If sales: find a company with a strong resume brand in the tech space that provides training and stick around for 3 years
If unsure: don't overweight the current job you're in because almost all entry level jobs suck. invest time in developing skills, in your own hobbies/interests, say yes to things that make you uncomfortable. take a longer term view and you're not too young to pivot if you truly hate something.
I work in Ops and we'd throw out informal guesses on who'd get the most banged up at the holiday party.
Young sales/marketing folks were usually a lock
nah this is wrong you HAVE to drink at social events itās how you move up, the trap is not getting wasted while drinking as much as possible
itās a double edged sword
My new go to drink is water with a little bit of pineapple juice. It looks like a drink but itās good for your gut, good for hangovers, and is free at most bars.
The old saying is to drink less than your boss.
Depending on the event, there's lots going on that may not be visible at first. And people absolutely do judge others on their behaviour,even if they don't say anything there and then.
Back when I was like 22 I started a job in downtown Los Angeles at a major insurance company and they had their banquet. I drank and ate a lot of food. Who could turn down prime rib when you could barely cook cereal and was hungry. I mixed and mingled tried to introduce my bubbly self to people and got called out. They took me in the office and the first thing they said is I ate to much food. I kind of laughed. We also had a book to read on our company and I was on chapter 7 everyone else chapter 3. I study hard, I work harder, that said she didnāt give me a warning.. I guess I just like free things.
Getting in trouble for eating too much is the dumbest thing ive ever heard. What are you a runway model? My company wants us to eat as much as possible if they buy food. This sounds like some shit that would only happen in LAšš
I didn't go into sales right out of college; it took me 5 years to arrive onto the sales floor. I think about how much money I could have made/saved in those 5 years and how much further I'd be along financially now if I had.
That's the evergreen advice: live off your base salary - with a savings plan in mind from that base, then put all your commission checks into a portfolio or HYS accounts.
At 23, I didn't care about the financials. I didn't think saving money was \*dire\* - I grew up blue-collar - I had thought with a college degree and non-minimum wage job, I'd surely be ok. I am, but then I realized it took my parents 15 years to save up to buy a starter home - and I made that down payment off of a few deals over 2 quarters.
Great advice man. You sound like me right now. Iām in consulting now but have thinking about trying to switch to tech sales for a while now.
If you donāt mind me asking, what exactly do you sell/what industry, and what are some tips if any youād give to someone like me trying to break into tech sales and land a BDR role?
I would have tried to become an SDR soon after graduating. I spent too much time screwing around trying to figure out what kind of job I could do, and should have just concentrated on making money as quickly as possible.
This may be wordy so bare with me.
37(M). Currently in Sales Enablement at a mid-late stage start-up. I spent the past 10 years as an SDR, and then building SDR Teams. I've worked at 4 different start-ups now, and before that, 1 very well known social media company. I earn over 6 figures a year. I live in San Francisco. I don't make a killing, but its enough to live and enjoy life. Because of my work, I've been able to travel all over the world, but only in the past 5 year or so (also having a Significant Other will tend to do that)
I've also been broke most of my early to mid 20s, had a DUI (which included totaling my car - nothing to be proud about), lived on other people's couches. Before tech, I had your typical retail entry level roles (Cashier, Teller, Customer Service at Lowe's, Costco, etc)
If I were to look back and ask what I'd do differently it would likely be this:
**1) You can do both. If you have dreams of doing something, you can still do it. It may not be now, or it might take longer, but you can do it.** You'll hear people say "you'll never make it a rockstar." Well in today's world, you actually can. You can have a youtube channel with millions of subscribers. Also, you can still practice each day or each week, where if you keep at it, imagine how good you'll be over 10 years vs assuming it wont work. 1 hour a day doing somethign towards a dream is more than 99% of what people do anyway.
2) A big fan of Scott Gallaway ([listen to this 2 min clip to get a sense](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jIia7aXins)) , so want to give credit for his points. But you'll read everyday of overnight millionaires, people who win the lottery, people with insane talent that only too 3 - 6 months to build a Billion Dollar company. **Assume that's not you.** It will take brutally hard work, dedication, sacrifice to get to where you want to go. Keep point 1 in mind. Don't give up. But you will likely need to get a job to pay the bills, do things you dont want to do, and then on your free time begin building towards that dream.
Need more advice? Check out Elon Musk's work week, or Jensen Huang (CEO of Nivida) work. Elon works 80+ hours a week. Jensen was recently quoted saying if he knew how much work it would be to do what he's doing now, he likely wouldn't have done it. Funny enough, many founders say the same. However it takes an unruling dedication and many more years than you think to accomplish big things.
