Businesses can’t make money unless they the sell their products or services. That’s why they’re willing to dump a lot of money into their marketing and sales departments. If you get a management position in this industry, you could easily make six figures a year, and some make even more. The marketing and sales department is also a great way to springboard your way to an executive position, eventually being a vice president of marketing and maybe even holding a CEO job.
When you work in marketing and sales, you absolutely need a bachelor’s degree in a related field. Most management-level positions require you to have a master’s degree, though if you start out at a lower level, your employer may pay for your advanced schooling as an incentive.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment in marketing and sales is expected to grow faster than normal throughout the next several years. Even in a recession, businesses will be hiring. In fact, when consumers purchase fewer products, that’s when marketing and sales teams are needed most.
How much can you expect to make in this career field? As always, it depends on your location and employer, but the average annual salary for marketing and sales managers (not including government employees) is just over $100,000. That’s 148% more than the average salary of all other jobs combined. The bad news here is that you really have to work for your money. A full-time job is 35 to 40 hours per week, but marketing and sales managers report that they work 40 to 45 hours per week on average.
While working for a Fortune 500 company is a dream for many marketing and sales professionals, there are other, more specialized options as well. Consider the following two off-beat career paths:
Even small business and non-profit organizations hire marketing and sales professionals, and you may be surprised how easy it is to find a $100k+ job, even with just a few years of experience.