When talking about changing careers or upskilling, many people immediately turn to tech. Becoming a software developer, UX designer, or data analyst makes for a lasting and promising career. However, working in tech doesn’t mean you need to be in a more technical role. Tech companies and startups need a variety of players beyond those building the product and there’s one career that thousands of people are skilling into.

If you’re looking for a career that gives you a great income and the chance to truly succeed, look no further than Sales. A career in sales can provide you with impressive opportunities and the skills needed to succeed in your professional life.

Mastering sales skills can lead to all sorts of job options, whether that’s as an account executive closing deals, a sales engineer who works for independent sales firms, or a software sales representative leading others to success.

This field is a vibrant and fast-paced one, full of excitement and opportunity. As a sales professional, you’ll enjoy career growth, financial stability, and unmatched income potential.

So what exactly does a career in Sales look like?

What is Sales?

A modern sales career involves selling products and services by showing a customer how they can benefit from making a purchase.

Hubspot.com defines Sales as: “a term used to describe the activities that lead to the selling of goods or services. Businesses have sales organizations that are broken up into different teams. And these sales teams are often determined based on the region they’re selling to, the product or service they’re selling, and the target customer.”

Salespeople can develop their careers according to their specific interests, making sales an exciting career choice for anyone at any stage in life. There are several different reasons to choose a career in sales as your new career path:

1. Job Security

“If you are good at sales, you are never unemployed.” – John Noble

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: “Sales workers in the services and wholesale sectors will continue to be in demand because these occupations remain critical in building and maintaining customer bases for businesses.”

All businesses and industries need salespeople, which means there will always be job opportunities in sales. By the year 2026, experts at the BLS  forecast a 5 percent increase in available jobs for manufacturing sales representatives, a 6 percent increase in available jobs for financial services sales agents, and a 7 percent increase in available jobs for sales managers.

Despite new tech and fresh business models, the skills and workload of sales professionals will always be crucial to closing deals with other people or companies. So much so that more than 15 million people work in the sales industry within the US alone. That’s about 5% of the total population.

If you can build relationships and bring in business routinely, you will have significant market value. People who have experience in sales also develop highly desirable skills in the career world such as persuasiveness, customer service, and confidence. If you use these skills to your advantage, employers will be unable to resist.

2. High Income Potential

Not only are salespeople always in demand in the marketplace, but they earn an above-average income as well.

The majority of jobs pay you a flat salary, there’s not too much opportunity to increase your income besides asking for a raise. But with a sales career, you can receive incentives, commission, and bonuses in exchange for your hard work and determination.

Ask yourself this question: What’s going to get you to your financial goals faster: a $45,000 a year, salary-only position, or a performance-based career where you have the opportunity to earn $100,000 plus each year?

Your compensation is directly linked to your ability to close deals, so with some dedication, you can make a lot more working in a sales position than in many other careers. Most sales positions also have a base salary, so if you’re still learning the basics of sales, you’ll still earn a great salary while you’re working towards understanding how to crush it with commissions.

Some of the highest-paid sales jobs include tech products, financial services, and real estate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing sales representatives in the United States earn median annual salaries of $60,340. Financial services sales agents earn median annual salaries of $63,780. Sales managers earn even higher salaries; the median for this group is $121,060 per year. In comparison, the median annual salary in the USA is $27,020.

There are very few careers that offer the near-unlimited income potential that sales careers offer. Simply put, in sales, you are in control of your own income.

3. Flexibility

Most sales positions also offer a flexible schedule. The amount of flexibility, of course, differs from job to job and company to company but as long as you’re hitting your quota, you often have the freedom to set your daily schedule.

This allows you to establish a better work-life balance. Especially with many sales jobs being remote, this type of flexibility allows for you to make more time to workout, have lunch with friends, or close more deals!

This flexibility can enable you to choose your own work environment, work at your own pace, and schedule your day in a way that works best for you.

4. Continuous Learning

Being bored in a sales team is unheard of. A job in sales allows you to continuously learn new skills that will create a challenging but rewarding work environment for yourself.

Sales is a constantly moving career meaning there will always be something new to learn. The skills you learn in sales will allow you to move between companies or industries to new job opportunities easily. This means you’ll always be sharpening your skills and fine-tuning your strengths.

Skills like business communication, presentation abilities, negotiation skills, and storytelling are just some of the skills you’ll continue to learn while in sales.