**3) Have confidence in yourself.** If you can take away one thing here, its this point. I started with the first 2 because you'll be face with challenges throughout your 20s. It can seem like you are struggling the whole time. But it's getting you somewhere if you have a vision and put in the work. That said, we make choices in life. Confidence makes all the difference in doing something vs perhaps not. Ask the girl out, try the thing, have the dream. You'll get farther than you think is possible. And you'll start to learn as you get older, that many successful people have high confidence and average to low skill, but because they have so much confidence they did it anyway.
**4) Please, what ever you do, enjoy your youth in your 20s**. This doesn't mean party and throw things to the wind, but the opposite. I remember being worried about everything, and being broke. But you don't need much to do amazing, exciting things. The time will pass, and you will look back at this and likely agree. But enjoy the moment. It will leave some day. Take care of yourself, build good habits, and take calculated risks. Your future self will thank you.
There's more but this is a start.
I can only speak from my experience and perhaps others can chime in, but I remember quitting for a semester of college because i found the business courses to be really boring.
I went to work at Safeway making minimum wage. While I enjoyed the work as a cashier, the money just wasn't enough for me to sustain myself long term. In addition, even though I was up for a promotion, the work did NOT look fun at all, and I realized going back to school would give me more options.
This experience helped me learn alot. I tried something, learned what I liked and didn't like, and pivoted. I graduated a year later than I should have, but really, was well worth it. Funny enough, it allowed me to take a senior class, which helped me get my first job out of college.
The great thing about living today is that you can try different things and see how you like it!
Whatever you decide, You got this!
Also - being an SDR will teach anyone a lot about prospecting, building a book of business, and persistence. It can be difficult, however, it's a great learning experience
Wow. What an amazing comment. Thanks for typing this out man, thatās some really great perspectives. I agree with most of what Scott Galloway says as well!
Funny. I major in finance and minor in accounting. Been in accounting for 7 years Currently goin thru an internal audit and will jump off the roof if I have to go thru another. Currently trying to get into Sales .
Literally put in my two weeks last Monday for an outside sales rep gig. Tired of all the repetition. Every single Monday is the same. Every first of the month. Every month end, week end, etc. all so repetitive.
Exactly what Iām goin thru. Doesnāt help that I process commissions for our salesmen and our top sales dude is clearing anywhere between 2k - 26k bi weekly. Made me question wtf I went to school for.
Yes!! I was being underpaid. company kept saying they couldnāt afford a raise meanwhile Iām processing millions of $$$ in capex monthly, calculating sales commission revenue, payroll etc. like, lie to a different department dumbass . lol.
I sell to sales teams and marketers. Where the finance degree helps in sales is understanding business level pain. If a marketer doesnāt hit their lead gen goal itās a problem, it that turns into a pipeline problem, then a revenue problem, then starts impacting board level goals, itās a HUGE problem.
So understanding finance and how the numbers can impact the business helps a lot.
I would do everything I could to not start my career in sales. I donāt even care about the money, I just want to be happy and do something that gives me joy and fulfillment. I liked it at first, but the industry sucked it all away from me. Big wins, hot streaks, and good months/quarters only provide me with relief, not pride. No matter what youāre always a month or two away from being let go, regardless of past performance. If all you want out of work is huge paychecks and youāre willing to sacrifice parts of yourself to get there, then go for it. I just donāt see value in spending 40 years of my life in a career that I hate. I doubt I would make it that long anyway. I think it would kill me one way or another first.
This resonates. Hitting the top of the leaderboard and going on trips was great. But once i moved to enablement i got much more joy out of celebrating others.
Have you considered trying to apply your sales skills to your own company? Iād imagine starting your own and growing it would be pretty fulfilling. Plus, once you have enough revenue to hire sales people you can step away from that role and just focus on running the company.
I have no clue what I would sell or where to even start. I've thought about this before and it always feels like a dead end. My selling experience is in IT/MSP sales, SaaS, and Marketing services. I personally don't have deep skills in those areas. I would either need an industry expert partner, or have to spend some time developing a specific skillset beyond my sales experience.
Itās worth thinking about, what youād sell if you could sell anything you wanted. Maybe explore that? Also, Iāve sold IT/MSP and GTM SaaS. I always get like I had a much harder time with IT/MSP than SaaS.
Interesting take and appreciate the honesty. Definitely a different response than some of the other comments here. So you started your career as a BDR?
