Solved: Advise in pursuing a career in SAP

Former Member · ‎03-14-2014

Hello all,

In the past SAP certification was my goal but I never followed through as life got busy with family, full time job and school.
I am now at a point where a decision needs to be made and here I am to ask for advice to the professionals and experts in SAP.

I don't want to bore you all with my life story but just quickly want to put you in my shoes to see how you would approach my situation.

I'm 28, working a full time job with a family that relays on me to keeps the lights on, pay the mortgage, etc. I don't have a bachelor’s degree and will be getting an Associates in science by the end of this semester.
While attending school I have been studying to be an Oracle DBA, was planning on taking my first certification exam this coming up May but things have changed a little. I work for a company that has agreed to help me to move to a different position so that I can do something I actually like.
With just an associate degree I'm not going to be moved so to get my foot in the door I figured I get certified in Oracle to have a chance maybe as a Jr.DBA.
Now last week an email was sent out saying that the company will be moving to SAP in the next 5~ years and that is the reason why I'm here.
I have no idea what to do, what SAP area to study and try to get certified for.
I've done a little bit of programming in the past (C++, Oracle SQL(if that's even considered a programming language)) but not sure if I want to go for a technical position like working with ABAP or so as I've been told that most technical positions are outsourced to Dubai and I would like to stay in the USA.
What functional positions can be profitable? And please don't give me the "If you're doing it for money, it won't work!!" All I want is a better life for my family and I am willing to put in the work so please don't bash me for wanting better for my family.
I would appreciate if you guys can point me in the right direction or at least give me some advice.

Regards.

former_member182997 · ‎03-15-2014

Dear Drigo,

Welcome to SCN first of all. I really appreciate your thoughts and the will to take a strong decision and make it happen. Remember, bad situations makes us stronger and i believe you have already experienced that or may be you are still experiencing the same.
Moving on, as a suggestion for which SAP modules will suit you is very difficult. As it depends on your academic background, skill, interest and of course which can give you a bit of easy start.
Having said that, i must mention, SAP Careers are always very difficult to start if you are a fresher. And as mentioned you are not into SAP at all, you will be considered as fresher which can become a trouble some for you.
But there are definitely ways to crack this situation. As where there is a will there is a way.
Following points may sound helpful to you as i list them here below:

1. Dont leave your current job for getting trined in SAP / while pursuing SAP training. Never ever do that. As you never know when things will click for you.

2. Stick to your own company as they are going to implement SAP, they will definitely have your first preference over there. And is you come out successful in your SAP certification then nothing like it.

3. Try and figure out what kind of modules (say FI, SD, MM, PP or BI or BO) your company will implement in SAP. This knowledge will also help you in going forward to take more of a solid decision to which SAP module you will enroll yourself of course depending on which domain you are presently working.

4. Also, try and ask yourself what you know and what you want to learn. If you know accounting say for example, then SAP FI will be a suitable module or if you are working in building up reports for your company, then SAP BI or SAP BO will be a suitable module to enroll with.

5. As you asked about functional modules in SAP, you can google it out and i find no issue in that.
But here i would like to mention, did you put up interest in functional module to avoid the technical programming part involved? Or is it that you are already working in any functional domain.
Remember to get break in functional modules you should have domain knowledge.

6. Going forward to SAP Certification, it involves rigorous study and good amount of money. But certification does not guarantee any job. Thats why i mentioned Point no : 1 and 2. So, keep that too in your mind.

7. Your perseverance and will power is the only key. You may have 100 failures, but these will not affect you if only if you have a very very strong determination which will only lead you to success.

Here are few links which can be helpful to you:

1. http://scn.sap.com/people/ravisankar.venna/content

Here read the blogs and guidelines given by , definitely you will get more insight which will help you to take correct decision.

2.

Please feel free to discuss and raise questions if any. Hope this will be helpful to you abit.

