What is the Biggest Mistake that SAP Job Seekers Make?
I have written about the fundamentals of a good SAP career strategy, but I continue to get career questions that raise these same points. So I decided to launch a series in my SAP Career Blog that talks about the main job search mistakes that SAP professionals make. Most of these mistakes apply equally to experienced SAP pros as well as those who are new to the field, though there are some distinctions between these two groups we’ll get into as well.
So let’s start with the biggest mistake I see, which is when people “chase dollars instead of skills.” There is still a notion in some quarters that SAP is a way to make quick money, and that’s just not the case. So, once more with feeling: SAP is no longer a get rich quick scheme, but a career. And it’s a good career – IF you have the passion for SAP. If you don’t have the passion for SAP, I don’t believe you should be in this field. The dues paying is too intense, the travel too demanding, the pressure to keep skills current too intense. If you love it, you love it, if you don’t, you should steer clear of SAP entirely.
When I talk about “don’t chase dollars,” I also mean “don’t pursue an area of SAP just because it’s hot!” That’s a really flawed approach. Why? Because there isn’t really one area of SAP that is much hotter than all the others. In fact, there are successful consultants working in all areas of SAP right now – yes, including APO, ABAP, PM, QM, and other areas that are supposedly no longer hot.
The key to success in SAP is pursuing the area that is most relevant to your current skill set. If you have a deep financial background, move into SAP Financials. Don’t worry that your friends told you SAP CRM was “hotter.” For you, SAP Financials draws on your expertise and so it’s the best fit. The most common version of this I get is from developers who think that SAP programming is now a dead area. I get emails that have a high level of urgency about moving to functional SAP.
Now if functional SAP is where your passion now lies, by all means, make your move. But if not, then just know that there are plenty of great jobs on the technical side of SAP. Yes, it does take extra effort to make sure your skills on the technical side are not easily outsourced. But outsourcing will come to the functional side of SAP also, and in some cases, it already has. Outsourcing is less about functional and technical and more about whether you can make yourself indispensable to your project as an on-site presence.
That’s a topic I’ve written about a lot and I’ll return to it in the future.
So does that mean that I am saying “don’t pay any attention to the areas of SAP that are in demand?” Definitely not. There are always ways of enhancing your skills. The key here is to take your core expertise and keep pushing towards new areas that make those skills more compelling. Go back to the SAP FI/CO person. The first step is to get that all-important ERP 6.0 (and upgrade) exposure. Staying current on your releases within the area of your SAP expertise is always job number one. Once you are current on releases, there are any number of areas to “extend” your skills. In Financials, it could be that it makes sense to move into some work with the new SAP/BO “EPM” suite, or gain skills in the New General Ledger, or perhaps in Financial Supply Chain Management (FSCM). Another option is increasing the industry focus or adding an industry solution to your skill set.
Of course, when I talk to someone who is torn between two areas of SAP, and they are equally drawn to both of them and have equal experience in both fields, then I will certainly say “go where the action is.” But trust me when I tell you that the real “action” in SAP is finding a fulfilling career path and throwing yourself into it.
So why do I talk so much about passion for SAP? Is that just flowery talk or does it relate to the bottom line of your long term earnings? It has direct bottom line relevance, and here’s why. SAP is a competitive business and those who excel do so because they have an insatiable desire to master their chosen area within SAP. Those that lack the passion for what they do will find themselves going through the motions and not taking the extra steps to get the most out of their SAP pursuits.
I often refer to this as the “airplane test.” By that I mean, would you lug a hardcover book about your area of SAP specialization to the airport, and would you actually enjoy reading it, no, choose to read it, over the pulp fiction you bought at the newsstand? If you can pass the “hardcover airport book test,” that means you have chosen an area of SAP that you can truly stand out in. This will lead you to writing your own white papers, or blogging, or participating in online forums, or simply being the team lead at your company, the person who has the answers that others didn’t take the time to learn.
Needless to say, this translates to project choices as well. Choosing project with higher rates but mediocre skills exposure does not pay off for the same reasons. Choosing the projects with the best skills exposure and the meatiest challenges in terms of skills enhancement is how you stay on top of your game. If you choose the right SAP projects, the money will follow. You may not get rich, but you’ll be well compensated for pursuing something that your truly have a stake in, something that actually has some intellectual fascination for you.
What’s more, this will also save you the time from having to email me and ask me “what’s the hottest thing in SAP right now?” Instead, you’ll ask yourself a new question: “What area of SAP really inspires me to excel?” Master that area, and you’ll have no regrets.
November 10th, 2008 at 5:33 pm...
Hi Jon,
Developing a passion for SAP is certainly something that has happened to me over the last decade! But to be honest, I didn’t specifically choose to end up within the SAP arena. Looking back over my 12+ years of SAP experience now, I would hazard a guess and say that the reason I ended up working with SAP was a mixture of education, interest and my mother tongue (I am german, located in the UK, which a few years ago mattered more in SAP than it does today). “Passion” was something that developed later on, especially when I started getting involved in “hot stuff” (a little contradiction to your post), such as SAP Web App development and CRM. However, this was after 4 years of solid SAP SD, FI, MM development support work and upgrade projects. A cowboy has to earn his spurs, I guess.
Today, I am working as a freelance consultant and enjoy to do so for the last 4 years. Dare I say it: this has increased my “passion for SAP” even more ! Becoming an independent consultant was a big step in my career and I am glad I have not made the step earlier, as there always was -and always is- a LOT to take in when it comes to SAP. For sure, a career in SAP (functional or technical) is a marathon and not a sprint.
