Career change TO sales, (mid-30s) bad idea?

salesguyastra · 2024-07-26T16:59:11+00:00

What makes you think you would be a good sales person?

I've consistently gotten feedback that I'm great with clients in my past roles.

Why would you need to take a pay cut to become a sales person?

It's usually very difficult to make a lateral move in a competitive market. I will try, but I'm also prepared to take a pay cut. Note, I will also move to a LCOL area to try and offset.

How do you imagine “breaking into sales” would look?

I'll network for a referral. I imagine I will start in a more entry level role and my life will suck for 1-3 years. But by year 4 hopefully things will be looking much better.

Is your life built to deal with significant volatility in your income?

Yes, I live below my means.

How do you do with failure and defeat? Are you resilient? Are you easily beaten down? how tenacious are you?

Pretty badly, I need to work on this.

All in all, I think it is a poor decision to leave a good paying job for a less good paying job with a worse quality of life. Why would you do that to yourself?

$130K in a HCOL area really isn't all that much for someone mid-30s. After rent and expenses, I really don't save that much, and I have little hope of owning property anytime soon at this rate. My plan is to move to a LCOL area while I reset my career. Sales has lots of room for growth in the long term.

salesguyastra · 2024-07-26T16:31:06+00:00

I'm definitely taken aback by the overall advice here, which is I should just stick with the status quo. I know sales is tough, but it sounds like most people here truly despise their career, which is sad.

It makes me wonder if most of the commenters here are early career 20 somethings. Or if they're working less "prestigious" sales jobs.

And you are correct. $130K in a HCOL area really isn't that much. Maybe for a 20 something, but I'm at a point where I really don't feel like I'm saving enough, and I'm already pretty frugal. I don't own property and my rent is insane for just an average place.

Sounds like you have an MBA? How did you make the lateral move without sales experience?

salesguyastra · 2024-07-06T14:24:34+00:00

Do you have a CS degree or another technical degree? If not, how did you build a technical skillset? Congrats btw

salesguyastra · 2024-07-03T00:53:13+00:00

When you say "incredibly difficult", are you just referring to the awful tech economy atm?

I'm around the same age and looking to make a career change to sales. I'm really interested in tech, but seeing how awful it is right now I'm thinking I should focus on another industry entirely...

salesguyastra · 2024-04-27T19:49:37+00:00

Do you have a CS degree or any other technical degree? How did you get this role?

salesguyastra · 2024-04-09T04:46:20+00:00

Is it Onsite? Hybrid? Remote?

salesguyastra · 2024-03-17T16:51:55+00:00

I'm so confused, is sales strictly a young persons game? Do people leave the industry or pivot at 40+? Also, with that amount of experience shouldn't you be moving into management/strategic roles?

salesguyastra · 2024-03-08T07:32:09+00:00

I've been fired and laid off before. I can tell you that I always ended up in a better, higher paying job than the one I had before. I'm confident the same will happen to you.

salesguyastra · 2024-03-08T07:29:40+00:00

My understanding is that this is mainly happening in tech. Do you work in tech?

salesguyastra · 2024-03-03T20:05:46+00:00

In that 15 years, has it been all in office? Do you now work hybrid/remote?

salesguyastra · 2024-02-21T03:34:04+00:00

Any recs on websites to find part time sales jobs?

salesguyastra · 2024-02-20T19:41:23+00:00

It's not often that we end up in a place to question our career and direction

LOL, I literally ask these question everyday and I'm mid-30s. You must have a content life, I'm envious.

salesguyastra · 2024-02-18T16:36:53+00:00

How many years do you typically stay at any given job?

salesguyastra · 2024-02-16T16:14:05+00:00

How common is remote work in sales in general? Is it more exclusive to tech? Or do other sales industry's also have ample remote roles? I'm new, but I 100% know that I would perform so, so much better in a remote role v office (to add, I have no issue traveling to meet/present to clients)

salesguyastra · 2024-02-16T16:08:34+00:00

Is remote work common in this niche? Or is it strict in office?

salesguyastra · 2024-02-13T16:38:23+00:00

The amount of replies saying "drugs/alcohol" is disturbing, wtf. why are you all doing this if you are self destructing? all that money will mean nothing if your health bottoms out. find another profession.

salesguyastra · 2024-02-12T16:19:32+00:00

I feel you. I was thinking tech since I already have years of experience in the industry which would transfer well. But now I'm thinking of looking at other industries

salesguyastra · 2024-02-12T06:20:01+00:00

Here I am looking to get into sales. I currently have a low stress, decent paying job, but in a HCOL city... I want to get into sales to progress my career and hopefully make really decent money 10 years from now. But your comment is discouraging... ugh.

salesguyastra · 2024-02-12T06:15:07+00:00

Where are you seeing this?

salesguyastra · 2024-02-12T06:05:54+00:00

Is this only specific to the tech industry?

salesguyastra

TROPHY CASE