I'm a CPhT with 5 years of experience in hospital pharmacy, sterile compounding, home infusion, nuclear medicine, and of course, retail. I just recently made the transition into the business management side of pharmacy but I still tech PRN. I self-studied for both my state board exam and my national certification when I was Deavan's age while working at a major chain pharmacy. Paying for a pharm tech college degree is definitely not treated equally as someone who has experience working at CVS. I've worked at multiple pharmacies throughout my career and the only ones that will take techs with those pay-to-play tech "degrees" are retail. So when Americans say that college is expensive it's because there exist degrees that don't guarantee you a job like expected.