<p>My father is the VP of Quality Assurance for Pfizer, and he says if he were to do it over again he'd go into sales. I looked into this and shadowed the VP of International Sales for Dun & Bradstreet, and the interesting thing is he only has a BA in Journalism. Is an MBA preferred in a corporate sales type job? Is there a specific major as an undergrad i should look into (U of Penn)?</p>
<p>Nah, you don't really need an MBA if you want to get into sales. It might help, but it isn't particularly necessary or preferred. Nor is there a particular major that you need, although if you're going to do technical sales, it might help to have a technical degree.</p>
<p>Sales is not really something you can learn and get academic credentials for. It really has to do with your personality and attitude. A disproportionate percentage of Pfizer sales reps come from military backgrounds, because Pfizer prizes the strong initiative, leadership, and confidence that the military instills in people. Former star athletes also tend to make for strong sales reps. I used to work for a computer reseller where practically every single sales rep was a varsity college athlete, with many playing for big-time teams like Stanford and Cal division 1-A football. The VP of Sales played for 2 years in the NFL with the Denver Broncos. Sales and sports have many aspects in common in that they are both fields where it is important to make plays and figure out ways to win under intense pressure.</p>
<p>In financial advising at least it is a good idea to "Credentialize" yourself so that people take you more seriously.</p>
<p>I agree an MBA is a waste of time for most sales jobs. I would get a masters in something related to the industry you want to work in instead.</p>