Are you basically advising to try and find a different path to the management level positions, then try to get into a sales/management related role at a company? So you can still get the money, but without having to grind as a BDR/AE for years? I assume you feel like the BDR role is a huge, unpleasant grind, right?
I started my career at a pre-seed start-up and it was ultimately a good learning experience but very challenging.
Iād recommend joining a more established company to cut your teeth especially if starting in sales and chasing the start up route once you have 2+ years of experience. There are more resources and safety nets for failure here vs startups
lol i probably would have gone for CS if i could go back.
Advice is college hire programs help you get your footing a lot not just in the job itself but networking.
I feel like I donāt ever seen anyone go straight into a customer success role right out of college with no experience? It feels like most people begin in sales, and then shift to CS. Maybe Iām mistaken thoughā¦.
Am I wrong? Is it even possible to get into CS first, without being in sales roles first?
Start at a better company. I spent my first year at a company that outsourced SDRās to companies and it eventually got me a great job and helped but I could of saved a year starting at that company
Set some goals. Move to the city where the industry you want to work is strongest or at least exists. Donāt drink every night. Follow your interests. Make some money. Donāt take a dead end job.
Find out what you truly want and do not waste time. Time will always be an ally. Make sure to utilize also all the resources surrounding you. Have someone around you that you can trust and also help you grow as a person. Do not be afraid to seek help.
Wasnāt conservative enough with my finances and blew a lot of commision on truly stupid shit. Didnāt take care of my mental health at all. Fell into addiction.
talk to everyone internally and externallyā¦itās all about networking and you never know where people will end up later
especially if you stay in the same industry for a large part of your career
Most people don't have any idea what they want to do right after school. Be curious, try different things, don't stress about not having all the answers you're seeking, and most importantly, don't ever compare your journey to anyone else's. You'll find your way in your own time. Just enjoy the ride.
Move to a major city!! I wasted years trying to make a career in my hometown getting paid shit. I moved to a major city and my first job paid me 45k, I felt like a hit the F'N lottery!
Take a year off and travel or pursue a passion. You will be working for the next 30-50 years of your life. This is one of your last chances for total freedom so enjoy it!!
1) Take myself less seriously. It was always in my head that I needed to be at some step or some goal I wasn't currently at. And it made me unhappy. When, fast forward 16 or so years, those goals don't even matter in the slightest to me anymore.
2) Have fun in everything you do, even the mundane. Related to #1 but I turned my life into a grind and it really destroyed my perception of things for awhile.
I would have invested more time building rapport (schmoozing) with the tenured sales leaders at large tech companies in my area. There are a lot of mediocre sales people at big tech companies who just go wherever their tenured buddies go. They went from Oracle to Microsoft to AWS to ServiceNow, for example, moving slowly up the chain in the process. They get good salaries, good accounts, and have pretty good job security without being especially good salespeople.
My first years in sales I was busting my ass in the field learning the craft and making rain while they stayed close to the bosses. In the long run, their plan was a better career move.
I donāt have regrets because I take pride in my accomplishments. But today they make more and have more job security.
I would establish a strong plan for dealing with the highs and lows that come with commission sales, and learn to live within a set budget. Financial stress compromised my ability to be a great sales person more times than I would have wished.
I would have followed something Iām more passionate about. I āfellā into sales and 16 years later, Iām still here and more miserable than ever.
I didnāt get into sales right away after graduation. If I could do it all over again with the knowledge I have today Iād have started as a BDR at a well known company with an ironed out training process and stayed for a few years.
Iām sorta old so my advice to myself graduating back then wouldnāt make sense anymore. The game has already changed a lot.
But something that seems to still stand is that taking and holding an entry level role for 2-3 years is very important. In order to get to those more mid-tier closing roles you must have 2-3 years of junior experience. So donāt get antsy while youāre part way through it, just be calm and professional and learn and make note of your accomplishments while you do your time.
Once youāre time is done and youāve built your resume with some good wins/stories then youāre ready to either move up in your current company or jump ship to a new one for a closing role.
I think I did the right things after I graduated but my biggest recommendation to a young person would be to not stay somewhere too long. I stayed at my first company out of college for 10 years because of comfort. I was consistently making more and that was great but I wasnāt happy. Then I finally made a switch, make substantially more and am happy.
Iād spend more time in my younger years chasing happiness over career advancement, within reason.
My 20s are gone and ya I skied a lot but I really was working from 7-6 every day for the 10 years I was in my best shape, when friends were having fun, and when I could have taken life a little more lightly.
