Why are there no 23-Year-Old Sales Engineers?

I have seen some posts and questions and a bit of ongoing frustration from people that recently graduated from college, but just cannot find a “sales engineer” position.   So I wanted to give a bit of insight and my opinion on this conundrum.

First, why do these various people desire to become a SE?

There are a lot of reasons, but I’d say the main reason is- it is a GOOD job; and it is a high-paying job.  In fact, a ‘sales engineer’ is the 16^th highest-paying job title in the United States.  There are various numbers floating around out there- it depends who you ask.  That said, one recent number I saw was that the average compensation for a sales engineer is roughly $149,000/ year.  So of course, many folks want that kind of position.

What is the average age of a current SE?  A bit of research shows that the average age for a SE is 44, and anecdotally I would say that is about right.  In the tech/software space, I’d say that leans a little younger.  But in the non-software/ widget world it would veer higher in age.

In my time and in my world, I have never met a sales engineer younger than 28.  And there are many reasons for that.

First, ageism DOES exist.  It may not be legitimate, but most B2B buyers and teams that I have interacted with would not make a major purchase decision based on the pitch or advice or analytics of a man or woman just out of university.  They assume and trust the 34-year-old professional much more than the 23- or 24-year-old “novice”.  That novice might be Albert Einstein, but for some people- it doesn’t matter.

Hiring companies know this, and even the ones that do hire a person just out of college will typically be shadowing a more seasoned SE for a while and/or be enrolled in an internal SE training program for 1-2 years.

The truth is that being an SE means you have to know a lot.  You have to be able to handle yourself; you must exude a decent level of confidence.  You need to know the technical aspects, plus general sales and B2B, plus have a bit of overall business acumen.  That is a LOT to know, and I’d say it would take at least 3-4 year after college to attain some reasonable level of professional experience that would set you up for success as a SE.

So do you just give up, if you are 22?  NO!  My advice would be: don’t get hung up on the job title.  You may want that “SE” title, but you probably will be first hired in another related role.  And you may have a few years (or more) of that kind of role, and that is OK.  Consider any of these roles/titles when you are starting off:

• Associate/Assistant Sales Engineer
• Technical Sales
• Territory Sales
• Inside Sales
• Specifications Sales

There are a few others, but the title itself is not as important as what you are doing, and what you are learning.  Every job that you have will help you out later on, so do not despair.  Good luck, and in a few more years you could find yourself with that coveted role.  Just have a little patience.