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Dear Quota Team

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I’m hoping you can help me. In 2020, I got an AE job at a company that I had admired for a while. It’s not super-well-known, but where I live, it’s a pretty big player. The best thing about the job was that they paid really well. It had a great base and a high commission rate, which, as everybody knows, is not super common. The culture wasn’t incredible or anything, but they treated us fairly and professionally. 

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I made just under $185k in 2021, and was on track for about the same in 2022 when things really slowed down for the company. About a year ago (November 2022), they conducted layoffs and I was one of the people who they let go. I was honestly really surprised because I was at the top half of the performers every quarter, but I also negotiated my base higher when I started so maybe that had something to do with it.

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Anyway, I wasn’t happy about what happened but I am still young (28) and I got a job pretty quickly in a slightly different industry. My base was less and I went to a much lower-key company but it has been pretty solid. This year, I’m on track to do about $160k, which isn’t a huge pay cut. The culture here is pretty decent too, so I have no complaints there, but I would say it’s more boring than the previous company. 

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Last week, the company that laid me off reached out and asked me if I’d be interested in coming back. It was surprising to get the call, and kind of exciting. I talked to a manager (he wasn’t my manager, but I did know him) who promised a similar pay package to what I had before. I am strongly considering going back, but I don’t want to make a big mistake. What are your thoughts? Is it a mistake to go back to a place that let you go, or is it just business? Honestly, I’m probably just looking for someone to confirm my gut feeling that I should take this opportunity again. 

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Contemplating in the West 

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Dear Contemplating,

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Go with your gut. It was a job you enjoyed and the money was good — what’s not to like? The only thing we’d suggest is to do some research on whether the company is still growing/closing deals like it was when you were there in 2021. After all, there was a reason why they had to do layoffs, right? But if that checks out and you still feel good about going back, then go for it. Good luck!