Stick or twist...

[undecided2015]

I am at a bit of a crossroads in that I have worked in motor insurance claims for the last 10 years or so however last month I had a three month stint in a sales role (warm leads) which I was actually doing really well at. Due to personal reasons I took a job back in claims however I am not really enjoying it and can’t help but miss the ‘buzz’ from the sales side of things. The sales place have made it clear I can go back whenever I want and although the hours are longer (08:30-18:30) and it’s in the centre of Manchester as opposed to being on my doorstep, having to work every other Saturday (with a day off during the week in lieu) I am tempted by it. The basic is marginally lower than I’m on now but the commission makes it and I know that it is achievable from what I was doing and what friends who still work there are doing.
Also, my thinking is the sales role may open up more doors in future in terms of career progression.

Does anybody have any advice as at the moment I’m torn between sticking with what I know or taking a leap, not quite into the unknown, but out of my usual comfort zone?

Thanks,

[mcxuk1]

Only you can really decide. Is it a case of the grass is greener or is the sales role a better prospect moving forward?

[Royce44]

I cant read anywhere in your post, a valid reason NOT to take the sales job.

[toon10]

The only thing I'd say is be mindful of the work life balance. If it's not on our doorstep and in the centre of Manchester then I presume a bit of a commute is on the cards. Couple that with the pretty long working hours, you'll be looking at getting in the house after 7pm. I did that for 5 years and there's no way I'd do it now personally. Now I leave for work at 7:50am and in the house for 4:45pm, 1:45pm on a Friday.

If you use it as a stepping stone to get some experience and after a couple of years, get into a similar role elswhere with better hours/location then it might be worth it.

[undecided2015]

Thanks chaps. The work life balance is the real concern to be honest... it’s an hour each way so it means a 12 hour day which can obviously interfere with relationships etc but having said that the rewards could potentially be worth it. Yesterday was a tough day but I’d managed to go and pick some bits up from the supermarket, get home and have a shower etc and even then it was only 18:30, at that point I was thinking that I would literally be finishing work then and still have an hour before I can even get home and think about having dinner etc.

I suppose the main question is, given that it’s not sales in the cold calling sense would it still open doors for me in the future if I wanted to move to another sales type environment?

[The Moose]

I'd say get it done and take the job if it were I.