Regards,
Aparajit

former_member182997 · ‎03-15-2014

Dear Drigo,

Welcome to SCN first of all. I really appreciate your thoughts and the will to take a strong decision and make it happen. Remember, bad situations makes us stronger and i believe you have already experienced that or may be you are still experiencing the same.
Moving on, as a suggestion for which SAP modules will suit you is very difficult. As it depends on your academic background, skill, interest and of course which can give you a bit of easy start.
Having said that, i must mention, SAP Careers are always very difficult to start if you are a fresher. And as mentioned you are not into SAP at all, you will be considered as fresher which can become a trouble some for you.
But there are definitely ways to crack this situation. As where there is a will there is a way.
Following points may sound helpful to you as i list them here below:

1. Dont leave your current job for getting trined in SAP / while pursuing SAP training. Never ever do that. As you never know when things will click for you.

2. Stick to your own company as they are going to implement SAP, they will definitely have your first preference over there. And is you come out successful in your SAP certification then nothing like it.

3. Try and figure out what kind of modules (say FI, SD, MM, PP or BI or BO) your company will implement in SAP. This knowledge will also help you in going forward to take more of a solid decision to which SAP module you will enroll yourself of course depending on which domain you are presently working.

4. Also, try and ask yourself what you know and what you want to learn. If you know accounting say for example, then SAP FI will be a suitable module or if you are working in building up reports for your company, then SAP BI or SAP BO will be a suitable module to enroll with.

5. As you asked about functional modules in SAP, you can google it out and i find no issue in that.
But here i would like to mention, did you put up interest in functional module to avoid the technical programming part involved? Or is it that you are already working in any functional domain.
Remember to get break in functional modules you should have domain knowledge.

6. Going forward to SAP Certification, it involves rigorous study and good amount of money. But certification does not guarantee any job. Thats why i mentioned Point no : 1 and 2. So, keep that too in your mind.

7. Your perseverance and will power is the only key. You may have 100 failures, but these will not affect you if only if you have a very very strong determination which will only lead you to success.

Here are few links which can be helpful to you:

1. http://scn.sap.com/people/ravisankar.venna/content

Here read the blogs and guidelines given by , definitely you will get more insight which will help you to take correct decision.

2.

Please feel free to discuss and raise questions if any. Hope this will be helpful to you abit.

Regards,
Aparajit

Former Member · ‎03-17-2014

Aparajit,

I really appreciate your answer to my post you have definitely given some good advice.

I feel that figuring out what kind of module to choose is the difficult part for me. As I mentioned before I only have an associate’s degree in science, something very generic, which does not give me some type of specialized career path. I work for a multi-national oil filed service company and I am sure they will use most SAP modules available for different roles. The domain I’m currently working in is closely related to chemistry and laboratory work, in that environment they have no need for SAP. So making the move will require going to a domain that I have zero experience in.

My goal is to become certified. In what module? As of right now I have no idea.

I know that by holding a certification in no way that makes me experienced or unique but I do feel that it makes me more valuable as an employee to them. And that will open doors. I know the certification is just the beginning and there will be a lot to learn once I get a position working with SAP, but I’m ready to put in the hard work and dedication.

So my questions will be what module would you recommend now that you have this information about me?

former_member182997 · ‎03-17-2014

Dear Drigo,

What i have got now reading your reply is:

You are more into Laboratory working with chemistry right? And you know SAP is to be implemented as already decided by your company. At the same time, you can not take a risk of leaving your present company which may not be wise-full either.
So i would like to request you to follow the below link and go through all the details.
Also, before taking decision for going to take up a specific module, discuss in you company atleast twice to have a clear picture as i mentioned in above answer to your question okay? Please let us know their feed back as well.
Please do that.
Here is the link as a part of my suggestion regarding which module should you get certified in:

https://training.sap.com/shop/certification/c_tiog20_65-sap-certified-application-associate---supply...

For your info, this is a functional module which is more likely to be used in Energy Business Service Providers (Oil and Gas) and i see no doubt why your organisation is not going to have this rich module along side others.

Regards,
Aparajit,
India

Former Member · ‎03-19-2014

Aparajit,

Thank you once again for providing all the information you have so far. I will definitely start doing my research at work just to confirm the above module is used in my location.

One more questions: For example when I studied for Oracle DBA certification I was able to download their latest database software and install it in my computer to practice. Is this the case with SAP? and if so where can I find a guide to install the module of my choice?

