What are careers in automation?

Application engineering, sales, and marketing represent three career areas in automation. Each path offers different challenges depending on your personal interests.

• Application Engineer

  Application engineering involves working with clients to solve their specific software needs. This can be accomplished through creating new software for a company or working to improve the software already in place.

  This is a hands-on position that requires problem-solving and communication skills. Application engineers act as the go-between for clients and engineering teams.

  You will typically work a 40-hour week and can expect to earn an average salary of approximately $83,000. A college degree in engineering or a related field is required, with nearly 75% of application engineers holding a bachelor's degree.

• Sales

  Sales is another path in the field of automation. In this role, you will develop, implement, and execute annual business plans to help customers increase sales. As a salesman in this field, you will develop annual sales forecasts and work collaboratively with management to identify competitors.

  A bachelor's degree in engineering is preferred for this position, with some companies willing to hire candidates with an associate's degree.

  Work hours may fluctuate in this position and sometimes depend on the availability of your clients. Travel may also be expected of sales personnel for the purposes of face-to-face meetings and client presentations. Salaries are less predictable in this position, with average salaries ranging from $66,000 to $103,000 annually.

• Marketing

  Marketing is the final sector of automation positions. Automation marketing is the process of assessing a company's strategies and practices and implementing automation where applicable. The process essentially replaces or automates mundane tasks and allows a company to focus its efforts in a more productive manner.

  Marketing positions require an assessment of current marketing practices with constant segmentation, testing, and deployment of new applications that improve company performance.

  This position typically follows a traditional work week of 40 hours and does not often require travel. The average marketing automation specialist earns approximately $55,000 per year. While this salary is not as competitive as that of someone in sales, it is also not a salary that fluctuates based on performance.