Currently speaking with a recruiter about a Field Account Executive role at Cengage. They're talking about $45k commission bonuses, free cars, work life balance...what's the catch? Are AEs hitting sales goals? How much time is actually being spent traveling? Is there high turnover in sales? Give me the scoop!
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Run as fast as you can.
All that is required of you, to achieve more than your mothers or grandmothers ever dreamed, is for you to purchase heavy duty knee pads and don't discriminate by gender or color. You'll be fine, just do what comes naturally.
Really depends on where you are in your career.
EARLY POSITION? Sure, go for it but keep your antennae up. If this is a very early career move for you, you'll learn a lot. The work can be quite fun, though quite challenging, and you're going to get a taste of what corporate life is like in a semi-functional environment. The atmosphere is positive (more on that later) but your immediate management tends to be less than stellar and things are a mess higher up.
MID-LATE CAREER? Run like he-l. Seriously, unless you are very hard up for a paycheck, close that door without regret.
The reality is a very mixed bag. On the positive side, it is a very positive and fairly energetic, supportive environment. There is lots of talk of transparency and what seems to be easy access & communication with those running the show. The benefits are average. Not at all bad, but you'll pay. The working life is awesome. Covid aside, you are out and about, traipsing around college campuses and having a few meals paid for here and there. Also nice travel opportunities to the large company meetings. You will also love your co-workers, they tend to be positive and energetic - at least at first.
The negatives are substantial, and they are worth considering. The car is the car. That's nice. And there is a phone and other equipment, that's all just part of the gig. As long as you are not expecting to take personal, cross-country trips on the company dime, consider the car a benefit. Forget about the $45k bonus though, lol. That was a bit ridiculous even back in the glory days. You will be underpaid and after your first year, this issue will become glaring. Cengage tends to pay bottom-dollar salaries for a very demanding role, and raises are laughable. Work-life balance is, um . . . how should I say this? It does exist over the summer and a bit over the holidays, but during the traditional school year you will struggle to find personal time in your life. There is on-campus work during the day, internal work at night, and you can expect to spend some weekend hours getting the job done. The training and guidance is minimal. You will spend your first year utterly confused and grasping for help/info, and the front-line managers are . . . well not the best, let's put it that way. But you'll get it done. Year two is much better.
This used to be a glorious position, but those days are long-gone at Cengage. The recruiter info you've cited? THAT was glory-days stuff. I would do a ton of reading up - here and on other sites. Cengage struggles to exist in a very challenging environment, and their recent history is one of double-digit decreases in the U.S. college sector. Their response to the challenges has been curious at best and downright confounding in reality. The "customer" you will be working with is a college professor who really doesn't want to talk to you and - when you find one that does - they want to speak about content, authorship, and the approach of this or that textbook. But that is not what you are trained to do. You are tasked with selling subscriptions to a WORLD OF CONTENT(!) and learning technology that is eons behind the times. Imagine walking into a very busy bar and trying to sell the owner on an illustrated set of bibles. It's kinda like that.
If you are just getting out of college and looking for a first gig - or if you are stuck in an early-career situation that you loathe - go for it. Just do your research, know what you're getting into, and don't expect to land a long-term position.