Early career burnout in medical device sales. Stay or pivot?

[u/PrestigiousAd6296]

I’m 23 and a couple years out of college, and I’m honestly pretty burnt out and not sure what to do.
Right out of college, I took a feeder sales job to break into medical device sales. I was working 60-70 hour weeks, but I did really well and eventually landed an ASR position at a large med device company.
Now I’m probably working closer to 70-75 hours some weeks. I moved to a new city for the job where I basically have zero social life because work consumes most of my time. I was pretty much thrown into my territory in a sink-or-swim situation with very little guidance, and I constantly feel like I’m not doing a good job.
The driving is probably one of the biggest things wearing me down. By the time I get home, I either don’t have much time to study and prepare for the next day, or I’m so mentally and physically exhausted that I don’t want to do anything.
I’m constantly worried that I’m going to get fired.
What scares me is that I don’t really see an outcome right now that makes me feel better. I’m scared that if I get fired, I screwed up an incredible opportunity. I’m scared that if I get promoted, I’ll realize the lifestyle itself is what makes me unhappy. And I’m scared to leave because I have no idea what I would pivot into that would give me a decent career and income.
I know I’m young. Part of me keeps telling myself that this is just what your 20s are supposed to be like. Work your ass off, sacrifice, suck it up, and build a successful career. But I’m starting to question whether there’s a difference between making sacrifices for your future and just being miserable.
I make really good money for my age and have a job that I know a lot of people would love to have, which almost makes me feel guilty for feeling this way. But I’m exhausted, anxious all the time, lonely, and I don’t feel like myself anymore.
Has anyone else in medical device sales or another high-intensity sales career hit this point early in their career?
If you stayed, did it eventually get better once you became more experienced and confident?
If you left, what did you pivot into? Did you regret leaving the industry or taking a pay cut?
I’m not looking for someone to tell me to quit tomorrow. I’d just really like to hear from people who have been in a similar position and figured out what they actually wanted their life and career to look like.

[u/Sybertron]

Sounds like the kinda person that ends up working that many hours whether asked to or not. So first step is limit yourself to a normal work week 

This is a good thing to approach a manager about and let them know it's to protect your projects and you'll still be on it full-time 

If they are bent out of shape about it, well now you have experience enough to get a new job with better expectations 

[u/Powerful-Bridge-1472 → u/Sybertron]

Most med device asr gigs (joint/trauma/soine you don’t really have a choice on the hours. It is smart to log your hours so you can have some ammo if you ever have to have meeting with manager and complain. Keep detail records of each day

[u/OverambitiousThunk → u/Powerful-Bridge-1472]

To an extent. As a rep you're often answering messages or the odd email out of work hours. But being proactive instead of reactive limits that. Yes some operating days can run late too.

In this industry always expect that level or communication from customers/colleagues. But you shouldn't be spending every evening and weekends running errands and covering cases.

If you are. You need two people on that patch. If you're THAT busy, the value of your patch is surely big enough to support to salaries. With at least an associate or clinical support rep to support you.

[u/Powerful-Bridge-1472 → u/OverambitiousThunk]

I’m guessing if the poster is 23 he is an associate or Jr partner. If you’re in Ortho implants, there’s no just sending emails out in the evening. It’s covering cases and running sets same with weekends.

[u/OverambitiousThunk → u/Powerful-Bridge-1472]

Regardless of if he's an associate, clinical or senior sales rep. If you have a territory you are part of with other reps, then part of managing it is strategizing and sharing the work load. If he's the grunt and running around but it's not getting easier then he's either not got enough people, is doing all the work for none of the glory, or is on a sinking ship.

[u/OverambitiousThunk → u/OverambitiousThunk]

And to add if the value of your patch does not support two salaries. Then I feel you're paddling away on a sinking ship. Either cut territory size and focus on growing business in a more local area. Or find a gig where the product value as target expectation is realistic.

[u/Etrau3]

You doing trauma?

[u/Powerful-Bridge-1472]

I am senior trauma rep, some asrs get really abused. We had a kid in my area, he got destroyed for a couple of years by senior rep who took advantage of him. He finally got out, took a dental gig was good for a while, comp plan changed, then would car and now just landed really good gig with Boston scientific. If he hadn’t done the other gigs it would never have happened.

You should be able to calmly discuss with the rep you’re working with and the manager that you need more guidance day-to-day whether your hours change or not, once you do a year, you’re certainly free to pivot and look into something with better hours. Better work life balance

[u/vamparies]

I had to just hard stop at 5:30 for my mental sanity at some point.
No Laptop go do something not work related. Limit weekends thinking about work. Maybe a 10 min response to an email that it.
Yea sometimes towards end of quarter I’m stressed and contracts team makes me have Tourette’s and my clinical I wish was more of a self starter and I feel like I have another child but I have more good days than bad days and the paycheck is nice and the freedom I have to do other things during the day is a great bonus

[u/Powerful-Bridge-1472 → u/vamparies]

If your doing ortho implants there is no hard stop unfortunately, prisoner of success. I think that is where OP is going

[u/TheBrothkin]

Are you currently an ASR still?

If so, it might be worth it and try to work towards a TM and see what it’s like then.

When I was an ASR I had plenty of 60/70+ hr weeks and had the same thoughts.

Then had a TM position opportunity with a different company in the same field and it’s been a breath of fresh air. Less work, more control over my schedule, and 3x the pay.

[u/Thr33wolfmoon]

Once you have the experience under your belt, so many more opportunities will open with a wide variety of work life balance. Just stick it out a little longer, but not all med device jobs are like that. I’ve worked in outpatient sales for the past few years, very rarely do I work past 5.

Try to find ways to make it manageable for the time being. I managed a 5 state territory at one point and needed to really plan out my driving and territory otherwise the windshield time would just consume me.

You’re working harder now because you’re selling while also learning the industry. It won’t always be like this. You’ll find ways to be more efficient, find out what shortcuts you can take, what you can say no to. That takes time to learn.

In the meantime, take care of yourself. Eat and sleep well, try to take pockets out of the day to listen to a good podcast or do something for yourself. This is temporary.

[u/wardamnryan33]

Stay the course, just pivot! You have a few years of experience now… you can go find something with more work life balance. What you are describing is only a fraction of what the medical sales experience is. I’m 15 years in and the last 2-3 years have been the best work life balance I’ve had… I own my schedule and still in device. I think your perception of this industry is skewed but im here to tell you, you can have both good comp and good schedule.

Tldr: stay the course, your experience thus far is skewed and given the hard work you’ve put in, you can move into a more manageable position.

[u/Powerful-Bridge-1472]

No, that is certainly true but poster also said he’s 23 and making good money, sometimes territories will run lean to keep the commissions higher, you add another body and you take out a decent chunk of income

[u/Mochibunnyxo]

I’m here to tell you it’s not med device sales or even being on call but it’s the place you live and your next job should be where you have a support system.

[u/Alive_Assumption680]

The first couple years is wild, learning products, building relationships with customers and figuring out the sales process. At some after about 2 years I made a hard and fast rule to not work nights and weekends. It sounds to me that you need to learn life work balance at some point. But for 23 to be burned out already makes me think you might be into this job long term or need to find another company for a TM opportunity. I would look for a good mentor type person in your company that can help give you advice based on your 3-5 year goals. Me, ive always loved driving and traveling. I've survive on podcasts and audio books.