I have also looked in Amazon and other places for reading materials in SAP certifications but have found very little and most don't get very good reviews. Would you recommend a particular publisher that does a good job explaining the material as well as providing hands-on exercises?

former_member182997 · ‎03-20-2014

Hello Drigo,

The SAP Certification materials have exercises in themselves for you to practice. Although those wont be sufficient, but it will be enough to grasp things explained in those study materials. So no need to worry. And by da way , you cant find SAP Publication books in AMAZON, but you need to go to
www.sap-press.com and purchase the required books.

Also if you want to practice more, you can download SAP GUI here: (I think you will need S user id for the download)

Or else you can find free download here:
Downloads and install in your computer which you can connect with server access by many service providers like Citrix, i don't know who are providing such service at US, your area so you need to find out. What else you need is just an internet connection.

Also ghost installation is also possible which can be less expensive as server will be installed in your local workstation, but it may result in low performance if you dont have high configuration of you PC. Another over head can be installation getting crashed.
500GB HDD, 4 to 6 GB RAM, 2.4 Ghz Pentium IV or dual core processors.

While above one is more easy to use but a bit expensive but no fear of being crashed. Just need to pay for internet service and the server charges per month.

I hope it helps.

Regards,
Aparajit

Former Member · ‎03-31-2014

Thanks a lot Aparajit. That's is exactly what I needed to purchase the right books to begin my studies. In regards to installing the software I don't understand what you mean by ghost installation. Can you explain further what that means?

Former Member · ‎03-19-2014

Hi Drigo,

So I understand that you want to leave the technical side and study something more "business oriented". Is this right?

Because if not, with your Oracle background you can try to be a Netweaver administrator.

Regarding the software, you can download a trial version of the SAP platform here in SCN (for example netweaver 7.03 trial):

http://sdnweb.sdn.sap.com/sapbackoffice/public/SAPStoreSolutions.aspx

But you can only practice here ABAP, or technical stuff. Nothing functional (no finance, no logistics, no HR).

Best regards,

Guillermo

Former Member · ‎03-20-2014

Also, this may still be relevant. I haven't checked it in a while, so apologies if some of this is no longer helpful. Learning SAP when you don't have an SAP job already - System Access

Best regards.

--Tom

Former Member · ‎03-31-2014

Guillermo,

I appreciate your post since you provide very useful information. I will look into the Netweaver administrator position and what it relates to as I have no idea what it is.

Are you an ABAP programmer?

Former Member · ‎03-31-2014

Hi,

Yes, I am an ABAP programmer.

Netweaver administrators may be also known around here as system people, or BASIS guys. They take care of many things, such as, for example, Oracle databases.

You will find plenty of information here, in SCN. Also, when you have a better idea of which direction you want to follow, now you can do some SAP free courses that may help you. These courses are for Business Consultants, ABAP programmers, or NW administrators, so I am sure that you will find many of them that will suit you. Please follow this links of SAP Learning Hub:

http://scn.sap.com/community/training-and-education/blog/2014/01/16/how-to-get-access-and-how-to-acc...

http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-51591

https://training.sap.com/shop/learninghub

Best regards,

Guillermo

Former Member · ‎03-20-2014

Dringo,

You were already heading toward an Oracle DBA certification. You must have had some hope that the company you already work for would accept you as an Oracle DBA, right? If this is true, then you should continue that path, but add to it a bit. You are perfectly positioned, but they company started down it's SAP path a bit early for your plans. All of the skills you learn when you get certified as an Oracle DBA are applicable to SAP Netweaver System Administration work. (Also known as SAP Basis.) See FAQ for SAP NetWeaver Admin (SAP Basis) Careers.

Right now your company has no SAP Basis administrators. They're going to take a few folks from the DBA ranks or the OS admin ranks and train them to be SAP Basis Admins. If only you had been able to get in the group a few months ago, you could have made your case to be that guy. If you have connections in that part of the organization, it would definitely serve you well to let it be known that you would be willing to take a pay cut if necessary to be an SAP Basis Admin.

