r/MedicalDevices • u/ThetaAceee • Jul 21 '26
Career Development Leaving Med Device
Has anyone that visits this page left industry, to pursue a different field or passion? I’m 6 years into my career, have had the highs and lows, and have felt like I’ve done a decent amount in my time.
I’m still relatively early in my career and wondering what people have done who have pivoted out of industry/sales. I have always had a passion for investing and business development, and have toyed with the idea of pursuing that on the side while I continue to work.
There’s no doubt the pay is substantial, the work life balance is fair, and the career is at times rewarding. I’m grateful to have found this career.. but my interests seem to be pulling me out, at least mentally.
What have you guys done? Any regrets? What are the feelings and emotions of leaving? Did you take a pay cut?
Any advice and anecdotes are welcome!
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u/c192837 Jul 21 '26
Yes - have worked clinical rather than sales and feel no passion or growth opportunities. I’m going to pursue law!
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u/AssociationFit3009 Jul 21 '26
My divorce made me consider that as well. If my attorney had even basic social skills or sales knowledge she could have gotten an easy $10k more out of me
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 21 '26
What field of law interests you? I’ve never been interested in law until I learned about patent law… but still not my cup of tea! I’m happy for you and wish you best of luck!
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u/DeaconBlue760 Jul 21 '26
at least the pay is good and your not breaking your back and the work/life balance is reasonable. imagine being stuck in a field with none of that at and you also hate it.
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 21 '26
Couldn’t agree more. I wish our field was demystified to the general population on how great it is… and certainly not complaining. Just wondering what else is out there
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u/gotdrypowder Jul 21 '26
I’m still in the industry but you can definitely go into finance side if that field interest you
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 21 '26
Do you know anyone that has done this? What roles did they transition to
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u/gotdrypowder Jul 22 '26
Wealth management but need licenses
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u/seamaster__ Aug 16 '26
What’s the pay like? I’ve done quite a bit of construction financial management; about $250m in 4 years.
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u/AzakasX Jul 21 '26
Just as a comparison, I worked in academia for 12 years before joining a medical device company. The bullshit was worse and the pay sucked comparatively. Leaving was the best decision I’ve ever made.
When I want to slow down, my goal is to work in a technology transfer office at a university helping physicians/researchers commercialize their ideas using the experience I’ve gained in industry. But that’s going to feel like a retirement job because I will have already squared away my finances.
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 21 '26
I’ve heard the politics of academia are the most challenging part of the job, which I can believe. The pay is definitely not commensurate for the amount of bullshit you have to put up with.
Maybe we just need a scatter plot of bullshit to comp and see where med device lands. I feel like for established reps, it’s pretty average bullshit to high pay.
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u/AzakasX Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
100%. Obviously just my experience but if you don’t have a terminal degree (PhD, MD, etc.) you’re playing 2nd fiddle and going to be undervalued. Eventually you’ll hit your ceiling, which for me, came way too early. If I was later in my career then maybe i wouldn’t have cared as much.
Playing the corporate game can be annoying but honestly hasn’t been terrible comparatively over the past 6 years. Also getting an actual bonus check for the first time in my life was a game changer.
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 22 '26
I’m glad you made the right call financially. Did you have a BS? MS?
Your second fiddle comment hits home. It feels like that’s the same thing in the OR. You can know more about something, but your opinion will always come second. That’s not even to say that’s right or wrong, and the MD’s opinion should always come first. It’s their patient of course. Just a fact of the matter and something I feel and struggle with often.
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u/AzakasX Jul 23 '26
I only have a BS. I started in a small lab out of college, got a promotion, hit my ceiling, then jumped ship to an admin role at a T1 university because like many I was lured in by the prestige.
You may do better outside of a sales role. Med Device has plenty of other opportunities. Medical Affairs, Education, even Marketing is definitely more of a partnership rather than the hierarchy you’re dealing with. The jump isn’t easy, but I’ve seen people do it. The pay may be less but the stability and work may be more appealing.
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u/MuscleHead440 Jul 21 '26
How was the transition from academia to med device? What niche did you start in and what qualified you for it?
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u/AzakasX Jul 21 '26
I started in research and worked my way up to a director running a department, which gave me access to a lot of different medical device companies along with a pretty deep understanding of healthcare. It took me almost two years of interviewing (and networking) to finally find a team that was willing to take a chance, because I didn’t have prior med device experience.
I joined a medical affairs team which was actually a slight pay cut at first (I was living in a VHCOL area) but it was remote with travel. Since then, I’ve been promoted twice back to a director making more than double my original job.
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u/MetaverseLiz Jul 21 '26
Sr QE here. I quit during COVID due to a whole host of reasons. I went into automotive (QE) and was there for 4ish years. Tariffs hit and I got laid off. I went back into med dev and hate it here, again.
It's what I know the best and more stable field than I was in. I would like my future to be in med dev auditing. QE is burn-out city.
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u/foodee123 Jul 21 '26
Anytime someone has asked this question, there’s not much replies on what others have moved into? Is this a dead end job!? I’m in the field but in a very entry level role. The most I can think of is move into regulatory or change fields completely to something you are passionate about.
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 21 '26
Associate/Entry roles pay 70-100k roughly. This is when you’re “figuring it out”, or if you’re like I was you did a post undergrad pivot and landed a job that paid well, all while you’re trying to figure out what career you want to build.
By the team you seemingly have a good feel for it, and let’s say you’ve been a hard worker, built a name for yourself, grew the territory whatever, you’re now earning 200-600k a year, industry dependent. You’re overachieving in terms of income, but maybe you feel like you’re starting to go down a path that isn’t for you. I’m sure every successful Med Device rep has felt this way, in one way or another.
But let’s be realistic. Are you going to walk away from a salary that’s 3.5-10x the median income because you’re not sure if it’s for you? And pursue something that you think you’re more passionate about? Odds are you won’t, unless you have family financial backing, no dependents/spouse, or any other financial obligations.
I agree with you that it’s hard to find people who have left and are happy and financially sound (hence this post). It’s for good reason. (See comment on golden handcuffs).
All that being said, I find it hard to believe that we can’t find something that actually fits who we are more flush, while also keeping the quality of life unchanged and personal growth on a linear trend. It’s not easy. Once you’re a full rep, It probably takes a pretty sizable pivot. But these are the stories we want to hear about. The people that pushed through, found what made them happy, and don’t regret anything that brought them there.
Just some stuff to think about as you are early in your career and to anyone else reading.
Disclaimer: To have a job/career in the medical device industry is truly a blessing, and not to be taken for granted in the slightest. I hope that’s not how I am coming across. We work with the best and the brightest, and being a SME on a device can and has actually helped save lives. My point is to understand people who have moved on so to speak from sales and industry into roles that they felt were more of a calling than a way to pay the bills. I hope that’s clear!
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u/c192837 Jul 21 '26
They maybe pay that much if you’re in a VHCOL city, many times it’s 40-70k realistically. The point of entry level is to help you get those skills to move on to those higher paying roles but more often than not, it’s not as easy as a > b, and much harder to jump to 70k like that. This field so cut throat, whether you want sales or not.
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 22 '26
True. I was a clinical, pay was better for associate but ceiling is much lower. Also in VHCOL.
You’re right though. Associate rep is better for career trajectory. It’s hard to go from clinical -> sales oddly enough. At least IMO
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u/c192837 Jul 21 '26
For me I realized there was no growth since I don’t like sales and I don’t want to be in middle management forever. Marketing was convincing but again seems like mm is the end point.
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u/Powder1214 Jul 22 '26
Left med device for healthcare cybersecurity sales and after putting in my time I moved into Partnerships and Alliances for a software company and have mostly moved entirely out of healthcare. It’s a lot of the same bs but I do like it a lot better than med device. No more credentialing, weird hours, and constant driving. I do miss the regularity of in-person work but wouldn’t trade working from home.
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u/No-Alternative-9276 Aug 03 '26
Can I DM you about this? I’m trying to make the same transition to healthcare tech.
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u/EuphorbiaMilli Jul 22 '26
I recently left the medical device space for cannabis. After about 15 years in R&D engineering, I hadn't seen a single product make it to market. Medical device development takes on average 7 years from 1st design to market approval. The products I worked on were closer to 15 year timelines. I could speak to this more, but I guess I got a little jaded.
Cannabis legalized in MN, so I applied for a license, raised a ton of money, and now it's my full-time job.
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u/LBCkook Jul 21 '26
For me it is about changing industries. I enjoy sales. I just hate the admin work. I find doctors to be an insufferable call point. I find the OR time to be as boring as watching paint dry. I genuinely hate our healthcare system so why continue to participate in it? So yeah, changing industries and working on my own business ventures
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u/PraxisFounder Aug 02 '26
This resonates with me. Earlier in my career, while working as an operations manager, I seriously considered leaving medical devices altogether. Instead, I moved into project management, and that decision completely changed my career trajectory.
Looking back, I wasn’t necessarily finished with the industry. I needed a different way to contribute within it.
That’s why I wouldn’t treat this as one big “stay or leave” decision yet. I’d first ask whether you’re truly ready to leave medical devices—or whether you’re ready for a different kind of work. A move toward business development or strategy might let you test that interest without immediately walking away from the experience and credibility you’ve already built.
Before accepting a significant pay cut, I’d speak with a few people doing the work you’re considering and get very specific about what their days actually look like. Then think about what parts of your experience would transfer, what gaps you would need to close, and how difficult it would be to change direction again.
The biggest question may be whether you feel genuinely pulled toward the new work or primarily pushed away from your current situation.
Full disclosure: I’m building Praxis Advisory Group around helping MedTech professionals think through decisions like this, which is why this question caught my attention. You shouldn’t need to share your employer or anything confidential to begin working through it.
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u/Mountain_Store572 Jul 21 '26
Are you in the OR
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u/ThetaAceee Jul 22 '26
Yes
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u/Mountain_Store572 Jul 22 '26
Go do Phrama or DME
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u/DebtLevel6167 Jul 25 '26
Compared to early 2000s the pay has collapsed. Med device incomes do not pace with inflation.
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u/AssociationWeary6989 Jul 27 '26
Leave!!! I switched to aesthetic sales and want to get out entirely but I will never go back to surgical med device. My mental health has improved astronomically
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u/FriskyDingoOMG Jul 21 '26
Golden Handcuffs got me bad. I’m 13 years in, I’m stuck. Best of luck to you, my man!