20 y/o starting first SDR/BDR internship what does the path actually look like in the real world?

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Hey everyone,

I'm about to start my first 6-month commercial internship. I'm 20, studying Sales at a vocational institute in Italy, no real work experience yet.

I'm trying to understand what the SDR/BDR path actually looks like in practice — not the startup/big city version, but realistic mid-market B2B companies.

Three things I'm trying to figure out: realistic compensation (internship, year one, after 2-3 years with good results), what the day-to-day actually looks like — how many calls, what tools, how performance is measured — and what operationally made the difference for you in your first months.

I'm not going in blind — I've done my HubSpot Sales certifications and I know the basics. I just want to understand if this is a career worth seriously investing in and which vertical makes the most sense to start in. SaaS, services, manufacturing?

And for anyone in a senior or leadership role what makes you look at a junior and think "this one's worth investing in"?

Thanks, happy to give more context if needed.