Helps software developers succeed with a company's tools and APIs through tutorials, talks, sample code and community work, and brings their feedback back. BLS does not publish separate figures for sales engineers; it counts them within sales engineer (SOC 41-9031), whose median pay is $124,900 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 41-9031
- Sales and Related
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Developer Advocate in four numbers
- Median pay
- $124,900a year, or $60.05/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $74KTop 10% $195K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +2.8%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+2.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +2.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 3,80051,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202551.6K
- Projected 203553K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 51.6K Projected 2035 53K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Some college6%
- Associate's11.5%
- Bachelor's57.3%
- Master's25.2%
Highest education held by sales engineers Segment Value Some college 6% Associate's 11.5% Bachelor's 57.3% Master's 25.2%
Also advertised as: Developer Relations Engineer, DevRel Engineer, Developer Evangelist, Technical Evangelist, Developer Relations Manager.
Pay
How much do Sales Engineers make?
Every developer advocate in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$124,900
Middle half earn $92,890 to $161,230
- 10th
- $73,870
- 25th
- $92,890
- 75th
- $161,230
- 90th
- $195,270
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $73,870 |
| 25th | $92,890 |
| Median | $124,900 |
| 75th | $161,230 |
| 90th | $195,270 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $124,900
- Median hourly wage
- $60.05/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $130,140
- People employed
- 51,790
Versus all US occupations
At $124,900, Sales Engineers earn 145% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $73,920 a year.
Versus sales and related occupations
Inside the Sales and Related group, where the middle occupation pays $73,220, this is 71% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $195,270 or more while the bottom 10% earn $73,870, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 86% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Delaware pays the most at $167,200, and still leads at $167,522 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Sales Engineers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Delaware | $167,200 | $167,522 | 80 |
| 2Maryland | $153,410 | $146,162 | 850 |
| 3Rhode Island | $149,750 | $146,412 | 30 |
| 4Washington | $147,620 | $137,946 | 760 |
| 5Colorado | $139,990 | $135,844 | 2,800 |
| 6California | $139,160 | $125,686 | 6,310 |
| 7New Jersey | $139,010 | $127,761 | 1,760 |
| 8New York | $137,480 | $127,389 | 3,150 |
| 9Massachusetts | $136,200 | $128,786 | 3,150 |
| 10West Virginia | $135,260 | $151,134 | 40 |
Job outlook
Is Developer Advocate a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +2.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Sales Engineers | +2.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Sales Engineers to change 2.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 1,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 3,800 openings are projected each year, 7.4% of the 51,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Developer Advocate
Most developer advocates are experienced software developers with a bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent experience, who also enjoy teaching and public speaking. The role values a visible track record: blog posts, open-source projects, conference talks, popular videos or active community participation.
There is no formal certification. Common routes include moving from a software engineering or solutions engineering role into developer relations, or being hired after building an audience around a technology. Practicing talks at local meetups and writing clear tutorials are the best preparation.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as sales engineers.
- Bachelor's Degree57.3%
- Master's Degree25.2%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree11.5%
- Some College Courses6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 57.3% |
| Master's Degree | 25.2% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 11.5% |
| Some College Courses | 6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Developer Advocate do?
Developer advocates are engineers who work with a company's external developer community. If a company sells an API, a database, a cloud service or a programming framework, developer advocates write tutorials and sample apps, record videos, speak at conferences and meetups, and answer questions in forums and chat communities. Their goal is to make developers successful with the product, not to close individual sales.
The other half of the job is listening. Advocates collect the confusion and complaints they hear, file detailed feedback, and push product and engineering teams to fix rough edges in documentation, error messages and onboarding. Some focus on content and education, others on community programs, and others on partnering with large customers.
Day-to-day tasks
- Write tutorials, blog posts and sample applications
- Speak at conferences, meetups and webinars
- Answer developer questions in forums and community channels
- Record videos and live coding streams
- Gather developer feedback and report it to product teams
- Review documentation and onboarding for friction
- Organize hackathons and community programs
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Developer advocates work at companies that sell to developers: cloud providers, API platforms, database and tooling companies, and open-source vendors. The role is often remote. Travel to conferences and meetups can be frequent, sometimes including evenings and weekends. Days mix coding, writing, recording, and talking with developers and internal product teams.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Speaking4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Writing3.8
- Active Learning3.8
- Mathematics3.0
- Learning Strategies3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Persuasion4.1
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0
- Negotiation3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Service Orientation3.8
- Systems Analysis3.6
- Systems Evaluation3.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Persuasion | 4.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Application server software · in demand
- Cloud-based management software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Developer Advocate?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ESA) built on O*NET's Sales Engineer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Developer Advocate |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising5.8
- Conventional4.5
- Social3.6
- Investigative3.6
- Realistic3.4
- Artistic2.7
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Developer Advocate
O*NET related occupations
- Sales and Related
- Sales and Related
Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product
$104,920median a year
Most earn $53K to $200K
+1.2%Bachelor's - Sales and Related
Sales Representative of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
$69,990median a year
Most earn $38K to $149K
+2.7%High school - Management
- Business and Financial Operations
- Architecture and Engineering
More sales and related careers
Median annual pay, with sales engineers highlighted
- Sales Engineer$124,900
- Developer Advocate$124,900
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product$104,920
- Real Estate Broker$73,220
- Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products$72,080
- Insurance Sales Agent$62,280
- Real Estate Agent$52,830
- Travel Agent$50,160
- Cashier$32,880
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Sales Engineer | $124,900 |
| Developer Advocate | $124,900 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Product | $104,920 |
| Real Estate Broker | $73,220 |
| Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $72,080 |
| Insurance Sales Agent | $62,280 |
| Real Estate Agent | $52,830 |
| Travel Agent | $50,160 |
| Cashier | $32,880 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Developer Advocate appears on
Questions
Developer Advocate: frequently asked questions
How much do Sales Engineers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for sales engineers. It counts them within sales engineer, whose median pay is $124,900 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $92,890 and $161,230, and the top 10% earn $195,270 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Developer Advocate?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Sales Engineers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 57.3% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Developer Advocate a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.8% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 3,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Developer Advocate do?
Developer advocates are engineers who work with a company's external developer community. A typical task: write tutorials, blog posts and sample applications. Employers most often ask for Application server software, Cloud-based management software, Computer aided design CAD software.
Which states pay Sales Engineers the most?
The highest state medians for Sales Engineers are Delaware ($167,200), Maryland ($153,410), Rhode Island ($149,750) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Developer Advocate?
O*NET scores Sales Engineers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.