5. Mastering In-Demand Skills

Sales skills are part of almost every job.

In sales, you’ll develop and master skills you can use to thrive in any area of your professional life. Sales careers require you to constantly grow and evolve your skills to suit the needs of the market. This means you’re going to learn skills that are transferable and applicable to any role you may take on in the future, such as time management, active listening, and relationship building.

There are ample professional development opportunities for salespeople, and companies often pay for their salespeople to receive additional training.

In sales, anyone with a strong work ethic can build in-demand skills and succeed.

6. Challenges…and REWARDS

Sales can be viewed as a harsh and unforgiving field to choose to work in. There’s constant rejection and sometimes you may feel like you’re not making any headway. Especially when you’re not reaching your quota.

But, in sales, it’s important to remember that each “no” teaches you what your customers need in order to get a “yes”.

In sales, there will be ups and downs, but it’s guaranteed that your work is making a difference. Knowing that your efforts helped your customer solve a business problem and beat out your competitors can be even more rewarding than the commission you’ll receive. Sales is fast-paced, exciting, and will always keep you on the edge of your seat.

The thrill of your victories and the motivation of the challenges make choosing a career in sales a no-brainer.

7. Career Stepping Stone

Research shows that 85% of today’s CEOs, Presidents, and senior executives come from a background in sales.

Knowing how to effectively sell is an asset you’ll need no matter what career path you choose to follow further down the road. In just about every career, you’ll need to influence other people. Whether it’s asking for a raise, selling your team on a new idea, or convincing that venture capitalist firm to invest in your company, you need to sell. Sales will help you speak clearly, get along with many different people, overcome difficult challenges, and sell your ideas to others.

If you’re ambitious and willing to work hard, a job in sales could be a stepping-stone to incredible wealth, a lasting career, and a great work-life balance.

The above reasons aren’t the only ones why you should consider a career in sales, but they’re certainly some of the best reasons why many people are choosing sales as their next career path.

How Do I Know If Sales is For Me?

Every one of us is a salesperson already. Being in sales is about being a problem solver for your customer and getting them the best solution for their needs. Whether you realize it or not, you’re selling every day. Whether you’re selling sneakers at a shoe store, a drink at a bar, or even just trying to convince a friend to support a career choice you’re made, you already have the core skills to succeed in a career in Sales.

If you like the idea of being your own boss, want to take control of your life and finances, and have the self-discipline to work on your own, you have what it takes to succeed in sales.

You may be more prepared for a career in Sales than you think you are. Going from the career you’re in now to selling $50,000 deals every day in a tech sales career is not as difficult as you think. With programs like UMBC-Training Centers’ s Tech Sales Program in partnership with Virtanza, you can get synchronous, high-impact training with role plays and true-to-life business cases so you are prepared to crush it in a Sales role.

With credentials earned through a Sales training program, you’ll have skills that make you much more highly qualified and exponentially more dangerous in the industry.

People who are a good fit for a Sales career are positive in the face of rejection, organized, and willing to put in the work behind the scenes.

What Sales Does For You 

Build awesome relationships

Sales is one of the most social professions you can choose, making it a great field for growing your professional network and cultivating life-long relationships. A job in sales can help you learn best practices for networking in different fields, managing business relationships, and developing a good reputation. If you enjoy building long-lasting personal relationships, sales is a great way to do this.

Teaches you soft skills 

Soft skills are a “combination of skills…that enable people to navigate their environment, work well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals.”

That’s why strengthening these skills is one of the best investments you can make in your career. It’s also why 57% of senior leaders today say soft skills are more important than hard skills. Soft skills like persuasion, adaptability and a growth mindset are all good skills you’ll learn from working in sales.

Develop a great work ethic

A great work ethic will accelerate your learning curve, support you, and serve you in every part of your life, even beyond your career.

How to Prepare for a Career in Sales

If reading everything up to this point has you fired up to jump into a Sales role, you might be wondering where to start. Luckily, there are a ton of ways to get started in a career in Sales, many of which you can do right now. Here are some ways to start:

Read books

Reading is one of the best ways to consume information. Here are some great books to read to get you started in your sales career.

• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• Virtanza: The Art & Science of Successful Selling, by Debbie Holzkamp
• Secrets of Closing the Sale
• To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
• Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely
• SPIN Selling, by Neil Rackham
• New Sales Simplified: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting
• Hacking Sales, by Max Altschuler

Shadow a representative or mentor

Try and find a mentor who has experience and success in the sales industry you are interested in. You can learn a lot about excelling in sales by shadowing and learning from someone else who’s already done it. Take some time to listen to how someone else conducts successful sales calls, how they structure their day-to-day life, or try and set up monthly or quarterly meetings with your mentor to learn from them. Reach out on LinkedIn or ask friends who may know someone in a Sales role right now. Offer to take them out to lunch or for a coffee and tell them about your interest in a Sales career. People who have succeeded in their careers are often happy to help those looking to get into the field.

Commit to learning

Putting time and practice into learning something is one of the best ways to learn something new. Embracing a learning lifestyle whether you’re just starting out or continuing to learn. Read sales books, watch sales content on Youtube, or invest in a learning platform like LinkedIn Learning to help you sharpen your skills and pick up new ones.

Prepare a portfolio

Start building a portfolio that can showcase your skills and experience. Start a Squarespace website or build something out on Google Slides to prove to employers that you’re ready to start working in sales. If you can showcase past experience or training in sales that’s great, but if you’re just starting out, put any soft skills or training that you’ve had and update it further later.

Take on Sales projects for local businesses and offer to do a couple for free to help you gain experience and you’ll also have something to add to your portfolio. Any experience in a retail or service industry role should go here too. After all, selling is a key part of any job in those fields. The more you can add to your portfolio, the better you’ll look to a hiring manager.

Going through a short, stackable, and immediately transferable course that can take your sales skills to the next level is one of the best ways to prepare for a career in sales. If this course offers hands-on experience and Sales credentials for finishing the course, then it’s especially valuable for getting you into a Sales career quickly. 

Virtanza offers proven, effective online Sales training programs for adult students and degree earners. Virtanza partners with higher ed institutions like the UMBC Training Centers and UC Irvine to deliver high-impact, experiential training to a new generation of sales professionals to fill the hundreds of thousands of open sales positions.

Motivated learners meet several evenings each week for 8-13 weeks, and courses prepare you for success in everything from New Business Development to Indirect Sales, Territory Consultive System Sales, and more. Program graduates are on track to earn more and realize career success sooner than those with only job experience, and Virtanza’s network of Employers are ready to hire from the talented pool of candidates they consistently deliver. 

Sales graduates report their career satisfaction at over 77% and ramp-up 50% faster than their non-sales educated peers. Starting a career in sales could change your life! If you’re ready to upskill into a long-lasting, highly flexible career with an almost limitless earning potential, Sales might be the career for you. Learn more about one of Virtanza’s amazing university partner programs to get started today.

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Before Covid-19, 86% of the 151 million American workers surveyed for the 2018 American Community Survey said they drove to work each day. But the pandemic put this to a screeching halt. People are struggling with overworking and separating themselves emotionally from work. We’re working at home and we’re sleeping at work, and it’s really confusing for our brains. That’s where a commute comes in.

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It goes without saying that we are living in uncertain times right now, both globally and economically. The world has been in the midst of a pandemic that has turned much of life as we know it upside down. As a result, the rhythm of our day to day lives have changed dramatically and forced us to adapt.

As schools and universities quickly switch their programs from in-person to online, and many businesses have their employees begin working from home, people are having to get used to doing everything remotely.

As serious as this situation is, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance for opportunity. Some of the worlds biggest tech companies we know today were started in the recession of 2008. Their stories can be used as inspiration for those of us who want to grow and develop during these trying times.

Online courses and career programs are dedicated to helping people build recession-proof skill in a quick period of time. With software such as Zoom and Slack, digital skills aren’t complicated to learn online. Not only are they built to be learned solely online but they also prepare you for the increase of remote work that we’re seeing in the work-force.

If you’ve been longing for a career path change, whether it be coding or SaaS sales, or just want to build more skills to make yourself absolutely irreplaceable, now’s your chance.

Finding the Right Online Boot Camp

Everyone’s goals are different, so it’s important to find the best online program for your needs.  While many online boot camps are associated with software coding, they are certainly not the only skill you can learn remotely!

Here’s a list of 4 incredible online courses, with only one being a traditional coding school.  The best part, these 4 online programs are all totally remote:

1. Full Stack Coding

Lambda School offers a full-time, 6-month online full stack coding education. This immersive online school is dedicated to teaching the most cutting-edge and in-demand technologies focused around JavaScript. Students will learn front end, back end, mobile, and neural network technologies. Their online classroom experience is the same as any physical classroom, live students, live instructors, full interaction, pair programming, and frequent code reviews. Their online, immersive format allows you to be connected to instructors at all times, chat with other students, or have someone instantly jump in to see your code.

