Sales: A Lucrative Career for Those Without a College Degree

By Marty Nemko

Want to make good money but don't have a college degree? Consider sales, even if you don't have a slick personality. Indeed today, slickness is often a turnoff. It's more important that you're a listener, teacher, self-starter, and pleasantly persistent--procrastinators need not apply. Salaries are high in technical sales-- for example, sales engineers, but many non-technical sales reps don't starve. Compensation varies widely across jobs, so before accepting a position, speak with salespeople at the firm: are projected commissions realistic? Is your territory viable?

What can you do today?
A good first book on salesmanship is Brian Tracy's, Advanced Selling Strategies.