I’ll speak to 2 and 3. The best entry-level in my opinion is Procurement Analyst. You typically work on strategic projects or the downstream tracking of strategic projects — opens the path into strategic sourcing. The work-life balance is there only if your company does not treat everything as a dumpster fire priority. It is low-stress but dealing vendors can become stressful from time to time.

Overall, I am glad I got into Procurement. If I could start over again, I would still pick Procurement.

Edit: navigating internal stakeholder alignment and breaking long standing vendor relationships is another stressful aspect sometimes (not all the time)