 2. College Alternative (Personal Brand Building)

Praxis offers a 6-month Bootcamp for those who want more than college. It’s for entrepreneurial young professionals looking for real-world working experience and a self-directed educational experience all in one  – plus, if you complete the Bootcamp successfully, they guarantee you will land a full-time job offer at a high-growth startup. Whether you’re interested in Sales, Marketing, Operations, or something more technical, Praxis will work with you to teach you the skills you want to pursue the best career for you.

Praxis’ most successful participants are hands-on, embrace big challenges and focus on delivering results. They have ambition and responsibility to own important projects and drive their own development. A review of past cohorts shows that the most successful candidates exhibit the following traits:  a Strong Commitment to Self-Directed Learning; Openness to Feedback; Strong Communication; Adaptability; and a Remarkable Work Ethic

 3. Product Management

Are you a Product Manager (or aspiring Product Manager) looking to take your career to the next level? Product Gym is a 6-week Part-Time program focused on training you to generate more Phone Screens, Onsite Interviews, and Offers to accelerate your Product Management career. ‘Product Manager’ is one of the hottest job titles in the country right now and Product Gym will help make you a Product Management All-Star.

Product Gym’s curriculum covers the product development lifecycle, from ideation to release and maintenance. Product Gym provides their members the skills needed to excel in product management. Courses include learning how to create a product roadmap, conducting business and market analysis, defining an MVP, evaluating OKRs and KPIs, wireframing, prototype testing, and building stakeholder consensus. Product Gym also offers aspiring Product Managers a community for multiple networking, career acceleration, and coaching development channels, all designed to help members and contribute to the Product Management community.

Applicants do not need to have a base knowledge of product management as Product Gym teaches content to beginners. Professionals with at least 3+ years of relevant working experience looking to make a career transition are welcome to apply.

How to Pay for your Online Course?

We know what you’re thinking: “All of this sounds great, but I don’t have the means to start any of these programs”. We at Meratas understand that, and that’s why we’re here to change the traditional model of financing your education.

With every single one of these programs listed above, you don’t have to pay a dime until you graduate and get a good-paying job. Why? Because each of them offer an Income Share Agreement (ISA) as part of their financial program.

With their ISA programs, you only begin paying back their investment once you begin a job making over a certain amount of money. Then you share a percentage of your income for a set period of time with the program.  All of these programs are dedicated to investing in the individual student and ensuring you grow into a life-long career.

If you’re ready to take advantage of this time spent remotely, check out our Students page with more info on all of these amazing remote programs plus many more as well as the details on their Income Share Agreements.

Just because these are uncertain times doesn’t mean they can’t be filled with opportunity and progress.

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With Covid-19 forcing many businesses to quickly move their team to a completely remote setting, this virus will change the way we work from now on. Even before the pandemic, 4.7 million people in the US worked from home. According to a study done on the increase of remote work, in the span of one year, from 2016 to 2017, remote work grew 7.9%. We can use this time to learn the skills and software that go along with working remotely, making ourselves even more irreplaceable as the need for people who can productively work from home increases. 

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For people that love to learn and hate wasting time, podcasts are your best friend. Podcasts turn mundane tasks like commuting, working out, cooking dinner, and cleaning the house into opportunities for professional and personal development.

Podcasts growing popularity has led to no-shortage of high-quality podcasts to listen to that open our eyes to different perspectives in the world. In fact, Edison Research found that 42 million Americans – or 15% of the population – listen to podcasts on a weekly basis, at an average rate of five per week. With an endless amount of career podcasts and only a limited number of hours in the day, it’s difficult to know which ones are worth your time. So we’ve compiled a list of some of the best professional development podcasts, so you can pick one that works best for you.

10 Podcasts to Improve Your Career

Safe For Work

This motivational podcast is all about finding balance and happiness in your career. Navigating difficult situations in the office is something we all need to know how to do effectively. Hosts Liz Dolan and Rico Gagliano advise on everything from avoiding burnout to negotiating raises, moving on, how to fake an illness when you’re calling in sick, and more. It has a little bit of everything including hard-earned advice from top business leaders.

