured that I only would do enough to make bonus and no more as I already had achieved a level four and because AZ had played games with goals in October for several years in a row and I decided never to blow it out again. They stole my bonus, and the bonus of other hard working reps and it took me four years to get mine back through creative methods. Not only was I happy, but I did well, watched my kids grow up, and had plenty of time to do extra jobs on the side and do much work on my house.

My world came to an end when we had to do the sign in sheets and couldn't take docs out to lunch and dinner. The only thing I could do then was play other games, which were not as much fun. What was fun was faking all of the calls in Touchstone while making the calls that counted. I did more than 40 speaker programs last year too, all were pretty much a waste of time as the same lame docs came to them. Fortunately I had a great counterpart that I enjoyed working with. There are many great and talented people at AZ but the current management sucks, my last manager being the personification of insipid and lacking any leadership skill. So I left my plum job.

Am I lazy? Well, I worked an extra job the entire time I was with AZ. I rebuilt much of my house and I went back to school and got a masters. The job was the vehicle to do this and I can't say how much I enjoyed it. I am financially well off and thank AZ for helping me achieve this. Now, I have a job that is more complicated and requires more effort but the payoff is that my salary is not capped. Don't believe that after 10, 15 or even 22 years in pharmaceuticals your world is at an end. It's only just beginning. You just have to be creative and rise to the occasion. I can honestly say I hated my last DSM, but I had many good ones as well and I thank my lucky stars for the time I had in pharma.

best post ever.
 








To 22: The one word answer is jealousy. To use a geezer term we've got it "made in the shade". We were also forced to learn how to save to invest. Nobody was giving "liars loans" or NINA loans mortgages when I bought a house in in 1998. I had to save for five years to come up with $100K for a down payment (20%) because having to pay PMI was a waste of money. Thankfully lenders are starting to come to their senses. However, the way people have piss money away during the credit bubble makes me doubtful that anyone has that same $100K sitting around.

To 29: You're right. How many people this weekend sacrificed a month's worth of meds to buy an ipad (which is a POS IMHO).
 








Why would someone post mean and negative things about an older rep? Are you so miserable with your life that posting negative things empowers you. Darling, you really need to get some help. Why would you care? Who cares if that is the case even though it isn't. Older reps are wiser and it doesn't matter what they look like, it doesn't matter how old they are, They are proud and could sell pretty much anything they wanted to sell, if you think they are lazy, think again, they are probably pissed off or working on their home. Remember when we first got the jobs? Well, those were the days they hired talented people -unlike today. We won't go into that. You have to come on the boards are post things to make yourself feel like a bigger person. You will be that age one day my friend and if your smart like us, you will have a back up. All of us do have a backup because we are not stupid you idiot!!!! Now grow up and quit worrrying about other people, just do your job and get a life. Don't even try to respond because we all know your an idiot. Bye bye

Former Wyeth rep here. Forced to "retire" in a downsizing in 08. I came on in 89 with a lot of talented people and had a great career - by the way, we were not pc reps but a new specialty group that luckily kept its focus. I took advantage of everything the company had to offer (they all are pretty much the same) 401k, internal promotion ladder via medical courses, flex spending account etc. But most of all I saved and as others on your board have said, I had a back up plan which helped me start a new career without worrying about money to live on. What a lot of us senior reps have seen during our life experiences are the ups and downs of the US economy and believe me everyone is touched in some form or other during these trying times. I hope that the current generation of representatives have learned a valuable lesson - do not put all your eggs in one basket, take advantage of everything you can to prepare yourself and your loved ones for the unexpected - have a back up plan!

I want to wish everyone on your teams good luck.
 




Former Wyeth rep here. Forced to "retire" in a downsizing in 08. I came on in 89 with a lot of talented people and had a great career - by the way, we were not pc reps but a new specialty group that luckily kept its focus. I took advantage of everything the company had to offer (they all are pretty much the same) 401k, internal promotion ladder via medical courses, flex spending account etc. But most of all I saved and as others on your board have said, I had a back up plan which helped me start a new career without worrying about money to live on. What a lot of us senior reps have seen during our life experiences are the ups and downs of the US economy and believe me everyone is touched in some form or other during these trying times. I hope that the current generation of representatives have learned a valuable lesson - do not put all your eggs in one basket, take advantage of everything you can to prepare yourself and your loved ones for the unexpected - have a back up plan!

I want to wish everyone on your teams good luck.

Here's the bottom line. The post is correct the older you get the less you are wanted by a company that values youth. So for the people in your late 20's and 30's, just know that their is a fifth grader who will some day be your boss and showing you the door. Its the circle of life in pharma.
 




Former Wyeth rep here. Forced to "retire" in a downsizing in 08. I came on in 89 with a lot of talented people and had a great career - by the way, we were not pc reps but a new specialty group that luckily kept its focus. I took advantage of everything the company had to offer (they all are pretty much the same) 401k, internal promotion ladder via medical courses, flex spending account etc. But most of all I saved and as others on your board have said, I had a back up plan which helped me start a new career without worrying about money to live on. What a lot of us senior reps have seen during our life experiences are the ups and downs of the US economy and believe me everyone is touched in some form or other during these trying times. I hope that the current generation of representatives have learned a valuable lesson - do not put all your eggs in one basket, take advantage of everything you can to prepare yourself and your loved ones for the unexpected - have a back up plan!

I want to wish everyone on your teams good luck.

My back up plan is death.
I figure if all goes bad, then I am going to die soon and not worry about anything. In the meantime, I just have fun going on all these interviews and getting rejected.

Its good to have a big set of nuts in this economy. And my GPA is good. And I have been in the top 5 percent. but, still no job.

Death isn't that bad. It only happens once.
 
























All of this is why I've been working two drug rep jobs in different therapeutic specialty markets with different target physicians for the last three years with territory zip codes that almost mirror one another. I actually spend about 12 hours per week "working" for each company. I live off of the income from one job and wisely invest the rest from the other job in various assets that have bottomed out in value... (small apartment buildings are great because the depreciation allowances offsets my otherwise huge tax liability every year while the tenants pay my relatively small mortgages off). I'll keep this plan going for about another year or two and then just be done.

Also, and this is specifically for AZ MGMT, if you could catch me... you would've already. :-0
 








20 years in pharma
Net worth 1.1 mil
No morgage
No auto loans
No credit card debt
One modest house
Kids college money banked
Masters Degree
Pension w/health care

This is what I signed up for two decades ago. I've been planning on an end to pharma for years. Looking forward to sleeping in.
 




Retired after 28 years at thyis gig. In same boat as #38, except that I also keep a really smokin Eurasian 32 year old hottie in a NYC townhouse on upper east side for those regular occasions when I tell the wifey-pooh that I have to run into the city for a last minute "business meeting".
 




Wifey-pooh probably loves it when you have a last minute meeting, gives her a chance to call the hot little number she keeps on the side with a normal size dick. The monetary assets you listed are the only reason "your" hottie in the city pretends your viagra dick is bigger than her pinky finger...