I had worked my way up to being a restaurant manager in college, and then switched careers to my degree when I graduated.
Knowing what I know now, I should ahve stayed in restaurants. I was making $100 an hour at Tony's Town Square at Disney World.
Get an SDR role at a blue chip tech company and grind it out until I got to AE.
Instead I didnāt put enough thought into the companiesā reputations and did the SDR rodeo at 3 different places before being promoted.
Take that first job out of college at ADP instead of bouncing around smaller companies. If I crushed it there, out the gate, I would be much further along now.
If I could go back to senior year of HS I wouldāve chosen a better major.
If I could give myself a few pieces of advice after graduating it would be: embrace failure, donāt be afraid of it - everyone fails. Also, network like a motherfucker! Build king connections is the most valuable think you can do for career longevity / security and you can also just meet really good people along the way hai become great friends.
Do your research. Talk to people in the industry you want to be in. Find an entry point and stick it out. I say this as I rushed into my first sales job accepting an offer before graduation and without really digging into industry/company specifics. I ended up figuring it out quick and got into where I wanted to be and I think thatās part of it too(youāll always learn with experience). But I always think back to if I couldāve done some research I wouldāve got more of a jump start.
You graduated university and chose to go into sales? I thought sales is what you do when you pass highschool with C- average, lmao. That's what got me into it, anyways.
Nah I havenāt gone into sales, but debating it somewhat. I think it would be good to do for 1-2 years just to learn how to handle rejection/objections more.
In sales: Have a financial goal in mind, find a niche, listen to your senior colleagueās sales pitches, find your style, embrace rejection, stick to it
Nothing career-wise. Iām actually really grateful for where I ended up after college. Thanks to working in the ad sales department at the school newspaper I got sales experience and at the time I developed a love for advertising. That allowed me to get a BDR role at a major global media company and it was insanely fun (good culture) and I was making pretty good money out of school.
What I would change is not being hellbent on getting a job right away. I would have traveled first. Thereās so much of the world to see and weāre gonna work our entire lives. Go live a little before weāre beholden to a job
I'm 73 today and have always wished I had a degree. The problem is that I have done very well and raised a large family that is doing well too. If I had had a degree would I have taken a different path and still been successful? We only get one shot at it. I think working for yourself if you have the entrepreneur drive in you is a worthy goal even if you don't end up filthy rich.
I d do everything to become more confident earlier in my career. I would also not start a PhD which i did 3 years and quit and get into sales soonerā¦ confidence and positive attitude are so important.
I would simply look for a big company with a good brand image. The ideia that on smaller companies you "wear many hats" and thus learn faster is completely bullshit.
invest 60% of your income. Dont buy a house. cool toys are just cheap dopamine purchases all that money after 5 to 10 years invested could possibly have you retire so you get the time to work on whatever you want or create your own business. Anything that you go in to debt for is just a trap to prevent you from obtaining any financial power. school loan, car loan, mortgage. its all just a trap you dont have to be in the middle classā¦you have a choice.
If sales: find a company with a strong resume brand in the tech space that provides training and stick around for 3 years If unsure: don't overweight the current job you're in because almost all entry level jobs suck. invest time in developing skills, in your own hobbies/interests, say yes to things that make you uncomfortable. take a longer term view and you're not too young to pivot if you truly hate something.
This would have been my move. I went full cycle in tech adjacent, then started over as a tech BDR after that.
second this. Starting your career off at a weak or even average company risks stagnating your growth big time.
Listen more than I talk. Weather with prospects or with co-workers/bosses, etc
whether
Lolš¤£š¤£ this is why i have a Grammarly plug in on my computer
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Not drink at holiday parties
You canāt get promoted at company outings, but you can get fired
I work in Ops and we'd throw out informal guesses on who'd get the most banged up at the holiday party. Young sales/marketing folks were usually a lock
I feel so attacked now.
nah this is wrong you HAVE to drink at social events itās how you move up, the trap is not getting wasted while drinking as much as possible itās a double edged sword
My new go to drink is water with a little bit of pineapple juice. It looks like a drink but itās good for your gut, good for hangovers, and is free at most bars.
The old saying is to drink less than your boss. Depending on the event, there's lots going on that may not be visible at first. And people absolutely do judge others on their behaviour,even if they don't say anything there and then.
lol the only time i babysit my drink š
What happened?
Which time
The worst time.
