Sales & Marketing: Elevating the Customer Experience
Is a career in sales and marketing right for me?
Are you an excellent communicator who enjoys making meaningful connections with others?
Do you enjoy being creative with your work?
Are you a team player who thinks strategically about your future goals?
If so, a career in sales and marketing may be the perfect match for you. A career in sales and marketing can be a great way to break into the tech sector if you aren’t interested in coding, manufacturing, or running a business. Positions in sales and marketing revolve around building brand awareness and keeping strong relations with customers. Specialties include advertising, consulting, digital marketing, and more.
Your Pathway to Success
Read on for our comprehensive guide to sales and marketing training and education programs in Montana. Whether you're seeking rapid training programs, certificates, or advanced degrees, you'll find diverse educational pathways to help you align your studies with your career goals.
Check out our Sales and Marketing Career Pathways page to explore in-demand sales and marketing jobs in Montana and take the first step toward a successful career in Sales & Marketing.
Rapid Training, Certificates, and One- and Two-Year Programs
-
Social Media Marketing Certificate of Technical Studies (C.T.S.)
Program Length: 1 year
Description: FVCC’s Social Media Marketing Certificate of Technical Studies program is designed to for those who want to learn and/or improve skills in social media marketing and use those skills to enhance a new or existing business. Most courses in this certificate can be applied to the AAS Business Administration and AAS Small Business Management programs. Upon completion of this program, students will be able to understand the value of a comprehensive marketing plan, understand how social media marketing supports the comprehensive marketing plan, develop and deliver a social media marketing campaign, use a variety of social media marketing tools, and write content intended for use in social media marketing tools.
-
Sales and Marketing Certificate (ONLINE option)
Program Length: 1 year
Description: Marketing is a vital function to any organization. In Missoula College’s Sales and Marketing Certificate program, you'll receive training in professional sales while learning to understand the psychology of consumption. Graduates will gain several other skills, such as bookkeeping functions and merchandising. This certificate satisfies the requirements for the first year of the management degree with a sales and marketing concentration.
-
Program Length: 1 year
Description: Digital marketing students must be skilled users of data and understand the role of quantitative data in decision-making. This certificate program teaches you skills in online and social media marketing and e-commerce, bridging the fields of marketing and MIS to prepare students to pursue careers in this field.
Minors and Four-Year Programs
-
Program Length: 3 years
Description: Marketing is a crucial function whether an entity is a small business, large international corporation, government, or non-profit organization. Carroll College’s minor in Marketing is among the numerous options in the business program, and the minor can be combined with any academic major at Carroll. Examples of career opportunities include advertising, market research, sales, public relations, or communication and promotion.
-
Marketing: Technical Sales and Service Minor
Program Length: 3 years
Description: The Marketing Technical Sales and Service Minor program at Montana State University-Northern will prepare you for an exciting career in print, online, and social media outlets. This minor gives you a broad background in personal selling, customer service and advertising/promotion. Courses include marketing trends, consumer behavior, business communications, and more.
-
Business Bachelor of Science (B.S.) – Marketing Emphasis
Program Length: 4 years
Description: Students in the Business – Marketing program at Montana State gain the tools to enter this growing and continuously-changing sector of the global economy through hands-on projects in and out of the classroom. Marketing students focus on skills such as statistical analysis, market tests and product research with interdisciplinary courses, extracurricular networking and consultation projects with the community. Once they enter the workforce, students in the program go on to become marketing and sales managers, retail buyers, sales professionals, digital marketing specialists or advertising account representatives.
-
Business Administration Bachelor of Science (B.S.) – Marketing Option (ONLINE Option)
Program Length: 4 years
Description: The MSUB Business Administration B.S. - Marketing Option prepares students to succeed in an integrated business environment with a focus on meeting the needs of the customer. Marketing option graduates are prepared for a position such as marketing manager, sales manager, account manager, marketing representative, professional salesperson, or advertising staff. Students completing this option will understand strategic marketing planning, the marketing mix, market research fundamentals, customer relationship management, and the financial implications of marketing within firms. The integrated sequence of courses enables students to obtain a broad education in marketing decision-making.
-
Marketing Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Program Length: 4 years
Description: Emphasizing experiential learning, the University of Montana’s AACSB accredited marketing bachelor’s degree program provides unique opportunities to engage with professionals in the field and gain hands-on business experience that will help you hit the ground running when you graduate. At UM, you’ll learn from award-winning teachers and business administration experts, including marketing professionals who run their own agencies. You’ll also gain hands-on skills in digital marketing tools and technologies — through internships, projects with local businesses, and more — and learn to conduct market research to understand customers and markets. The marketing program offers numerous opportunities for networking and professional development, and classes provide options between online and in-person learning.
