How To Become A Subject Matter Expert: What It Is and Career Path

What is a subject matter expert and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Mark Evans

A subject matter expert has extensive knowledge, expertise, and experience in a particular field or subject area. These experts possess specialized skills and qualifications that enable them to provide valuable advice, guidance, and support to organizations and individuals. Subject matter experts conduct research, develop strategies, and provide recommendations based on their knowledge and experience. They collaborate with other professionals, deliver training programs, and develop policies to ensure best practices are followed in their respective fields.

What general advice would you give to a subject matter expert?

Dr. Mark Evans

Area Chair and Dale K. Cline Associate Dean for Accountancy, Wake Forest University

Add value beyond what you are asked to do. Take ownership of your work. Volunteer for the most difficult jobs and clients.

ScoreSubject Matter ExpertUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $103,749

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 12.14%

Black or African American 8.16%

Hispanic or Latino 8.96%

Unknown 4.50%

White 66.08%

Gender

female 36.19%

male 63.81%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.2

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a subject matter expert?

Pros

Job security
Potential for higher salary and benefits
Ability to work remotely or from home
Flexibility in work schedule
Exposure to diverse industries and businesses

Cons

High level of responsibility and pressure to perform
Difficulty in communicating complex information to non-experts
Potential for burnout due to heavy workload and demanding clients
Limited career progression opportunities within SME role
Limited job mobility due to specialized skill set

Key steps to become a subject matter expert

Explore subject matter expert education requirements

Most common subject matter expert degrees

Bachelor's

57.2 %

Master's

15.6 %

Associate

15.5 %

Start to develop specific subject matter expert skills

Skills	Percentages
SME	17.99%
Project Management	6.44%
DOD	6.19%
Logistics	4.18%
Customer Service	4.02%

Complete relevant subject matter expert training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New subject matter experts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a subject matter expert based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real subject matter expert resumes.

Research subject matter expert duties and responsibilities

Prepare custom perl scripts to automate various monitoring functions.
Manage PKI SSL web certificates for Linux and Unix servers.
Manage the multiple CSS's require by the different organizations.
Develop stored procedures and complex packages using PL/SQL, manage DBA activities.

Prepare your subject matter expert resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your subject matter expert resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a subject matter expert resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable subject matter expert resume templates

Build a professional subject matter expert resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your subject matter expert resume.