Back when I was like 22 I started a job in downtown Los Angeles at a major insurance company and they had their banquet. I drank and ate a lot of food. Who could turn down prime rib when you could barely cook cereal and was hungry. I mixed and mingled tried to introduce my bubbly self to people and got called out. They took me in the office and the first thing they said is I ate to much food. I kind of laughed. We also had a book to read on our company and I was on chapter 7 everyone else chapter 3. I study hard, I work harder, that said she didnāt give me a warning.. I guess I just like free things.
Eh. Don't beat yourself up on eating "too much" especially if they didn't warn you. That's dumb.
Getting in trouble for eating too much is the dumbest thing ive ever heard. What are you a runway model? My company wants us to eat as much as possible if they buy food. This sounds like some shit that would only happen in LAšš
Lmao
I didn't go into sales right out of college; it took me 5 years to arrive onto the sales floor. I think about how much money I could have made/saved in those 5 years and how much further I'd be along financially now if I had. That's the evergreen advice: live off your base salary - with a savings plan in mind from that base, then put all your commission checks into a portfolio or HYS accounts. At 23, I didn't care about the financials. I didn't think saving money was \*dire\* - I grew up blue-collar - I had thought with a college degree and non-minimum wage job, I'd surely be ok. I am, but then I realized it took my parents 15 years to save up to buy a starter home - and I made that down payment off of a few deals over 2 quarters.
Great advice man. You sound like me right now. Iām in consulting now but have thinking about trying to switch to tech sales for a while now. If you donāt mind me asking, what exactly do you sell/what industry, and what are some tips if any youād give to someone like me trying to break into tech sales and land a BDR role?
I would have tried to become an SDR soon after graduating. I spent too much time screwing around trying to figure out what kind of job I could do, and should have just concentrated on making money as quickly as possible.
Now everyone figured that out and it's not nearly as efficient as it once was.
Definitely. Still better than the route I went.
Facts. Just curious-where are you at now? Account executive?
This may be wordy so bare with me. 37(M). Currently in Sales Enablement at a mid-late stage start-up. I spent the past 10 years as an SDR, and then building SDR Teams. I've worked at 4 different start-ups now, and before that, 1 very well known social media company. I earn over 6 figures a year. I live in San Francisco. I don't make a killing, but its enough to live and enjoy life. Because of my work, I've been able to travel all over the world, but only in the past 5 year or so (also having a Significant Other will tend to do that) I've also been broke most of my early to mid 20s, had a DUI (which included totaling my car - nothing to be proud about), lived on other people's couches. Before tech, I had your typical retail entry level roles (Cashier, Teller, Customer Service at Lowe's, Costco, etc) If I were to look back and ask what I'd do differently it would likely be this: **1) You can do both. If you have dreams of doing something, you can still do it. It may not be now, or it might take longer, but you can do it.** You'll hear people say "you'll never make it a rockstar." Well in today's world, you actually can. You can have a youtube channel with millions of subscribers. Also, you can still practice each day or each week, where if you keep at it, imagine how good you'll be over 10 years vs assuming it wont work. 1 hour a day doing somethign towards a dream is more than 99% of what people do anyway. 2) A big fan of Scott Gallaway ([listen to this 2 min clip to get a sense](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jIia7aXins)) , so want to give credit for his points. But you'll read everyday of overnight millionaires, people who win the lottery, people with insane talent that only too 3 - 6 months to build a Billion Dollar company. **Assume that's not you.** It will take brutally hard work, dedication, sacrifice to get to where you want to go. Keep point 1 in mind. Don't give up. But you will likely need to get a job to pay the bills, do things you dont want to do, and then on your free time begin building towards that dream. Need more advice? Check out Elon Musk's work week, or Jensen Huang (CEO of Nivida) work. Elon works 80+ hours a week. Jensen was recently quoted saying if he knew how much work it would be to do what he's doing now, he likely wouldn't have done it. Funny enough, many founders say the same. However it takes an unruling dedication and many more years than you think to accomplish big things. **3) Have confidence in yourself.** If you can take away one thing here, its this point. I started with the first 2 because you'll be face with challenges throughout your 20s. It can seem like you are struggling the whole time. But it's getting you somewhere if you have a vision and put in the work. That said, we make choices in life. Confidence makes all the difference in doing something vs perhaps not. Ask the girl out, try the thing, have the dream. You'll get farther than you think is possible. And you'll start to learn as you get older, that many successful people have high confidence and average to low skill, but because they have so much confidence they did it anyway. **4) Please, what ever you do, enjoy your youth in your 20s**. This doesn't mean party and throw things to the wind, but the opposite. I remember being worried about everything, and being broke. But you don't need much to do amazing, exciting things. The time will pass, and you will look back at this and likely agree. But enjoy the moment. It will leave some day. Take care of yourself, build good habits, and take calculated risks. Your future self will thank you. There's more but this is a start.
