Sales · Career brief

Sales Engineers

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Sales Engineers at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$124,900

Very high national median pay

2025 national median. Top 10% for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

2.8%

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

3,800

Moderate opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.

4Route in

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is typically expected

Bachelor's degree. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Persuasive / leading

Influence, decisions, and results matter

Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

ChooseField take

The standout national signal is pay; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if persuasive or leadership-oriented work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a bachelor's-degree path. Main tradeoff: Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

Before choosing, compare:Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Sales Engineers with another field Explore rankings in Sales Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$124,900

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

2.8%employment growth3,800openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

51,600

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Sales engineers (41-9031).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.4
Getting Information4.4
Selling or Influencing Others4.3
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.2
Working with Computers4.2

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Enterprising5.8
Conventional4.5
Investigative3.6
Realistic3.4
Social2.8
Artistic1.8

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Sales and Marketing Engineering and Technology Mathematics Design

Software and tools named in job postings

Amazon Web Services AWS software Python Salesforce software

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Work through a realistic case with incomplete information: make a recommendation, show the numbers behind it, and defend the tradeoffs.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Sales engineers nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions. Examples of tools used in the occupation include Amazon Web Services AWS software, Python, Salesforce software; check which ones employers near you actually require.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options