Two job offers, same pay, very different paths — need help deciding (48hr deadline)
Hey all, I graduated in 2024, then ran my own marketing agency for 3 years before going full-time in sales. Since then laid off 3 times due to company restructures (never performance related) but : SDR in cyber (loved it but moved country), 4 months in B2C fintech (1st job after moving country- left, management was a disaster), 4 months as a founding BDM in medtech (laid off, TAM was tiny). Now 3 months unemployed. Now two offers landed same day.
Offer 1 — Cybersecurity SDR at a well-regarded cyber company
£33k base / £45k OTE. Fully inbound, booking meetings for AEs. I interviewed for BDR (outbound hunter) but got offered the easier SDR seat instead, it is a step back in job title and a promotion below it. 3 promotions to reach AE (SDR → BDR → ADR → AE), realistically 18-36 months. Progression is verifiable. Leadership seems great. 40 min commute in the car, maybe 70-80 mins at the 5 o clock drive home.
Offer 2 — F500 AE at a household name fintech
£33k base / £55k OTE. Full cycle, quota carrying, open to close. Most junior AE role in the business. Not revenue-based product but it’s real sales. RepVue quota attainment is ~20% which concerns me, I asked for team specific data and got vague answers. Manager seemed excellent however. 10 min walk from home.
The dilemma I have is this:
Same base, benefits virtually identical. Cyber is my passion but the SDR role is a title and responsibility step back vs what I’ve done before, and I’d need to explain that in future interviews alongside already having short stints on my CV.
F500 AE title is forward momentum on paper, household name brand, more mobile after 18 months. But it’s finance SaaS not cyber, and that attainment rate is nagging at me. Also not revenue based so can’t say I closed X in my last 18 months, the quota is data based, less quantifiable.
I’m leaning towards the finance role purely because of role and title, which feels egotistical so I’m trying to sense check it.
Also relevant — I’m an expat hoping to move home in roughly 2 years. Which company/title serves me better when/if I do?
What would you do?