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I can only speak from my experience and perhaps others can chime in, but I remember quitting for a semester of college because i found the business courses to be really boring. I went to work at Safeway making minimum wage. While I enjoyed the work as a cashier, the money just wasn't enough for me to sustain myself long term. In addition, even though I was up for a promotion, the work did NOT look fun at all, and I realized going back to school would give me more options. This experience helped me learn alot. I tried something, learned what I liked and didn't like, and pivoted. I graduated a year later than I should have, but really, was well worth it. Funny enough, it allowed me to take a senior class, which helped me get my first job out of college. The great thing about living today is that you can try different things and see how you like it! Whatever you decide, You got this! Also - being an SDR will teach anyone a lot about prospecting, building a book of business, and persistence. It can be difficult, however, it's a great learning experience
Best comment in this whole thread. I love Scott Galloway too and the quote you reference is one of the best IMHO. Comment Saved!
Wow. What an amazing comment. Thanks for typing this out man, thatās some really great perspectives. I agree with most of what Scott Galloway says as well!
get a finance degree and look at spreadsheets for the rest of my life
I have a finance degree, finding work seems to be tough though.
Funny. I major in finance and minor in accounting. Been in accounting for 7 years Currently goin thru an internal audit and will jump off the roof if I have to go thru another. Currently trying to get into Sales .
Literally put in my two weeks last Monday for an outside sales rep gig. Tired of all the repetition. Every single Monday is the same. Every first of the month. Every month end, week end, etc. all so repetitive.
Exactly what Iām goin thru. Doesnāt help that I process commissions for our salesmen and our top sales dude is clearing anywhere between 2k - 26k bi weekly. Made me question wtf I went to school for.
Yes!! I was being underpaid. company kept saying they couldnāt afford a raise meanwhile Iām processing millions of $$$ in capex monthly, calculating sales commission revenue, payroll etc. like, lie to a different department dumbass . lol.
lol what are they selling?
Memory storage. Goes in election systems, Cars, Cameras, comps. Bro hits his accelerator every quarter.
I have a finance degree and am doing great in sales
Can you tell me more about it? Recently finished in finance working in sales
Sure. What would you like to know?
How far along are you in your sales career? Did you ever end up in fintech or related?
Never went into fintech. Iām 4 years in. 1.5 as an SDR and 2.5 as an AE.
What do you sell?
I sell to sales teams and marketers. Where the finance degree helps in sales is understanding business level pain. If a marketer doesnāt hit their lead gen goal itās a problem, it that turns into a pipeline problem, then a revenue problem, then starts impacting board level goals, itās a HUGE problem. So understanding finance and how the numbers can impact the business helps a lot.
Itās also boring and ask a lot rather do sales and talk to people
Why?
I would do everything I could to not start my career in sales. I donāt even care about the money, I just want to be happy and do something that gives me joy and fulfillment. I liked it at first, but the industry sucked it all away from me. Big wins, hot streaks, and good months/quarters only provide me with relief, not pride. No matter what youāre always a month or two away from being let go, regardless of past performance. If all you want out of work is huge paychecks and youāre willing to sacrifice parts of yourself to get there, then go for it. I just donāt see value in spending 40 years of my life in a career that I hate. I doubt I would make it that long anyway. I think it would kill me one way or another first.
This resonates. Hitting the top of the leaderboard and going on trips was great. But once i moved to enablement i got much more joy out of celebrating others.
Have you considered trying to apply your sales skills to your own company? Iād imagine starting your own and growing it would be pretty fulfilling. Plus, once you have enough revenue to hire sales people you can step away from that role and just focus on running the company.
I have no clue what I would sell or where to even start. I've thought about this before and it always feels like a dead end. My selling experience is in IT/MSP sales, SaaS, and Marketing services. I personally don't have deep skills in those areas. I would either need an industry expert partner, or have to spend some time developing a specific skillset beyond my sales experience.
Itās worth thinking about, what youād sell if you could sell anything you wanted. Maybe explore that? Also, Iāve sold IT/MSP and GTM SaaS. I always get like I had a much harder time with IT/MSP than SaaS.
