Although currently, with my aspirations and desires, I do not really see myself transitioning into either marketing or sales after completing my biomedical engineering degree, if it truly came down to it and I were to transition into one of the roles, I find myself leaning more towards marketing. The main reason being is that marketing involves more strategy, research, and communication than sales, while also allowing for creativity in shaping how products are presented to the market. Throughout my academic journey I have always found myself leaning towards courses that push my creativity and force me to think outside of the norm. While marketing is certainly a different type of creativity than I am used to seeing in my engineering courses, it still combines technical knowledge with strategic thinking. Furthermore, marketing also plays a key role in aligning engineering innovations with customer needs and opportunities, which something I think I would find fulfilling given my engineering background. That is not to say that sales does not have fulfilling characteristics as well, but I feel as though I would enjoy the factors that marketing offers more. Additionally, I feel as though marketing provides a broader range of skills development, from market analysis to product positioning, which can be useful for long-term career growth in product management or executive roles.
Though I'd much prefer to work in product development than sales or marketing, I can see the allure of transitioning to a sales or marketing position after working as an engineer. Once you know the ins and outs of a product, it could be rewarding to really get out on the "front lines" and sell it. If I had to choose between sales and marketing, I'd rather work in marketing because it seems to still have involvement with the product. Part of marketing is market research and product management, where you have to keep up with how the product is doing on the market and note points of improvement. This could mean improving the product itself or the sales strategy. I do not see myself as the biggest "people person" or extrovert, so I don't think I would thrive as a salesperson. Thus, if I had to choose between the two I would work in marketing.
I think I would definitely try it out if I ever have a chance. It must be harder for something changing from sale to engineer role because of the technical background, which counts as hard knowledge. On the other hand, switching from engineering position to sale/marketing requires little to none of the technical background and it is more of soft skills where you learn to communicate with customers, learn different strategies (this is where your creativity can come in), and start practicing in real life how to become better in sale/marketing. When I think of sale/marketing, I honestly think that everyone can pick it up easily as a soft skills, but to be happy with it being your main job, it depends on your personality as well as your preferences of ideal working environment
If I were to transition from an engineering role, I would likely choose marketing over sales, particularly in an upstream capacity. Marketing allows for a more strategic approach, where I could use my technical background to better understand the product, the market, and customer needs, and then help shape messaging and positioning that aligns with both. My engineering experience would give me a unique perspective on the technical aspects of a product, which could be especially valuable in creating campaigns, educational content, or market research that resonates with technically minded customers or decision-makers. While sales is important for directly driving revenue, I feel that marketing offers a broader impact on how a product is perceived and can influence the market at scale. It also allows for a blend of creativity and analytical thinking, which appeals to my skill set as an engineer. Overall, I would choose upstream marketing because it leverages my technical expertise while providing an opportunity to shape strategy and long-term brand growth.
Engineers working in different organizations decide to enter sales or marketing roles when they want to advance their careers past their technical expertise. It’s less common to see the reverse, since engineering requires specific technical qualifications, while sales and marketing rely more on communication, strategy, and understanding customer needs.
If I had to choose, I’d go for marketing, especially upstream marketing. It combines analytical and strategic thinking with technical insight. Engineers already possess knowledge about product operations which guides their decisions regarding product development through market research and customer feedback. The project direction takes precedence over work assignment execution in this objective.
Sales professionals need to learn relationship management and persuasion methods which generate revenue and lead to fast success for those who excel at direct communication.
I would select marketing because it enables me to maintain my connection to innovation while developing business strategy skills which unite technical and creative aspects of growth.
If I were to change career paths but stay in the same industry, I would definitely go into medical sales. Although marketing is appealing, it is not as interactive in terms of company-consumer interactions and I believe, from what I have heard and experienced, sales is a much more fun job especially with traveling. I do love engineering, and I do not see myself switching to medical sales until I get a lot of background experience in the industry I want to work in (pharmaceuticals). I know one thing is that even for medical sales, knowing the industry inside-out is crucial to actually selling products or gaining interest from consumers and other companies that may be interested in your products. In my previous internship I talked to sales reps, and they had immense knowledge about the industry (industrial chemicals but still applies the same way) and they were actually previously PhDs or master's in chemical or related engineering. Since you already have a technical background coming from engineering, I think sales would not be as hard to get into, especially since you can develop skills like pitching ideas, public speaking, presenting a topic, etc. I also enjoy speaking with people and learning things from different viewpoints and sales gives you that opportunity to grow (although it is very competitive), but it would still be an interesting experience to eventually transition into that career path after spending a good amount of time doing engineering roles.
Based on the scenario of an engineer transitioning to a commercial role, I would choose to go into Upstream Marketing after my engineering role. My reason for this choice is rooted in the fact that Upstream Marketing, or Product Management, is fundamentally about deciding what product to build and who to build it for, a process that heavily relies on technical knowledge and problem-solving skills, skills I would already possess as an engineer. I feel that in this role, I could best leverage my deep understanding of the product's technical capabilities, manufacturing limitations, and competitive landscape. While a move to Sales would use my customer knowledge, I think Marketing would allow me to apply my analytical background to determine market needs, define product requirements, and guide the product's overall strategy before it is even launched, giving me a more impactful role in the company’s long-term success.
