Tell me about life as a commission-only employee

[Anonymous]

I am salaried and work in sales (think software or medical sales, although it’s neither of those). After a few years, my company starts discussing moving to a commission-only structure for employees. Does anyone have this kind of job? Is it very stressful/how do you manage the stress? Looking for any and all thoughts. Like the fields I mentioned, there is quite a lot of money to potentially be made but if times are bad there’s also the possibility of making nothing.

[Anonymous]

DH did this for a while, but eventually moved back into a position where there was a salary. The stability a salary provides gives him piece of mind. FWIW his salary is around $80K and he makes around $200K. He finds that knowing there's a little bit of a safety net gives him less anxiety and he doesn't feel like every deal is the the end all be all, which makes him a better salesman.

[Anonymous]

Tough for mortgages.

[Anonymous]

The biggest issue is the peaks and valleys. One month you make $30k the next two zero. And so on. So so either need to have a second income (spouse) or enough savings and/or discipline to get you through the dry spells.
I don't recommend it.

[Anonymous]

You either love it and it drives you or you hate it and it destroys you. I did medical sales and it really drove me. I loved chasing those bonuses. Its not a well respected job so I think that drove me further to make more and more money. A few years I hit 500k and realized I was making more $ than the docs I sold too. It felt good but it would have never been sustainable long term. I cleared out my territories and moved into a salaried management position. I know love watching the young bucks chase the dream! And I love making my solid 120 doing 40 hours and being with my kids!

[Anonymous]

It was really stressful for my husband. He eventually switched to a mix of salary / commission and is happier.
We have kids and I work. Now that he switched, I have switched to part time. It's hard to say what I would have done (probably good that I worked anyway) but he was adamant that I couldn't stop working bc we needed a stable salary.
He made pretty good money and I could have theoretically stayed home but the stress would have been horrible for him. I knew he wouldn't be able to do that mentally. He is also risk averse & we have a lot saved (instead of spending it) bc he's always saying - I don't know how long this will last, etc.

[Anonymous]

If you have a spouse that understands the peaks and valleys you are fine. As much as you more freedom, your lively hood may very be defined for good or bad by that next call.

I started out making 150 - 300k, depending on how hard I push myself I clear 8-1.2 now.

[Anonymous]

I work at a small company and about half of us are commission only. Nobody makes more than $150k/year so there's a pretty high stress level and plenty of turnover.