I don't know how credible my advisor was in undergrad but, I actually thought about pharm sales if med school didn't pan out. I was told the money can be REALLY good (60 - 100K) ... if your good at sales but, once you hit the 'older years' (ie over 40) it can be difficult since you don't look as good and you can't sell the product as well (ie you can't flirt as much and can't look as selling). Although you can move up to the managerial positions if you have done well as a sales rep those positions are fewer and are given to the ones who sold well. Plus, I was told that there isnt much else you can do if you get the boot It's probably similar in medical device sales - I have yet to see a sales rep over 50.
If you want to know more about the industry there is a great book that can really open your eyes. It's called "the truth about the drug companies" by Marcia Angell (who was editor for The New England Journal of Medicine). I was pretty naive about the pharm industry-doctor relationship and the drug companies in general until I read that book. It is quite eye opening and makes you think a little harder when eating all those tasty meals and taking all the free paraphernalia (although I figure as a med student it's hard not to take free stuff).
