Long, weird hours, having to deal with sick and irritable customers—some would say this job is a real...pill.

Waiting in line at the pharmacy can feel a lot like standing in line at the post office. Both places have long lines that often move at a snail's pace, and both feel a little, well, unorganized. But like a post office, there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes at a pharmacy that we're not privy to. We're familiar with the pharmacists, but they're not the ones doing all of the behind-the-scenes grunt work—we're talking about the pharmacy technicians.

Who are these pharmacy techs? They're essentially overworked, underpaid secretaries who just happen to work in pharmacies at drug stores.

It should come as no surprise—what with the low entry-level requirements—that pharmacy technicians don't make a ton of money. The average pay for pharmacy technicians is about $14 an hour (source). That's less than dental assistants, medical transcriptionists, and almost $100,000 less than the pharmacists themselves.

But you'll surely get some sweet benefits, right? After all, you're working pretty hard for not a lot of coin. Well that's not actually the case. The benefits here are...lackluster. Just above half of pharmacy technicians report receiving medical benefits, with fewer than half receiving dental and vision coverage (source). With all that time you spend staring at tiny letters on tiny labels on tiny bottles, don't think you can skimp on the vision care.

In truth, the "technician" part of the title may be a little—well—generous. There's not a ton of "technique" involved here. Yes, they work in the healthcare industry, but they're not doctors or, well, actual pharmacists. This isn't to say that they have an easy gig, though. After all, many people rely on their prescriptions, and it's the pharmacy technician who's responsible for giving people the correct ones. They also collect patient information for insurance documentation, answer the constantly ringing phones, stock medications and supplies, and distribute medications to patients. It's like you're a strange secretary/warehouse worker.

Sounds easy? Not necessarily. Many of those prescription drugs have confusing names. What did the customer ask for? Alta-something? Advi-somtheing? Aardvark? That doesn't sound right.

Anyway, pharmacy technicians have got to keep those separate, all while answering the phones that are ringing off the hook, tracking down the head pharmacist to get medication approval, being shouted at by an angry dad with a sick child on each hip, and trying to take down the health information of an elderly woman who barely speaks above a whisper.

Stress city.

Is it weird that just looking at the molecular structure of aspirin gives us a headache?

So in a way—yes—pharmacy technicians have skills. Like many jobs in customer service, a job as a pharmacy tech demands great multitasking and people skills. But it isn't rocket science. Book learnin' beyond high school won't do you a whole lot of good.

A college degree isn't required to break in as a pharmacy technician, and it's probably for the best. With the relatively low pay, it would take some serious overtime to pay back student loans. Education-wise, you're just looking at a high school diploma. But that's not enough to get you a gig on its own. Many states require you to pass a certifying exam, too (source).

Luckily there are plenty of training programs out there. In fact, in 2012, there were 213 accredited programs (source).

But what does a training program in pharmacy technician-ing look like? According to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, a technician program needs to offer at least 600 hours of instruction and last for more than fifteen weeks to gain accreditation (source). And watch out—not all pharmacy technician programs are created equal.

So why would someone take this job? For starters, the entry-level requirements are fairly low and employment rates are growing at a faster than average rate (source). For college students looking to make a little extra moolah on the side or pay some loans, becoming a pharmacy technician can make for a great after-school or weekend job. You might even take this sort of job while you study to be a full-on pharmacist. It might not be the ideal long-term gig, but when you're twenty, and dreaming of bigger and better things, it could be worse.

For those who become career pharmacy technicians—people with actual responsibilities, like paying kids' school tuitions and a mortgage—this job is going to give you migraines.

You'll have plenty of these close at hand. (Source)

Thankfully you'll know just who to talk to when looking for the right medications to treat those terrible headaches...yay....

• More