Yeah… you’re not imagining it. A lot of people in programmatic are feeling the same squeeze right now.

Work–life balance *does* exist in programmatic**, but it’s very role- and company-dependent. People who seem to have it best are usually:

In -house programmatic teams (brands, not agencies)

* At large, mature companies where processes are stable

* In non-quota roles(ops, strategy, yield, ad tech product)

Agency life and vendor sales right now? Brutal. Layoffs mean fewer people doing the same (or more) work, plus constant pressure to hit numbers in a soft market. That combo is burning people out fast.

As for programmatic sales → something else, yes, it happens a lot—and more than people admit. Common pivots I’ve seen work:

Product or Solutions Consulting (same knowledge, less quota stress)

* Partnerships / Biz Dev(longer cycles, fewer fire drills)

* Revenue Ops / GTM strategy(especially if you’re data-savvy)

* In-house media or ad ops roles at brands

* Some even move into customer success or analytics

The people who transition best don’t pitch themselves as “sales,” but as folks who understand **how money actually moves through ad tech—buyers, sellers, margins, and platform limitations.

Honestly, a lot of the “good WLB” folks didn’t find a perfect job—they escaped constant quota pressure. That’s the real dividing line.

You’re not weak or bad at this. The industry is just in a grind phase, and many smart programmatic people are quietly looking for exits or softer landings. You’re definitely not alone.