Vocational Index

Career

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents

Buy and sell stocks and financial products for clients.

$78,660
Median pay
+1.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
35,100
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities.
  • Monitor markets or positions.
  • Agree on buying or selling prices at optimal levels for clients.
  • Keep accurate records of transactions.
  • Buy or sell stocks, bonds, commodity futures, foreign currencies, or other securities on behalf of investment dealers.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+3.3%2025–35 edition+1.4%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 38,100 → 35,100 openings a year.

AI
Last year BLS cited AI in this outlook; this year's table does not. That is not evidence the job is unaffected.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Persuasion & leadership
6.1
Information & systems
5.3
People & care
3.1
Ideas & analysis
2.5
Creation & expression
1.3
Objects & tools
1.3

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $78,660 a year and 35,100 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • FinanceSee the degree →
  • Financial Planning and ServicesCIP 52.0804
  • Investments and SecuritiesCIP 52.0807
  • Business and Personal/Financial Services Marketing OperationsCIP 52.1908

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →

Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.