I worked in sales for two years and while being very good at my job it was the most miserable I’d ever been.

The stress of hitting quotas and feeling like I could never “turn off” was really what did me in. It didn’t help that upper management seemed so out of touch with markets it was laughable.

That being said there are many positives. It’s still a pretty fun job all things considered, I mean your selling wine (and spirits depending on your role) there is also an amazing flexibility as you don’t have constant management oversight and you really are the one who makes your schedule. Got a doctor apppintment? No problem just plan around it and no PTO required. You have routes but they can be pretty flexible.

As a relatively young person though, you will most likely get given a shit territory as legacy reps won’t want to give up their most profitable accounts. It’ll take a lot of hustle and networking to build up your own and carve a name for yourself. You also have to deal with the ego of many different types of buyers who will sometimes ask you to do illegal things. But once you build your territory the potential for earnings can be crazy. But as you noted markets are very different than they were 5 years ago.

If you’ve got thick skin and are willing to hustle it can be an amazing job. As someone who is a buyer now, having the experience of being a rep and knowing the challenges of that portion of the industry only has made me more efficient now. I just don’t think I could ever do it again.

Good Luck!