With your educational background, none of the functional modules are probably within reach. If they were going to use SAP in your area (which you said they weren't), you might have had a shot, but given that they're not, you're too far behind the power curve to get a shot there.

As you are in the US, things work a little differently. The only way to get authorized SAP training is from SAP itself. The majority of folks who start SAP careers in the US have their training paid for by the company. Your company is a perfect example. The Oracle DBAs and/or OS Admins who get on the SAP implementation project will get training provided by the company. The company will hire a company to handle the implementation (called the "Systems Ingrator" or "The Prime"). that company will bring one or more Basis consultants on to the project to mentor the employees. Those employees will learn through a combination of training and hands-on, how to manage and maintain the system once the system is live and the integrator leaves. It is uncommon, but occasionally the company will hire some SAP experienced folks off the street rather than train their own folks, but most often they train from within.

In India, there are Institutes which offer SAP Authorized training. Those Institutes advertise that they can get folks hired if they come to the Institute and get certification. So in India (not just India, though, many parts of the world outside of US, Canada, Europe, and Australia), you'll find many folks without any SAP experience or a job getting trained and certified and then... much to their surprise, they have an incredibly hard time finding work. This is why everyone is going to tell you not to quit your job to get trained. It's perfect advice, but somewhat unnecessary in the US, since there's really no alternative route.

Even if you don't get into the Basis group during the implementation, if you continue with your Oracle certification and get hired into the DBA group, it happens fairly frequently that very soon after go-live, the basis folks that just got trained and helped implement the system get hired by companies that have had SAP for a while and want to bring in junior folks into their organization. Since your company probably won't realize that they need to adjust the newly trained SAP-Basis-folks-who-used-to-be-DBAs-or-OS-admins salary, they go.That leaves a hole at your company. Your company may then try to promote from within again. (or they may try to poach from another company). That is your second window of opportunity.

Sorry to ramble, but you are in quite an exciting situation. Keep us posted on your progress. I definitely want to see how this plays out! I wish you all the best!

Best regards,

--Tom

PS. You didn't mention any programming experience. Your other road to success here would be to apply to be an ABAP programmer if you have programming aptitude. Your company is going to need quite a few and most of the folks who already have programming positions aren't going to want to learn ABAP. So if you have hooks in the programming side of the house, that might be your way in as well.

Former Member · ‎03-31-2014

Tom,

I would like to thank you for such a detailed post with lots of helpful information for a rookie like me. As you mentioned I am heading towards the Oracle DBA certification and I believe I should finish it since I already started. Hopefully with the certification they can find me a position as a DBA or closely related.

As you mentioned in your post if I get on board with a department using SAP they will pay for all my training and certification exams(as long as I pass them). So I am very excited about this opportunity and have decided to continue my Oracle studies until I get certified, I want to show them that I have potential and initiative to do it on my own.

Not really sure what Netweaver is so I will have to look into this. And in regards to programming, I have taken a course on C++ and really enjoyed it so that will also be an option.

Regards,

Drigo

Former Member · ‎06-17-2014

Hi Nikhil,

Sorry to be "that guy", but ... please don't compose your questions in all upper case. For many folks, all upper case connotates shouting. Second, you're probably better off putting your question in as a stand-alone question rather than in the comments to a blog or someone else's question. You'll get better responses that way. Lastly, you might want to check SAP Career Blog Links for a list of blogs which may help you with your question.

Hope this helps!

Best regards,

--Tom

Former Member · ‎06-26-2014

Hi DRiGO,

As you said the domain you are currently working in is closely related to chemistry and laboratory work, kindly check with your team whether they are going to implement SAP EH&S (SAP Environmental,Health & Safety) which has become one of the crucial functional modules of SAP being implemented in various industies like pharmaceutical companies, Health sciences,chemical companies etc.. Please refer to the following links if interested to know more about this module.

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_46c/helpdata/en/e8/925dabc18d11d28fa70000e82de243/content.htm - for a complete overview abt SAP EHS

http://help.sap.com/saap/sap_bp/EHS_ERP605_CN/HTML/Content_Library_EHSM_EN_CN.htm - building blocks

http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-50220 - sap forum discussions

Hope this will be useful more or less..
Have a happy career ahead !!