Choosing a college major can be challenging for prospective first-year students, as it is an important decision that will influence their career path. If you want to become a professional salesperson, knowing the best major for sales will help define your academic journey and prepare you for the graduate programs of your dreams.
Professional sales is a massive field in the business world that offers a lot of job opportunities. If you’re interested in a sales career, this article will guide you on how to choose a major for sales, and help you determine what degree in sales is required for the area you would like to specialize in.
Why Choose a Career in Sales
Selling and sales management is a lucrative career that offers rewarding benefits, from improving your personal and professional life to providing you with a high median wage. It is a very accessible and flexible career that offers positions with minimal education requirements and leaves room for growth even at entry-level positions.
Being on a sales team allows you to interact with people across the world and from all walks of life. Sales professionals are a significant part of the global economy and businesses worldwide, which makes them very important in many industries. This career allows you to build a network and develop soft skills which promote credibility and a good reputation.
Sales Job Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are almost 1.5 million job openings in the sales field each year. The need for salespeople in the retail sector is reducing because of ecommerce and online shopping, but the demand for sales workers in service and wholesale will continuously increase faster than average in 2022.
Salespeople are not limited to any specific work environment because they are in demand across many industries. Sales managers could find themselves in business administration, summer sales, or effective sales coaching. First-year students in the sales field do not need to worry about finding a job after university.
Sales Job Satisfaction
The earning potential and demand in this role means salespeople can find job satisfaction and security at all levels. On the whole, sales is a profitable career because it is flexible and allows you to maintain a work-life balance.
Your level of achievement and income depends largely on your efforts and creativity, as some of your income is based on commissions from successful leads. Some salespeople are salary-based and make high earnings.
A career in this field is suitable for persons with extroverted personalities, as this is a job that requires you to have the confidence and communication skills to engage in conversations with prospective clients. Sales effectiveness depends on your interpersonal skills. The job is not suited for introverts.
Sales Salary Potential
| Career | Minimum Level of Education | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | Bachelor’s degree | $91,977 |
| Financial Services Sales Agent | Bachelor’s degree | $63,961 |
| Sales Engineer | Bachelor’s degree | $51,750 |
| Sales Executive | Bachelor’s degree | $50,655 |
| Retail Sales worker | High school diploma | $31,825 |
How to Choose a Major for Sales: Tips for Selecting the Right Sales Degree
Tip 1: Evaluate your personal strengths and weaknesses
Choosing a major in sales can be a bit tricky because of how vast this field is. Choose a major with subjects that you are good at and enjoy studying. If you don’t particularly enjoy calculations, don’t choose a major that involves calculus and mathematics. Your sales effectiveness depends on your strengths and weaknesses.
Tip 2: Seek career advice
If you are confused about what major may suit you, seek advice from your academic advisor or school counselor. They will advise you and provide you with major sales options that will help you to achieve your career goals. Based on your conversations, they could steer you toward a specific school, such as Bentley University or Hampton University.
You can seek more information and advice from undergraduate students, college seniors, or professional salespersons on what undergraduate degrees you could major in. You can learn about the organizations on campus and gain firsthand knowledge of a day in the life of a sales rep as an incoming freshman.
Tip 3: Priorities and Interests
While a lot of people choose a major based on the salary potential, it’s important to choose a program based on your passions and interests and make sure these conditions align with your priorities. Considering your natural skills and talents when picking a major in professional sales will ensure you enjoy the program.
It’s also important to consider the school you will attend. Although you will be dedicating a lot of time to your studies, it’s important to know what student clubs or student organizations are available. It’s vital to keep a healthy work-life balance.
Tip 4: Coursework
Though every major has its perks and hassles, the workload of each course will greatly impact your success as an incoming freshman. Understanding a major’s workload, course expectations, frequency of classes, and exams will help you decide if the major is suitable for you or not.
Tip 5: Consider high-paying fields
It is natural for students to pick a major based on their earning potential because everyone needs incentives for their hard work. The sales industry offers a lot of lucrative job opportunities with high earnings, although the median wage varies depending on the field. Consider majors that lead to jobs with a high demand for sales professionals as they tend to have annual wages.
What Degree for Sales: Best Majors for a Sales Career
Business Management
A degree in business management introduces students to the world of business analytics. It gives you an idea of the business sector and helps you choose a specific sales field to specialize in. This major empowers students with the essential knowledge and core skills they need to become successful salespeople.
Business and sales go hand-in-hand. Obtaining a degree in business management exposes you to other key areas such as public relations, marketing, and economics. Those with an academic background in business management are equipped with the well-rounded knowledge and sales skills required to be attractive applicants to various sales organizations.