If I were to transition out of engineering, I'd probably lean toward marketing, especially since I'm pursuing a business minor. I think marketing would be a great way to blend the technical knowledge I've gained through engineering with the creative and strategic side of business. It's interesting how marketing still connects to product development and focuses on understanding what customers actually value. While I think sales could be exciting and more people oriented, I think I'd prefer more behind the scenes work in planning, analyzing, and collaboration across departments. Having an engineering background would definitely help me understand a product's technical side to help better know how to market it. My business minor could help me communicate that value in a way that can connect with customers.
In my opinion, marketing more especially, upstream marketing would be my first choice if I were to transfer from engineering to another department. This is because it still has a strong connection to the technical aspects of product development, but it also allows for greater engagement in market strategy and consumer needs. Identifying unmet clinical or customer needs, developing product concepts, and collaborating with R&D to realize creative ideas are the main goals of upstream marketing, with a greater emphasis on the "why" behind product design. It feels like a natural bridge between engineering and business because analytical thinking and problem-solving techniques are still used. Conversely, sales focuses more on persuasion, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills, skills that I value but that are less in line with my own talents. Because they are knowledgeable about the technology and are able to effectively convey its benefits to doctors and business stakeholders, I have observed that many engineers make a successful move to marketing. But it raises the question: do engineers occasionally undervalue the difficulty of sales or marketing? And would it ever be more difficult to adjust to the less regimented, more people-oriented nature of sales if you had an engineering mindset? If you have already made the change, I would like to know what inspired you to do so and whether your technical experience has been a strength or a weakness in your new position.
As I’ve worked closely with designers, manufacturers, and everyone in between during my short time in the industry, I’ve gained much understanding of how a product should be developed based on market needs, statistical trends, and limitations. Thus, I’d likely fall into upstream marketing, since I have more experience relating to the preliminary phases of designing and planning for a product’s fabrication & release.
In particular, I’ve collaborated with designers during the early, fluid stages of product design; they were constantly modifying their concepts depending on feedback from internal and external customers, shifting circumstances in the market, and aspects such as material, financial, or regulatory constraints. I have also witnessed planning in the manufacturing area, where operations were modified based on competitor activity and statistical process control (SPC). We sought to have an edge on how our products would be potentially produced, be it material change, procurement partner shifts, or even location-based product manufacturing & distribution. With the addition of SPC, we made educated decisions based on statistical calculations with different variables, revealing any potential long-term deficiency. Each of these decisions factored into achieving cost-effectiveness, profitability, and consistent product quality in a competitive environment.
Using this knowledge, I could contribute to the research & forecasting necessary to understand and make educated decisions based on current market trends. This should include market surveillance & study to advise marketing to certain demographics for a new or existing problem. In terms of medical devices, this would include patients or medical professionals. Further, I’d utilize my design & manufacturing engineering background to collaborate on potential design ideas with R&D teams, advising on features and their feasibility (be it economic, technical, or overall competitive potential).
If I were in upstream marketing, I would guarantee that a product meets realistic & feasible customer expectations to strategically build credibility, establish market presence, and refrain from overspending or making assumptions in design and market demands.
At the moment, I am actually planning on continuing my career path into the business side with marketing getting my MBA as I originally thought that would open up more for me as a career path. My thought process was I could get more experience as both an engineer as well as marketing and sales. While I thought this was an ideal path, I still find myself contemplating about continuing with my engineering degree to ger more experience in my field. I do think more time in my engineering field could be better in some cases since you get more experience out of it, and you can even get experience in other concentrations within the field which opens up your chances in the job market more. One idea I had was I could get experience in the real world for a few years, and if i feel like I want to get into business or marketing side of things, I could get my MBA. So in short, I think experience as an engineer first is valuable but it still works out if you transition to marketing and sales since you get experience in different fields.
The transition from an Engineering role to Sales or Marketing in medical device development is a highly valuable career pivot that leverages technical expertise for commercial success. An engineer's intimate knowledge of a device's features and design inputs is an invaluable asset to both the marketing and sales departments. Moving into Product Development Marketing, the engineer uses this technical depth to research the market, identify unmet customer needs, and ensure the resulting product is both usable and sellable. This specialized knowledge is critical for defining the 'Product' within the marketing mix, clearly articulating the problem it solves and why it is superior to alternatives. Conversely, transitioning to a Sales role allows the former engineer to become a highly credible subject-matter expert for relationship selling, fostering trust with physicians and hospitals. Sales representatives require intimate customer contact and use their deep product understanding to offer detailed ideas and "sanity checking" for new products. This career path translates the internal technical strengths and capabilities of the organization into effective messaging that drives customer acquisition. Ultimately, a successful transition hinges on the ability to shift focus from designing the product to communicating its value to persuade customers to change their minds.
Personally, I would prefer to continue working as an engineer. I like the technical problem solving aspect of engineering at least more than I would trying to sell something to someone, even if marketing and sales may be thrilling once successful and require a lot of ingenuity. I enjoy working directly with designs and prototypes because I find that creating or remodeling something is more fulfilling to me than attempting to sell it. Engineering also helps me feel more like I'm making a difference because I can see how my work directly impacts the innovation or performance of the product. I would love to see how my product effects people positively, but I would prefer not to be the one convincing them to buy it. Although I can see the appeal like those who pursue careers in sales or marketing, I believe I would miss the technical complexity of engineering.
Personally, as a biomedical engineer, I would choose marketing after an engineering role. I think I would be able to use my background to understand customer needs and product design. Engineers are trained to solve problems which is why I think marketing would be the better choice. I feel like marketing is more long term than sales.
