Should I minor in Marketing/Sales?

Great question. I you want to be a sales engineer my advice would be to major in engineering as you suggested and minor in sales/marketing for best chance. The best Sales engineers are people who are really smart technically and can also communicate effectively, convey information and or sell. You could also minor in communications or marketing or sales or business. It is ok if you want a different minor as long as you have the engineering but consider the other minor categories mentioned above. Best traits for you will be technical ability along with credibility and ability to communicate. Go for it!

John

Best to pick sales skills on the job. Suggest to gain some sales experience, be it part time or full time.

I would say majoring in engineering for a career in sales engineer as you suggested is important and minoring is marketing/sales or business is a great way to understand how a business operates, but at the same time back it up with experience in the marketing/sales field to get a hands-on experience on how that side of the business works (buying and selling, building relationships and so forth).

I have studied Marketing and Economics but the experience that has moved me forward the most is the ability to understand other cultures, and work with other cultures. This is something you cannot study at uni. If you get an opportunity to to work abroad, practise your language skills and get an understanding for how the rest of the world works - do so : )

I am not convinced that the minor will make a difference long term. I went to Carnegie Mellon for Engineering no minor and I am successful sales manager now.Your major in engineering will be intense as is. If you have other passions you want to explore as a minor, take this opportunity to do so.

Yes, companies are looking for candidates with great communication skills.  The ability to listen and articulate ideas will differentiate you from other candidates.  Sales and Marketing careers are very rewarding if  you enjoy working with people and growing revenue for your company.

I've worked as a sales and marketing professional. For me, sales was more about intuition and on-the-job experience whereas I've used frameworks and research that I learned in school for marketing projects. That being said, I nor many of my colleagues majored in marketing, but more often in more basic disciplines like sociology, psychology, and economics, whose concepts can be applied to marketing. Majoring in these more basic disciplines may give you more flexibility, as you could choose to go into a marketing career or you could choose another career path.