Forward Tilt

The podcast host of this great podcast, Isaac Morehouse often says, “If you want a great career, you’re going to have to create it.” With weekly bite-sized pieces of insight and inspiration, this podcast is perfect for busy individuals. From “Living with Integrity” to “Your Reputation is Your Resume”, Isaac offers advice in a straightforward and captivating way.

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher is a former hedge fund manager and bestselling author of The Power of No. His podcast episode s are both insightful, funny, and popular with more than millions of listeners and 40 million downloads. James digs deeper than the typical success story and gives us the moments we relate to: when someone rises up from personal struggle to reinvent themselves. He’s interviewed more than 500+ leaders including Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Peter Thiel, Mark Cuban, and Austin Kleon. From best selling authors to astronauts and athletes you’ll hear from champions in every different field and stage of life.

Smart Passive Income

Pat Flynn from The Smart Passive Income Blog reveals all of his online business and blogging strategies, income sources, and killer marketing tips and tricks so you can be ahead of the curve with your online business or blog. From this top podcast, you’ll discover how you can create passive income streams that work for you. Giving you the time and freedom to do what you love. This podcast covers a broad range of topics with insightful conversations from successful entrepreneurs.

Lead to Win

Lead to Win is a weekly podcast designed for leaders. With actionable insights to help you win at work, succeed at life, and lead with confidence. Each podcast is around 30 minutes long and hosted by New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt. As a former CEO of a $250 million corporation, Hyatt is great at offering advice on scaling businesses, leading teams, and achieving results.

The Angie Lee Show

If you’re looking for some humor mixed in with smart business advice look no further than The Angie Lee Show. Angie Lee, a college dropout, is now an entrepreneur who makes seven-figures running her own podcast about business, money management, and just life problems in general. She helps you make friends with your fear and make money doing what you love.

The $100 MBA show

If you’re short on time and need some quick, actionable advice to make you more effective at your job this podcast is for you. An iTunes Best of 2014 podcast, you get practical business advice in 10 minutes each day. Omar Zenhom shares some of the best business lessons, concepts, examples, and insights from inside The $100 MBA training and community. Omar also invites some of the industry’s leaders as guest teachers on the show. No promotions, just solid business lessons from the best in the game.

The Dave Ramsey Show

If you’re looking to improve your financial state this year, then add this one to your list of motivational podcasts because this one will serve you endlessly. Simply put, Dave Ramsey is a master of inspiring people to change through life-altering advice on topics such as building wealth, eliminating debt, and personal finances. This podcast has been named as one of Apple’s most downloaded shows in 2018.

Beyond the Todo List

Learn how to choose the right projects, tasks, and goals in work and life by going beyond the To-Do List. The host, Erik Fisher explores all aspects of productivity, including getting the right work done, getting good work done, and the true end goal of productivity: living a meaningful life. Listen to this podcast if you’re looking to be refreshed and inspired after hearing how others fail and succeed at daily productivity.

Pivot

Pivot is a great podcast to help you if you’re looking to change your career. Whether you’re looking for a new dream job or an entirely new career path, host Jenny Blake provides great insight into changing up your career path. Jenny inspires you to find opportunities in unexpected places through practical tips and tools. On her website, she states, “If change is the only constant, let’s get better at it”

Professional development isn’t easy, especially when you’re crunched for time but these podcasts can help you get there. If you’re looking for more professional development advice, career change assistance, or even online bootcamps and classes to level up, check out Meratas!

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After countless hours of preparation and multiple interviews, you’ve finally received the job offer! Landing a new job is a cause for celebration, but just like anything new there can be some worry and anxiety that comes with the excitement. Planning for the future is a big part of starting a new job.

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The uncertainty of the time we’re experiencing has taken an extreme toll on the working world. With many people being let go and companies trying to stay afloat, it can seem like there is no worse time to look for an ideal job. 

Today, employers are receiving countless resumes and cover letters. Job searching isn’t about applying for jobs and hoping to get called for an interview anymore. Many people applying for the same position as you may have similar credentials.

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Coding Bootcamps and different educational programs specializing in design, sales, or career direction can be an intensive, fast way to break into a remarkable new career change. With coding Bootcamps, graduates see an average increase of 34% in salary in their first job after the Bootcamp.

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Bootcamps are an excellent way to get into a programming career if you are motivated but lack the skills to jump-start a career in coding. But, quitting your current job, possibly moving, and coming up with the cash to pay for tuition is no small commitment. 

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