I am an account manager for my company's largest account, so maybe I can help with some guidance here...My career trajectory looked like this:

I graduated high school at 18. During my time in high school I volunteered at a hospital, worked at a summer camp and baby sat. I went to college at 18, and while I was in school I did many different internships in various fields (not related to account management).

I graduated college in a tough job climate at 23. Even with the college degree and internship experience, I could not find a full time job. I earned money by taking temp assignments, freelancing and babysitting for a year.

After a year, I got a job as a Sales Assistant, helping the Account Manager out. I did this for two years. After that, I got a job as a Jr. Account Manager at another company (both companies are in the same industry.) I have been at this job for a year and a half, and was promoted to Account Manager a year in. I am now 28, so 10 years older then you.

I think you have a long way to go before you can be considered for an account manager job. It isn't just helping the client after the sale is made, it is also knowing what the client is looking for and communicating that to the people at your company who provide it. It is understanding your client's business and doing everything you can to help them grow it and need your service more.

You need more skills then customer service...you really need to know how to do the operations of the business, almost on auto pilot, because you are the point person for so many people, that you are multitasking all day long.

An example of what my day might look like is:

-Get in the office, sit down, and check my e-mails. there are usually 15-20 new ones each morning. - Start answering e-mails, while on the phone with the analyst at the same time, who wants to know which client orders have shifted. -Hang up with analyst, now the head of production wants to know what deliveries my client needs to meet and by when. Still answering e-mails. -Boss wants me to do a research project on our competitors. I do that. Still fielding e-mails from my client and from the logistics team.

And on and on. I get e-mails at home. I have to answer them within 24 hours. It is a challenging job, and you need to be able to compartmentalize data and dates really well. While also coming up with new ways to grow the business. You have to meet with clients every month at least, and you have to take them out for dinner and drinks as well.

I think right now, you will be turned away due to age and due to being under qualified. For sure you would not be hired as an account manager at my company. They would not even hire a recent graduate with internship experience as an account manager.

Because if a company has an important client, a lot of balls in the air, and they are willing to pay someone 70K+ a year to manage their account, they are going to be getting applicants with college degrees, years of experience, industry knowledge, etc. They are not going to give your resume a second look. I am sorry if that sounds harsh, but you are young and can do so many other things to help build your career and get to the place that you want to be. I would suggest internships, and focusing on one industry that you want to do account management in at this time.