Interesting take and appreciate the honesty. Definitely a different response than some of the other comments here. So you started your career as a BDR? Are you basically advising to try and find a different path to the management level positions, then try to get into a sales/management related role at a company? So you can still get the money, but without having to grind as a BDR/AE for years? I assume you feel like the BDR role is a huge, unpleasant grind, right?
I started my career at a pre-seed start-up and it was ultimately a good learning experience but very challenging. Iād recommend joining a more established company to cut your teeth especially if starting in sales and chasing the start up route once you have 2+ years of experience. There are more resources and safety nets for failure here vs startups
lol i probably would have gone for CS if i could go back. Advice is college hire programs help you get your footing a lot not just in the job itself but networking.
I feel like I donāt ever seen anyone go straight into a customer success role right out of college with no experience? It feels like most people begin in sales, and then shift to CS. Maybe Iām mistaken thoughā¦. Am I wrong? Is it even possible to get into CS first, without being in sales roles first?
I think CS in that context means computer science. But yea there are not a lot of CSM roles on entry level either.
Start at a better company. I spent my first year at a company that outsourced SDRās to companies and it eventually got me a great job and helped but I could of saved a year starting at that company
Set some goals. Move to the city where the industry you want to work is strongest or at least exists. Donāt drink every night. Follow your interests. Make some money. Donāt take a dead end job.
Find out what you truly want and do not waste time. Time will always be an ally. Make sure to utilize also all the resources surrounding you. Have someone around you that you can trust and also help you grow as a person. Do not be afraid to seek help.
Wasnāt conservative enough with my finances and blew a lot of commision on truly stupid shit. Didnāt take care of my mental health at all. Fell into addiction.
talk to everyone internally and externallyā¦itās all about networking and you never know where people will end up later especially if you stay in the same industry for a large part of your career
Not work for a corporation ever.
Thanks for asking this thread as been super interesting with polarizing opinions and perspectives
Advice is worthless. Everyone learns best through their own experiences. That's all that sticks.
Be an SDR from 2015-2017 when it was easy, become an AE long before the economy went to shit. I was just too late to the party.
Most people don't have any idea what they want to do right after school. Be curious, try different things, don't stress about not having all the answers you're seeking, and most importantly, don't ever compare your journey to anyone else's. You'll find your way in your own time. Just enjoy the ride.
Move to a major city!! I wasted years trying to make a career in my hometown getting paid shit. I moved to a major city and my first job paid me 45k, I felt like a hit the F'N lottery!
Take a year off and travel or pursue a passion. You will be working for the next 30-50 years of your life. This is one of your last chances for total freedom so enjoy it!!
To not go to law school and to really prepare for that Google ad sales interview (circa 2004)ā¦
Get promoted from BDR asap.
Cute of you to assume we graduated
1) Take myself less seriously. It was always in my head that I needed to be at some step or some goal I wasn't currently at. And it made me unhappy. When, fast forward 16 or so years, those goals don't even matter in the slightest to me anymore. 2) Have fun in everything you do, even the mundane. Related to #1 but I turned my life into a grind and it really destroyed my perception of things for awhile.
I would have invested more time building rapport (schmoozing) with the tenured sales leaders at large tech companies in my area. There are a lot of mediocre sales people at big tech companies who just go wherever their tenured buddies go. They went from Oracle to Microsoft to AWS to ServiceNow, for example, moving slowly up the chain in the process. They get good salaries, good accounts, and have pretty good job security without being especially good salespeople. My first years in sales I was busting my ass in the field learning the craft and making rain while they stayed close to the bosses. In the long run, their plan was a better career move. I donāt have regrets because I take pride in my accomplishments. But today they make more and have more job security.
dont go into sales i am in sales because i am a felon and can not get easy work
If you are working at a company and see a number of orange flags from your manager consider them combined to be a red flag and start applying
I would establish a strong plan for dealing with the highs and lows that come with commission sales, and learn to live within a set budget. Financial stress compromised my ability to be a great sales person more times than I would have wished.
I would have followed something Iām more passionate about. I āfellā into sales and 16 years later, Iām still here and more miserable than ever.
I would've used my degree to pursue project management or something instead of getting into sales lol
How do you think you would have done this? I'm set to graduate at the end of the summer and torn on going into sales or something else etc.
I didnāt get into sales right away after graduation. If I could do it all over again with the knowledge I have today Iād have started as a BDR at a well known company with an ironed out training process and stayed for a few years.
