# Sales Engineers

> Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-engineers
- SOC code: 41-9031.00
- Career family: Sales
- Median annual pay: $124,900 (10th percentile $73,870, 90th percentile $195,270)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.8%
- Openings a year: 3,800
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 40 |
| Investigative (I) | 43 |
| Artistic (A) | 13 |
| Social (S) | 30 |
| Enterprising (E) | 80 |
| Conventional (C) | 59 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 86/100)
- Getting Information (importance 85/100)
- Selling or Influencing Others (importance 83/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 80/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 80/100)
- Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information (importance 77/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 75/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 74/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 74/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 72/100)

## Skills

Persuasion, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Complex Problem Solving, Negotiation, Active Learning

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Engineering and Technology, English Language, Mathematics, Administration and Management, Design, Administrative, Mechanical, Computers and Electronics

## Also called

Aeronautical Products Sales Engineer, Aerospace Products Sales Engineer, Agricultural Equipment Sales Engineer, Business Development Engineer, Ceramic Products Sales Engineer, Channel Sales Engineer (CSE), Chemical Equipment Sales Engineer, Customer Engineer, Electrical Products Sales Engineer, Electronics Products and Systems Sales Engineer

## Related careers

- [Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-representatives-wholesale-and-manufacturing-technical-and-scientific-products): $104,920 median pay
- [Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-representatives-of-services-except-advertising-insurance-financial-services-and): $69,990 median pay
- [Architectural and Engineering Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/architectural-and-engineering-managers): $171,270 median pay
- [Logistics Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/logistics-engineers): $82,320 median pay
- [Industrial Engineers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-engineers): $102,440 median pay
- [Electronics Engineers, Except Computer](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electronics-engineers-except-computer): $130,220 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.