Marketing & Sales
The Marketing & Sales Career Cluster focuses on promoting products, understanding consumer needs, engaging with communities, and driving sales.
What this cluster covers
- Definition
- The Marketing & Sales Career Cluster focuses on promoting products, understanding consumer needs, engaging with communities, and driving sales. It integrates digital marketing, data analysis, brand promotion, customer relationship management, strategic communications, human-centered design, and retail strategies to build strong customer connections and support business growth. This Cluster is essential in all industries for creating value, effectively reaching and engaging target audiences, and achieving commercial success in a competitive marketplace. This Career Cluster is also a Cross-Cutting Cluster as the skills gained through this Career Clusters area are applicable across all Career Clusters. Practitioners are encouraged to combine content from this Cluster across other CTE programs.
Advance CTE
Marketing & Sales Career ClusterAdvance CTE- Checked
- 20 Oct 2026
Careers in this cluster
Entry education, license and BLS pay and outlook for every career page in this cluster. Each career page shows what the job is and links its step-by-step roadmap.
| Career | Typical entry | License | Median pay, May 2025 | Outlook 2025–35 | Career page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Worker Retail & Customer Experience |
No formal educational credential | Some states, for some jobs | $35,560 Retail sales workers |
0% BLSRetail Sales Workers — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Retail Sales Worker |
| Customer Service Representative Retail & Customer Experience |
High school diploma or equivalent | Finance and insurance jobs only, in some states | $44,770 Customer service representatives |
−5% BLSCustomer Service Representatives — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Customer Service Representative |
| Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Rep Strategic Sales |
See How to Become One | None | $76,460 Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives |
0% BLSWholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Wholesale & Manufacturing Sales Rep |
| Market Research Analyst Market Research, Analytics, & Ethics |
Bachelor's degree | None | $78,760 Market research analysts |
+7% BLSMarket Research Analysts — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Market Research Analyst |
| Sales Manager Retail & Customer Experience |
Bachelor's degree | None | $148,270 Sales managers |
+4% BLSSales Managers — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Sales Manager |
| Marketing & Advertising Manager Marketing & Advertising |
Bachelor's degree | None | $165,780 Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers |
+6% BLSAdvertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Marketing & Advertising Manager |
| Advertising Sales Agent Strategic Sales |
High school diploma or equivalent | None | $64,820 Advertising sales agents |
−7% BLSAdvertising Sales Agents — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Advertising Sales Agent |
| Sales Engineer Strategic Sales |
Bachelor's degree | None | $124,900 Sales engineers |
+3% BLSSales Engineers — Summary (Quick Facts)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH)
|
Open: Sales Engineer |
Pay is the BLS median for the occupation named under it, for May 2025; half of workers earned more, half less. For comparison, BLS projects all U.S. jobs to grow 3.5% over 2025–35. The career's sub-cluster comes from Advance CTE's SOC crosswalk.
Also in this cluster
Advance CTE places some occupations in more than one cluster. These careers have their page under another cluster, and the crosswalk puts them here too.
- Data Science Data Science & Artificial Intelligence
- Purchasing Manager, Buyer & Purchasing Agent Purchasing & Warehousing
- Photographer Design & Digital Arts
Sub-clusters and example programs
Major groupings of career areas within a given field that have similar skills as defined by industry area. The programs are Advance CTE's examples of school and college programs of study; what is offered varies by state.
-
Market Research, Analytics, & Ethics
Careers focused on gathering, analyzing, and interpreting market data and consumer behaviors to inform strategic decisions and enhance business relationships.
Example programs Marketing Research · Social Media & Analytics
-
Marketing & Advertising
Careers focused on using digital technologies and traditional strategies to promote products and services to engage customers and maintain brand identity.
Example programs Marketing · Marketing Management
-
Retail & Customer Experience
Careers focused on the essentials of retail operations and the delivery of outstanding customer experiences.
Example programs Merchandising
-
Strategic Sales
Careers that help businesses grow and achieve goals.
Example programs Business Communications
Closely connected clusters
This is a cross-cutting cluster: Advance CTE says its skills apply across all Career Clusters, and its page names no single closest cluster. Advance CTE
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Every cluster with its sub-clusters, and which hubs are open.