Beanbag69

Associate Territory Representative

Starting SaaS job on Monday, old Med Device job called me with an offer out of the blue. What do I do?

I'm set to start a BDR role at a K12 SaaS company on Monday, but my old job called me Wednesday asking if I'd like to come back to a new territory.

I left my med device job & did 10 months as an SDR at a SaaS startup. Didnt perform as I wanted to & dealt with a lot of mental issues so I left to take a breather. found a new BDR role with pretty low pay compared to my two previous roles ($70k OTE) but I can get to a closing role in 9-15 months making $100-$120k ish.

my Med device job is an associate role & will offer me likely a base around $70k with a $100k+ OTE, a car, & discount stock & what not. from an comp perspective it's a no brainer. I'm worried about getting boxed out of future SaaS roles for not having closing experience in SaaS. & not developing some of skills (prospecting, good discovery) in med device because it's growing existing accounts.

My main dilemma is not know what industry I truly want to pursue. I'm looking at this from a 3-5 year perspective & can't tell which industry provides the lifestyle I need. I see a lot of people struggle in SaaS but know high performers can make bank, and from home. Not sure how much more value they get from work besides a paycheck when selling software from home.

considering we could see legit wars in 2024 & potential economic issues, med device seems like a safe bet. But i wonder if K12 is also "recession proof" so to speak.

I'm about to turn 26 & have 3-4 years of sales experience with a sales and marketing degree. i consider myself a high performer & put a lot of energy into improving myself. not sure which option I should go with & what's a better path for me.

I don't want to be 30 and have to start over in SaaS & take a big pay cut & go back to a grunt role. & who knows what roles will even exist in 3-4 years considering AI & other bullshit. not sure what to do with myself. I recognize both jobs are great opportunities with great pay compared to others.

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19 comments

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oldcloser

Arsonist

5

💀

"My main dilemma is not know what industry I truly want to pursue."

You've got to figure this out. Med devices: the deeper you get into hyper-specialized stuff, the faster the pay increases. SaaS grass ain't greener. Food for thought anyway.

jefe

Arsonist

6

🍁

Stick with med devices. So much SaaS just straight up doesn’t work out

HVACexpert

Politicker

3

sales engineer

Med device is a certainly sustainable industry, healthcare isn’t going anywhere

TheColdestColdCall

Executive

4

Enterprise Account Executive

This ^ the only consideration is that regulatory bodies and general healthcare needs a massive overhaul. It could lead to much lesser incentives and more government in healthcare, that said. It likely won't happen when so much money is influencing the politics at the upper echelons.

I've only ever been in SaaS and I've made a killing doing it, but there are so many SaaS companies out there that are not positioned well enough to survive the impending purge.

GDO

Politicker

1

BDM

I'd stay in med tbh

braintank

Politicker

4

Enterprise Account Executive

Med device.
Selling SaaS to K12 is the opposite of recession proof.

Beanbag69

Contributor

2

Associate Territory Representative

It’s more like school security & student safety/well being so it’s more of a need to have then a nice to have SaaS. The schools also have legislation & get grants from the gov to help buy the stuff which made me feel it was more recession proof

braintank

Politicker

2

Enterprise Account Executive

They get grants to buy stuff, but not necessarily your stuff. Selling tech to Edu is a slog.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

1

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Absolutely no guarantee in ed sales - I've done it. braintank is right, it's a slog.

BigShrimpin

Catalyst

2

Account executive

Why do you feel you need to be in SaaS? Med device is arguably much harder to break into and has a significant earning potential as well.
Think long term of what matters most, comp, wfh, growth potential, etc and figure out which industry maps onto that better you can always change down the road.

Beanbag69

Contributor

0

Associate Territory Representative

That’s a great question & it’s a mental hurdle I need to get over. I fear it will be inevitable I end up in SaaS because of how digital the world is becoming, or if I want to transition to a fully remote role. & if I don’t have the experience on paper I won’t get the job I want. I’m also thinking too small about the options I have to make $200k+ without selling my soul to my company to get there. Seems like whenever you go on LinkedIn it screams SaaS is the future & where you need to be. I don’t have a deep enough network of experienced people to tell me the truth tbh

CuriousFox

WR Officer

2

🦊

Do what's best for you friend. Only you can make this call.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Based on what you have said, the med device job hands down.
SaaS is a delivery model for software; it's not an industry in and of itself. There are boom and bust cycles for sure, and a lot of the top performers have risen through the ranks for years to get to Strat AE/SE and even then may have entire years where they don't hit at all. It's not a silver bullet in and of itself for making bank.
In addition, I know of a lot of people who have done very well for themselves in med device sales. That's an industry that won't go away. With an aging population, we are definitely going to see increased demand. This is the epitome of recession proof, as long as the product line is modern and current and solves a need.
Basically, the answer to your question about long term viability, I think either tech or med device can serve you very well. Being diligent about your practice and your role will take you far.
And clearly, your previous employer valued you enough to reach out. That speaks volumes.

HVACexpert

Politicker

1

sales engineer

You said you could be in a closing role in 9-12 months, is that guaranteed in writing ?

Sunbunny31

Politicker

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Yep, how many times have we seen the story of someone who was promised a closing role that never came to pass? It's never a guarantee.

braintank

Politicker

1

Enterprise Account Executive

Absolutely not

HVACexpert

Politicker

1

sales engineer

100%, it was a rhetorical question to show that maybe this opportunity isn’t as awesome as it first appears

wolfofmiami

Opinionated

0

🐺

I started in insurance, then went to saas, then med device, now back to saas, but might leave to go in finance/real estate. I’m 23 tho, been in sales since 18. Graduated with entrepreneurship and economics

My med device was commission only and I was losing too much money doing it, did it for about 5 months. If I was getting a salary, def would’ve stayed

I think the earning potential long term in med device is way better than in saas bc like you said it’s growing accounts, as an AE to make more it’s finding new business which can be harder. At least if you have accounts that make you $100k a year and can keep them you’re already guaranteed that next year in commission and if you get to the point of buying rights for a device in your territory then you make some real money. And med device is also not as up and down as tech is.

0

Retired Sales Professional

Go with the Med.

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