Can someone please explain what having a draw means?
I am working at a big shop and every broker starts off in the analyst program making [X]. After ~2 years they become a Sr. Analyst or associate and are commission only with a 36k draw. I understand that you are given 36k to practically make it through the year given you make no money from commissions. However, they mentioned something to us about how you need to hit 36k before you start making commission. What does that mean? 

Hopefully my question isn’t too confusing — I’m still a little new to CRE
[{"id": "id63tny", "text": "The draw is just an accounting measure really. What they mean is that the first $36k that would be paid out in \u201ccommission\u201d covers their draw for the year. They don\u2019t make an additional $1 in their pay check until they\u2019ve made a commission equivalent to $36,001 in their pay check.", "replies": [{"id": "id64ber", "text": "Ohhh okay! That makes a lot more sense now. Thank you!", "replies": [{"id": "id797qu", "text": "You also might want to check if it\u2019s structured as a loan. The way some shops do it, if you closed $0 in commissions by the end of year you would owe the company $36k.", "replies": [{"id": "id8djiu", "text": "If it was structured as a loan will I receive a lump sum of 36k on January 1?", "replies": [{"id": "id8ffa5", "text": "Usually monthly payments on a specific day of each month.", "replies": [], "depth": 5}, {"id": "id8p7bi", "text": "What they're saying is that if your commissions came in below $36k (in this example) then you could conceivably owe the company the difference. Sometimes, that's done in the form of a lower draw the following year.", "replies": [{"id": "id8r9cl", "text": "I know it is all dependent on the company/team/drive. But is it fairly common for young brokers to not hit their draw?", "replies": [{"id": "id95j9r", "text": "Ask your company for some statistics. I know ours provided average production by year over the first 5 years. Remember that if your company splits are 50% then you typically need to close $72k in fees to pay back a $36k draw.", "replies": [], "depth": 7}], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "id996w7", "text": "I\u2019ve worked in this type of structure for 30+ years.  You need to find out what the commission structure is.  Some are sliding scales, others are flat percentage and others have break points.  Typically as a new person you\u2019d get 35% on gross Billings so 100k in jobs = 35k.  My experience if you can\u2019t bill $225-$250k, they\u2019ll show you the door.", "replies": [{"id": "id99icm", "text": "I will definitely be asking more questions about scaling, thank you!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]