Think about all the choices you have when you want to buy a product or select a service. How do you know just what is available? And more importantly, which is the best choice?

The answers to questions like these form the basis of some exciting career options. Marketing and sales professionals inform potential customers about the products or services offered by their organizations. In the process, they can earn significant rewards.

"There is great potential in sales," says Kevin Lister, a sales executive for Mindbridge Software. "You are truly paid what you are worth, and you make as much money as you put the effort in to achieve."

Of course, any career must be about more than just money to be truly enjoyable, and marketing and sales also offer great potential for job satisfaction. "It's hard work, but marketing and sales can provide some of the most satisfying careers," says Maura Schreier-Fleming, author of Real-World Selling: For Out-of-This-World Results and head of her own sales consulting firm. "When it's done right, you are truly making a difference in people's businesses and lives."

Plenty of Variety

A real plus is the variety that jobs in this field can offer. "No [two days] will ever be the same in marketing or sales," says Lisa Mixon, marketing coordinator for Harcum College. "There is very little room for boredom. One day you will be coordinating a meeting or writing ad copy, and the next, working the phone to set up another meeting, or traveling to sign a deal."

Insiders also note that marketing and sales professionals seldom find themselves tied down in a job they don't like. Instead, they enjoy good prospects for advancing to higher-level jobs or moving to other positions.

"In sales, you can manage others, or travel extensively, or work with other companies," Mixon says. "In marketing, you can do promotions, event planning, Web design, graphics, and much more." She adds that "Most businesses need marketing and salespeople, which leaves open the possibility of working for any type of company you want to."

Mixon says that she has worked at colleges as well as for a sports team, and had great experiences at each. Her own experience shows that the range of job possibilities in this field can be very broad.

Jeff Jackson worked part-time as a telemarketer in high school and then earned a college degree with a major in marketing communications. He says that a career in marketing and sales offers unique opportunities. He serves as manager of marketing communications for InStep Software.

"This field allows a person to perfect a skill and use that skill in a number of different industries," Jackson says. "For example, the software company I work for recently hired a salesman who had previously sold commercial pizza makers. He had a brief transition and learning period, and has now achieved success using his sales skills applied to a completely different industry."

Keys to Success

What does it take to succeed in marketing or sales? Mixon says that anyone who is interested in this field should like to work with people.

"In marketing and sales, you are constantly on the phone talking to people you have never met before, and meeting and negotiating with all different types of people," she says. "Neither is it for the shy or timid. You need the ability to talk to anyone, and to communicate in a positive manner."

Jackson also notes that good "people skills" are a must. "The most important asset of a professional in sales or marketing is an outgoing personality," he says. "A person in this position should be good with people, often a born leader type who is not discouraged by failure. This person should be self-motivated and should have a general understanding of human nature and psychology."

A college degree is not an absolute requirement for many jobs in sales and marketing, but many professionals recommend it. Typical majors include marketing, business administration, and public relations. Majors in technical fields can also lead to sales careers in specialized areas such as computing, engineering, or biotechnology.

How to Start

When you're in high school, a good first step is to "shadow" a marketing or sales pro for a day and see what the job involves, according to Mixon. "Based on your experience, you can see whether it is a job you would be comfortable doing later in your life," she says.

Mixon also recommends getting some related experience while in college. "Once you are in college, get an internship," she says. "Even if it is unpaid, it is job experience that you can put on your resume that companies will consider. I scored one of my internships after shadowing someone in that department for a day, the other just because I called up and asked them if they needed interns." Part-time or summer jobs can also be valuable. "Get a job where selling is a skill you need to use frequently," Jackson says. "It could be as a retail clerk in a clothing store."