-
Cognizant offers a 12-week paid online technology bootcamp through its Aim Higher training program. Consultant Trainees will be responsible for completing a specialized training program with areas of focus in Business Essentials, Consulting, Systems Analysis and Design, Data Analytics, Project Management, Information Infrastructures, and more! This training program will also focus on cloud and IT basics with an emphasis on the Salesforce Platform. Upon successful completion of the training program, trainees will be guaranteed a job interview where they could be placed within various roles and projects within Cognizant.
-
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a product line of enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management intelligent business applications. Discover how Dynamics 365 Marketing can elevate customer experiences and earn your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Certification to boost your resume through Microsoft Learn. Start learning today for free.
-
The CSDR accreditation is provided by The American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP) which is a professional organization that provides accreditation for those pursuing sales careers. The CSDR credential is a web-based, online program which includes a comprehensive, 3-module preparatory coursework, followed by a final exam. Applicants are expected to complete the entire coursework in about 2- 3 weeks, prior to sitting for the final exam. Each course includes study and learning of the competencies required to successfully pass the final certification exam.
-
Salesforce Trailhead provides a fun, hands-on learning experience that helps you learn the Salesforce, digital, and soft skills you need to succeed from anywhere for free. Prove your skills by earning resume-worthy credentials that demonstrate your expertise to current and future employers. Learning modules include courses ranked from beginner to advanced in categories such as leadership, content marketing, sales proposals, and more.
-
The University of Providence’s Argo Connect and dual credit programs are crucial in helping to increase the educational options and opportunities for currently enrolled high school juniors and seniors. Not only do these programs provide students with a unique opportunity to earn credit at the secondary and postsecondary levels simultaneously – they provide students with an early glimpse of college life; including course load, deadlines, structure, and more. Students in Dual Enrollment can take up to three 3-credit courses at no cost.
Skill Development and Certifications
Additional Career Resources
-
Check out our sales & marketing career pathways page to explore in-demand sales & marketing jobs in Montana.
-
To identify in-demand roles in Montana, our team at the Montana High Tech Business Alliance pored over workforce data from the U.S. Department of Labor, research studies, and online job listings to create a list of tech jobs projected to grow fast in the next few years. See our list of 31 hot Montana jobs projected for 2023.
-
We invite you to take advantage of Microsoft's Skills for Jobs initiative, which offers free access to LinkedIn Learning courses covering a wide range of topics, including AI and soft skills. Enhance your digital skills and empower your team and community with valuable knowledge that aligns with the evolving needs of today's economy.
-
Discover summer internships and local mentorship opportunities in Billings through the Campus Billings program hosted by Big Sky Economic Development.
-
CompTIA’s Career Explorer is a comprehensive resource designed to inform, inspire, and guide individuals toward their next career step in the tech industry and beyond. Explore the entire portfolio of Career Explorer resources at no cost, watch video profiles featuring diverse professionals sharing their non-traditional paths into tech careers, and gain insights into earnings potential, job outlook, employer hiring trends, remote work opportunities, and much more across the U.S. and 250 metro areas.
-
Reach Higher Montana’s Work-Based Learning Collaborative website features resources for employers to grow their talent pipeline through work-based learning, materials to help educators connect their classroom learning to careers, and links to resources that will help Montana students explore their career interests through on-the-job training.
-
The WBLC Data Dashboard aims to make data on work-based learning in Montana accessible to help improve workforce support, work-based learning, and educational opportunities so that young people are better prepared for employment success and employers gain skilled workers. Updates are made annually.
-
Produced by the Montana Work-Based Learning Collaborative, the Work-Based Learning Toolkit for Employers provides employers with resources, tools, and guidance to successfully develop high-quality work-based learning experiences for student workers.
-
Read “5 Tips to Set Yourself Up for Success in a Tech Career” to learn tips for launching a career in tech from hiring managers at Blackfoot Communications, Submittable, GL Solutions, onX, Skyfish, Cognizant, NorthWestern Energy, Pathlabs, Snapchat, and Instacart.
-
In “5 Tips from Hiring Managers - How to Land a Montana Tech Job or Internship” local hiring managers from Boeing Helena, Hyundai Motor Group, and Zoot Enterprises share advice to help students stand out when applying for a Montana tech job or internship.
-
See what tips you can use to give you an advantage in pursuing Tech Jobs or Internships in Montana.
-
Check out MHTBA’s Great Places for Tech article series to learn more about high-tech opportunities in Montana.
-
Take a look at our Jobs board that we use to post many tech jobs that are in Montana from entry level to Senior level positions.
-
If you can’t find what you’re looking for on our Jobs Board, see this O*NET Career Database for additional information.
-
Interested in more careers outside of Montana or outside the High-Tech Industry? Find additional occupational information with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Do you have a helpful resource you’d like to suggest we add to this guide? Do you have information you are searching for, or other feedback? The Montana High Tech Business Alliance would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us at communications[at]mthightech.org.