First-year students in this major learn how to carry out basic business tasks such as data analysis, business plan preparation, and negotiation. A business plan will bring you in contact with profitable networking opportunities and brand you as a credible candidate for recruiters. Students will also be taught how to work with people and effective communication.
Associated Career Paths: Business consultant, business manager, data analyst
Levels of Education: Associate degree, bachelor’s degree, doctorate degree
Marketing
A marketing major teaches you about human behavior and how to utilize this information in generating successful leads from potential clients. An undergraduate degree in marketing will prepare students by developing the creative and analytical skills they need to thrive in the professional sales field.
A marketing major provides a well-rounded education with an in-depth knowledge of liberal arts and the technical field. Undergraduate students in this college degree are exposed to market trends that give them an understanding of sales strategy and marketing dynamics. This helps them to develop communication and research skills.
Associated Career Paths: Advertising and promotion manager, marketing and sales manager, advertising sales agent
Levels of Education: Associate degree, bachelor’s degree, doctoral degree
Finance
Taking a major in finance will not only be beneficial to your sales career but will also provide you with a lot of lucrative job opportunities. A finance major learns financial analysis, problem-solving, statistics, accounting, and how to interpret complex data.
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Undergraduate students learn communication and critical thinking skills as well as monetary decision-making. A major in finance will not only train you for entry-level jobs but also provide opportunities for advancement in your sales career.
Associated Career Paths: Financial manager, financial advisor, commercial banker
Levels of Education: Associate degree, bachelor’s degree, doctoral degree
Economics
An economics degree is very relevant to the sales industry. The program teaches students the analytical reasoning needed to study human behavioral patterns, as well as how to examine human interaction and evaluate their decision-making methods. You’ll learn critical thinking and research skills, and also get exposed to policy-making methods and quantitative analysis.
This major will give you an understanding of supply and demand, which will be very useful in your sales career. An economics degree offers entry-level job opportunities to graduates as research assistants. Higher jobs like economic consultant or actuary may require an advanced degree in economics.
Associated Career Paths: Market research analyst, actuary, economist
Levels of Education: Associate degree, bachelor’s degree, doctoral degree
Technology
A technology major will familiarize students with operational skills needed to collect, track, organize, and access data on computer systems. This major will teach students marketing concepts, how to interact with prospective clients, and point to relevant technical products or services that can provide solutions to their problems.
This major will train you on how to become a tech sales representative. Technical salespeople have a high earning potential. According to Ziprecruiter, tech sales reps earn an average annual salary of $63,533.
Associated Career Paths: Computer support, cyber security, software developer
Levels of Education: associate degree, bachelor’s degree, doctoral degree
Other Sales Related Majors
Salespeople are not limited to a specific industry. With the right education, entrepreneurship program, or formal training program, they have the liberty to work in any business or sales organization. Asides from the majors listed above, there are other general sales-related majors for anyone who wants an advanced education in sales.
- Professional sales
- Retailing and retail operations
- Liberty arts
- Psychology
- Social science
- Real estate
- Insurance
- Public relations
- Communication
- Entrepreneurial studies
Is a Career in Sales Right for Me?
Yes, a career in sales is right for you if you enjoy interacting with people and want an impressive income. A sales major provides you with the skills needed to secure sales positions in the business world. There are also several graduate programs to choose from if you wish to extend your education in selling and sales management.
Every industry is in demand for salespeople and because of that, the job outlook is quite admirable. Students who want to study sales but are interested in psychology may consider working in the marketing field because it deals with human behavior. Those interested in the sale of technical products and services may want to start a career in tech sales.
Best Major for Sales FAQ
The highest paying jobs in sales are enterprise sales/account executive, pharmaceutical sales representative, realtor, medical device sales, sales engineering, and software sales representative.
The technology industry is considered one of the best industries in the sales field because of the vast employment opportunities it has to offer. According to IDC research, the tech industry is estimated to be worth over $5.3 trillion. The technology field is volatile and will provide you with the flexibility to easily switch from one area to another in the sales industry.
A sales career offers job opportunities such as advertising sales agent, insurance sales agent, loan officer, and purchasing manager or buyer. You can also look into wholesale and manufacturing sales, sales engineering, real estate, commodities, and financial services sales.
According to US News & World Report, the median salary of a sales rep is $62,070 annually. The average salary and median wage may vary according to location. Some cities in the metropolitan areas pay sales reps as high as $91,760 to $112,810 per year on average, while in some states and districts, sales reps earn salaries ranging from $81,100 to $85,730.
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