We surveyed 2,587 sales engineers to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical sales engineer. Here are the results.

How much intelligence is required as a sales engineer?

Low

High

Working as a sales engineer typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.

Can I learn to become a sales engineer?

Intrinsic Talent

Acquired Talent

A career as a sales engineer typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.

Is it easy to get a job as a sales engineer?

Easy

Hard

It’s typically difficult to find a job as a sales engineer. If you’re curious about the numbers, check out the job market for sales engineers.

Info

Do sales engineers work full-time or part-time?

94% of sales engineers work in full-time roles while 6% work part-time.

Is being a sales engineer stressful?

Low

High

Sales engineers tend not to find their jobs stressful, which likely contributes positively to career satisfaction.

Is being organized important as a sales engineer?

Low

High

Some level of organization is generally required to be a sales engineer.

How competitive is the workplace for sales engineers?

Low

High

Sales engineers tend to see lots of competition in the workplace, with desire to get ahead of co-workers being common.

Does being a sales engineer require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?

Low

High

Sales engineers will have to sometimes face time pressure on the job.

Are sales engineers allowed to express themselves creatively?

Low

High

Sales engineers rarely get a chance to express themselves creatively.

Do sales engineers have control over the direction of their work?

Low

High

Sales engineers tend to have a set and inflexible work schedule that they are unable to deviate from too much.

Is being a sales engineer physically demanding?

Low

High

Work as a sales engineers is not the most physically demanding of careers, falling in the bottom half of all careers.

Are sales engineers exposed to a wide variety of work?

Low

High

Sales engineers tend to have a monotonous work routine, with little variety in their day-to-day tasks.

Does being a sales engineer require attention to detail?

Low

High

Attention to detail isn't necessarily required to be successful as a sales engineer.

Does being a good sales engineer require compassion and empathy?

Low

High

Being compassionate and empathetic is considered helpful to those looking to pursue careers as sales engineers.