Employment of sales engineers is expected to grow by 14 percent from 2010 to 2020, as fast as the average for all occupations. As a wider range of technologically sophisticated products comes on the market, sales engineers will be in demand to help sell products or services related to these products. Employment is expected to be strongest in independent sales agencies, as manufacturing companies outsource their sales staff as a way to control costs. Growth is also likely to be strong for sales engineers selling computer software and hardware. Employment of sales engineers in computer systems design and related services is expected to grow by 43 percent from 2010 to 2020.
Successful sales engineers must have strong technical knowledge of the products they are selling, in addition to having interpersonal skills and the ability to persuade. Job prospects should be good for candidates with these abilities.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition