FAQs

What is nextplay?

nextplay is a 8-week fellowship focused on helping talent from non-traditional backgrounds break into tech. The fellowship will combine live virtual workshops, e-learning courses, and 1:1 coaching to help prepare fellows for a career in tech sales.

Who is this program for?

All backgrounds welcome, no prior sales or tech experience required! (at this time we are only accepting U.S. citizens and candidates authorized to work in the U.S.)

Do I need certain skills to qualify for nextplay?

We’ll teach you everything you need to know! But some important qualities you should bring to the table are a willingness to learn, accept feedback, and the ability to listen. These will benefit you throughout the fellowship and in your new career!

Is this program in-person or virtual?

All classes are virtual so you can learn from anywhere and will be held in the evenings on Monday & Wednesday. 1:1 coaching, group work, and weekly exercises/activities will also be required throughout the week but will be flexible with your schedule.

What is the time commitment?

Fellows should expect to spend anywhere between 5-10/hrs each week on classes, 1:1 coaching, group work, exercises/activities, and career development.

When does it start?

The next cohort will start on August 1st, 2022 and run for 8 weeks. We accept applications on a rolling basis until the class size is full so we recommend applying asap.

What does the application process entail?

We encourage people to apply on the site (only takes a few minutes) at which point our admission team will review your application within several business days. If we think there’s a fit, we’ll reach out to schedule an interview with one or several members of our admissions team. After that interview, you’ll be notified within the week if you’ve been accepted into the program.

What jobs can I expect to land and what will I be doing in those jobs?

Most fellows can expect to land a job at fast-growing, innovative tech companies in the following roles: Sales Development Representative, Business Development Representative, or Demand Generation Representative. If you already have prior non-tech sales experience, you may be eligible to start in a full-cycle sales roles as an Account Manager or Account Executive.

Focused on connecting companies with innovative tech products, tech sales is all about identifying the customers who can benefit from a particular solution and showing them how that solution can meet their needs. The solutions you sell might encompass hardware (computers, servers, networking devices), software (operating systems) and services (applications, big data and cloud computing) and depends on the particular company you work for and the type of sales you do. From learning the ins and outs of the particular technology, you’ll be researching potential clients, reaching out to and conducting meetings with potential clients, and putting together customized solutions to meet their needs with the goal of 1) Promoting the products of the company you work for and 2) Making sure your customers are getting as much value as possible from the technology solution they are buying. The role of a tech salesperson today is more consultative and requires someone to be a trusted advisor to their clients to help solve their challenges.

Skills you’ll be using and developing in this role include (but are not limited to): communication skills, time management, negotiations, storytelling, active listening, research skills, business acumen, strategic planning, problem-solving, resilience, good judgment, teamwork & collaboration.

What is the cost of the program?

You pay $0 up-front and only start paying back tuition once you land a job with a base salary of at least $40,000/yr. through what's called a deferred tuition agreement ("DTA"). Fellows end up paying back a flat rate of $312.50/mo. for 24 months (total $7,500) which we estimate will be just ~5-7% of your expected monthly income in your new job (based on outcomes data from past graduates).

This approach is commonly used in bootcamps and increasingly in higher education today to ensure that what you pay is directly tied to an outcome.

This is NOT an Income Share Agreement ("ISA") or a loan. With our DTA, your payments are fixed and interest-free. We don’t take a percentage of your income and will never charge you extra when you get promoted or if you overperform and make more money. You only pay $312.50/mo. for 24 months and nothing more.

Fellows also have an option to bypass the deferred tuition agreement by paying $6,000 up-front in two installments.

What can I expect to make?

First-year compensation for many fellows will fall in the range of $70,000 to $90,000 with the ability to make $100,000 or more after the first 12 months. This is a combination of base salary + commission (usually uncapped). The sky is the limit in sales if you hit and exceed your goals. To give you an idea of earning potential, most of our instructors have 4-12 years of tech sales experience and make anywhere from $200,000 up to $400,000/yr.

Is Tech Sales a good career path?

Tech sales is one of the highest earning and most in-demand professions in the world with a lot of upside. LinkedIn data from Q1 2022 showed that sales is the #1 most in demand non-coding job in the world right now (#3 overall) and 80% or more of technology companies are planning to make significant investments in sales and hiring.

The skills you learn in sales can also be applied to almost any other job at a company and are some of the best lifelong skills you can acquire. If you love sales and want to continue charting a career in that field, there will always be plenty of career opportunities for you. Or if you’re looking to make a switch, salespeople can use their skills to transition to roles in product management, marketing, customer success, operations, executive leadership, or entrepreneurship to name a few.