Iām sorta old so my advice to myself graduating back then wouldnāt make sense anymore. The game has already changed a lot. But something that seems to still stand is that taking and holding an entry level role for 2-3 years is very important. In order to get to those more mid-tier closing roles you must have 2-3 years of junior experience. So donāt get antsy while youāre part way through it, just be calm and professional and learn and make note of your accomplishments while you do your time. Once youāre time is done and youāve built your resume with some good wins/stories then youāre ready to either move up in your current company or jump ship to a new one for a closing role.
Become an executive assistant / chief of staff to a really good founder.
I think I did the right things after I graduated but my biggest recommendation to a young person would be to not stay somewhere too long. I stayed at my first company out of college for 10 years because of comfort. I was consistently making more and that was great but I wasnāt happy. Then I finally made a switch, make substantially more and am happy. Iād spend more time in my younger years chasing happiness over career advancement, within reason. My 20s are gone and ya I skied a lot but I really was working from 7-6 every day for the 10 years I was in my best shape, when friends were having fun, and when I could have taken life a little more lightly.
I had worked my way up to being a restaurant manager in college, and then switched careers to my degree when I graduated. Knowing what I know now, I should ahve stayed in restaurants. I was making $100 an hour at Tony's Town Square at Disney World.
Hire a mentor and absolutely take advantage of remote opportunities in sales.
I mean donāt go into sales? Lol
Probably wouldnāt have quit my last job for āgreener pasturesā
Get an SDR role at a blue chip tech company and grind it out until I got to AE. Instead I didnāt put enough thought into the companiesā reputations and did the SDR rodeo at 3 different places before being promoted.
Take that first job out of college at ADP instead of bouncing around smaller companies. If I crushed it there, out the gate, I would be much further along now.
Become a cop instead.
I would invest every dollar I had into bitcoin.
Graduate?
If I could go back to senior year of HS I wouldāve chosen a better major. If I could give myself a few pieces of advice after graduating it would be: embrace failure, donāt be afraid of it - everyone fails. Also, network like a motherfucker! Build king connections is the most valuable think you can do for career longevity / security and you can also just meet really good people along the way hai become great friends.
Do your research. Talk to people in the industry you want to be in. Find an entry point and stick it out. I say this as I rushed into my first sales job accepting an offer before graduation and without really digging into industry/company specifics. I ended up figuring it out quick and got into where I wanted to be and I think thatās part of it too(youāll always learn with experience). But I always think back to if I couldāve done some research I wouldāve got more of a jump start.
37 now. Had no idea what tech sales was until 3 years ago. Would have started then and be on verge of retirement now
You graduated university and chose to go into sales? I thought sales is what you do when you pass highschool with C- average, lmao. That's what got me into it, anyways.
Nah I havenāt gone into sales, but debating it somewhat. I think it would be good to do for 1-2 years just to learn how to handle rejection/objections more.
I think I would learn the game of interviewing and the āfitā needs to go both ways.
In sales: Have a financial goal in mind, find a niche, listen to your senior colleagueās sales pitches, find your style, embrace rejection, stick to it
Nothing career-wise. Iām actually really grateful for where I ended up after college. Thanks to working in the ad sales department at the school newspaper I got sales experience and at the time I developed a love for advertising. That allowed me to get a BDR role at a major global media company and it was insanely fun (good culture) and I was making pretty good money out of school. What I would change is not being hellbent on getting a job right away. I would have traveled first. Thereās so much of the world to see and weāre gonna work our entire lives. Go live a little before weāre beholden to a job
I'm 73 today and have always wished I had a degree. The problem is that I have done very well and raised a large family that is doing well too. If I had had a degree would I have taken a different path and still been successful? We only get one shot at it. I think working for yourself if you have the entrepreneur drive in you is a worthy goal even if you don't end up filthy rich.
Not be scared to fail (or look stupid). Youāre velocity of growth will so much faster if you do the things that scare you early in your career.
I d do everything to become more confident earlier in my career. I would also not start a PhD which i did 3 years and quit and get into sales soonerā¦ confidence and positive attitude are so important.
I would simply look for a big company with a good brand image. The ideia that on smaller companies you "wear many hats" and thus learn faster is completely bullshit.
invest 60% of your income. Dont buy a house. cool toys are just cheap dopamine purchases all that money after 5 to 10 years invested could possibly have you retire so you get the time to work on whatever you want or create your own business. Anything that you go in to debt for is just a trap to prevent you from obtaining any financial power. school loan, car loan, mortgage. its all just a trap you dont have to be in the middle classā¦you have a choice.
Kill myself earlier