Soonest quitting as a first-year

[Anonymous User]

I have a question for the anon OP considering going back to a sales role:
I'm considering a big law gig or taking a sales role in a large, well-known tech firm. The job is similar to an account manager type position where you work with clients and have sales quotas to meet each year. Salary is around 120k, 40k signing bonus, and stock. I'm wondering whether it's worth taking this job over big law. My hesitation is sales and whether it leads to good exit opportunities (say I want to work in strategy/operations or some other business role later). I don't mind not practicing law, I just want to choose the career that leads to good future opportunities and ideally doesn't have crazy hours like big law.

-Assumings your big tech firm is a LinkedIn, Amazon, Salesforce, etc... you'll very likely keep pace with biglaw comp through to senior associate, but you'll likely never make biglaw partner compensation unless you make VP of Sales (you'll still make less than biglaw partner comp but there are tons of Sales VPs in Big Tech that are printing $500k-$600k).

Biglaw partners in (some markets) at (some firms) might make more than a VP of Sales, but who do you think, on average, works more? I bet dollar per hour the VP of Sales works half as much.

I'd say that's definitely a safe bet, except with Amazon. Depending on what team you land on, Amazon can be ridiculous. They have released some terrible press lately in the last few years though over this and I've heard they're trying to change their image. So they might have improved on this front recently, but I do know some Amazon people that work really rough hours.

Well first of all a fifty percent pay cut from biglaw is an immense amount of money lol. But in any case I always advise folks to make it a year unless they're like...near a breakdown. Get your bonus and see if you don't get better at it

Not if you're only working 50% or less of the hours

[1styearlateral]

I have a question for the anon OP considering going back to a sales role:
I'm considering a big law gig or taking a sales role in a large, well-known tech firm. The job is similar to an account manager type position where you work with clients and have sales quotas to meet each year. Salary is around 120k, 40k signing bonus, and stock. I'm wondering whether it's worth taking this job over big law. My hesitation is sales and whether it leads to good exit opportunities (say I want to work in strategy/operations or some other business role later). I don't mind not practicing law, I just want to choose the career that leads to good future opportunities and ideally doesn't have crazy hours like big law.

-Assumings your big tech firm is a LinkedIn, Amazon, Salesforce, etc... you'll very likely keep pace with biglaw comp through to senior associate, but you'll likely never make biglaw partner compensation unless you make VP of Sales (you'll still make less than biglaw partner comp but there are tons of Sales VPs in Big Tech that are printing $500k-$600k).

Biglaw partners in (some markets) at (some firms) might make more than a VP of Sales, but who do you think, on average, works more? I bet dollar per hour the VP of Sales works half as much.

I'd say that's definitely a safe bet, except with Amazon. Depending on what team you land on, Amazon can be ridiculous. They have released some terrible press lately in the last few years though over this and I've heard they're trying to change their image. So they might have improved on this front recently, but I do know some Amazon people that work really rough hours.

Amazon notoriously runs its legal department like biglaw. Amazon is definitely an outlier.

[mrs.miawallace]

Had a peer a few years back quit big Law after a couple weeks, and this was someone who came off of a clerkship. It was very surprising.

What..? I hope there was no claw-back on his bonus

[Miznitic]

When I see an associate with less than a year of experience at a particular firm, I assume they were fired. I don't take chances with those candidates.

[Anonymous User]

Is anyone sick of biglaw at this point in their first year already too?

[Miznitic]

When I see an associate with less than a year of experience at a particular firm, I assume they were fired. I don't take chances with those candidates.

[Anonymous User]

I mean I wish there was a way to quit clerkship lol

[bruinfan10]

When I see an associate with less than a year of experience at a particular firm, I assume they were fired. I don't take chances with those candidates.

I always thought leaving before the 2 year mark flagged you as "not being able to cut it" or as having potentially been fired. Generous to only apply that to leaving during the first year.

[Anonymous User]

When I see an associate with less than a year of experience at a particular firm, I assume they were fired. I don't take chances with those candidates.

I always thought leaving before the 2 year mark flagged you as "not being able to cut it" or as having potentially been fired. Generous to only apply that to leaving during the first year.

Biglaw midlevel, previous lateral, been on hiring committee for a couple of years at my current firm.

Not sure about the firms you two work at, but the idea that a youngish associate has the power to make a firm "not take chances" on a lateral candidate because they don't meet the associate's 1-2 year job stability threshold is kind of laughable.

Then again maybe your firms operate differently.

[jd20132013]

When I see an associate with less than a year of experience at a particular firm, I assume they were fired. I don't take chances with those candidates.

I always thought leaving before the 2 year mark flagged you as "not being able to cut it" or as having potentially been fired. Generous to only apply that to leaving during the first year.

Way too many people leave before two years for this to be sensible

[bruinfan10]

When I see an associate with less than a year of experience at a particular firm, I assume they were fired. I don't take chances with those candidates.

I always thought leaving before the 2 year mark flagged you as "not being able to cut it" or as having potentially been fired. Generous to only apply that to leaving during the first year.

Biglaw midlevel, previous lateral, been on hiring committee for a couple of years at my current firm.

Not sure about the firms you two work at, but the idea that a youngish associate has the power to make a firm "not take chances" on a lateral candidate because they don't meet the associate's 1-2 year job stability threshold is kind of laughable.

Then again maybe your firms operate differently.

My firm (and committee) operates very differently than yours. No need to take it personally.

[Miznitic]

When I see an associate with less than a year of experience at a particular firm, I assume they were fired. I don't take chances with those candidates.

I always thought leaving before the 2 year mark flagged you as "not being able to cut it" or as having potentially been fired. Generous to only apply that to leaving during the first year.

Pay attention to, "less than a year." One year or more is fine in most circumstances. Six months? No.

[Anonymous User]

Just quit my firm after 9 months. I was luckily able to lateral, luckily, into a job I've been trying to get for years. FWIW, the job market seems pretty good as there are a fair amount of firms looking for juniors. But your results may vary.

I think if you have a legitimate answer that explains why you're leaving so soon (i.e. one that doesn't bash the firm/people) most employers seem to buy it. Obviously, as shown above, people will have differing views on this, but there's hope out there for the miserable.