So how do you develop a passion for SAP? Well, believe me, SAP is not an area to easily get passionate about! There are lots of other areas in IT (web design, Flash technology to name just two) that rather get your “IT juices” going, I can assure you. But like in all other areas of IT/life, I think the following points might help if you want to break into SAP-Land:
- look beyond the SAP plate
- immerse yourself with technolgy that is not connected to SAP (yet) or on the brink (Web 2.0, social media)
- use conventions, meetings, networking tools (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) to surround yourself with other SAP peers and collaborate
- read SAP and industry news
- find an employer that invests in your skills
I hope there is a little help in those “lines of wisdom” above.
Thanks for this interesting contribution, Jon.
Regards,
Michael Koch
November 11th, 2008 at 4:34 pm...
Hi Jon,
Thank you for this excellent insight.
I am from India , and currently there is a lot of layoffs taking place in IT sector and particularly in SAP market also.
Clearly the demand for certain SAP skills has declined, and there is anxiety in SAP Professionals and many are thinking to shift to new SAP skills.
I think this article will really help to understand the basics in SAP career.
Thanks
November 12th, 2008 at 8:14 pm...
Hey folks…thanks for the comments.
Michael, you first: thanks for your persistence posting to this page. For folks that don’t know, Michael is a well respected SAP developer with a company, Pixelbase, based out of the UK. He keeps his own blog which I have been enjoying where he often writes on SAP market issues that JonERP.com readers should be tracking. A link to his site is: http://pixelbase.co.uk. You can pick up this conversation on “passion and SAP” there as well.
Michael, your advice on developing a passion for SAP is very important. Because you are right, sometimes that passion is not easy to cultivate. But, I do believe we need to have it if we are going to excel in this field. I’m not sure there are many people who can “coast” in SAP and relax and not go the extra mile and still be successful. Certainly not as consultants.
You are absolutely right that finding your passion for SAP can also depend on the role you find in the market. When you find the right role for your skills, in your case, an “independent,” then that can really fuel your involvement in the market. The same is true for me. My passion for SAP really started because I was amazed by the intellectual challenge SAP posed for me in terms of mastering all the areas of business in one software program. It was like a great business education. But my passion for SAP really came into its own when I realized that my writing about SAP careers could really help people to find work and make more informed career choices.
Then, when I built this web site and got into podcasting as well, that really gave me the freedom to be independent as you are, and that is a real source of continued involvement for me in this field. Being named an SAP Mentor was a great honor and it has also reinforced to me that the joy I get in the SAP work I do is to give back to others in the community as well as to grow my own skills. So you’re right, that sense of passion can evolve and you do have to work at it. Your tips for doing so are valuable. I really believe that Web 2.0 tools can help to engage as well, as you said, because this can build a community around you that helps to grow your knowledge base and experience some momentum in a group sense. I really enjoy my SAP conversations and colleagues on Twitter and encourage folks to join me there, my Twitter ID is http://www.twitter.com/jonerp.
Michael, there is a lot to comment on in your post…you noted that contradiction as far as hot skills and how those helped you. I’m not opposed to “hot skills” at all, I just think that sometimes there is too much emphasis on chasing what’s hot. The best SAP professionals I know are always moving into new areas, but here’s the catch: they are moving into cutting edge areas that logically extend from their core competencies, rather than abandoning their core in endless pursuit of “what’s hot now.” But I’ll be writing more on this soon I’m sure, it’s a discussion that takes time to air out, and in this post, I was admittedly going against the grain a bit to make a point. The hot skills lists on my site certainly give a nod to the importance of adding marketable skills to your toolkit. It’s all a balance.
Michael, thanks for contributing and please continue to do so!
- Jon Reed -
November 12th, 2008 at 8:24 pm...
Saket, thanks for your kind comments also.
I realize it’s not an easy time to make your way in the IT field, SAP included. No matter where we are located globally, they are issues we must navigate. On the individual level, it’s never been more important to stay on top of the range of skills needed for SAP career success. This blog entry is, as you said, a “back to basics” sort of view, but I could never summarize all the points needed to keep in mind in one blog entry. So, keep reading and keep commenting.
And yes, hot skills are important as well! The hot skills section of JonERP.com attempts to rank marketable SAP skills but hopefully in a useful way that gives detail to each area and why it’s important. The link to those rankings is here: http://www.jonerp.com/content/blogcategory/0/46/
- Jon Reed -
November 29th, 2008 at 3:08 pm...
Hi jine,
I want to seek your suggestion regarding getting the job in sap.
Although the SAP is hot!! its not an easy task to grab the oppurtunities.
I have two skills in SAP BW & SAP MM respectively.The problem lies in utilise these skills due to lack of getting chance to perform.Waiting for your reply.
Regards.
Jagannath.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:51 am...
Jagannath, I have written extensively on breaking into SAP on this site, so make sure you read the blog entries on this topic. This is not an easy economy to move forward in sometimes and I don’t have any magic solutions unfortunately.
I recommend taking a three pronged approach:
1. education yourself on your own time as much as you can on the SAP world by listening to podcasts, webinars, using trial software downloads, perhaps paid online training, and books.
2. continue applying to positions you may be qualified for. If you don’t get the job, try to get feedback you can use to improve the areas of your skills where you are lacking.
3. get involved in online SAP forms like SDN and the Business Objects community, where you can make contributions, learn more, and get more visibility in the market as a problem solver.
4. continue to talk to your current employer about how you can expand and deepen your SAP skills while making the best contribution to your current project.
These tactics are not a cure all, but they should serve you well.
- Jon Reed -
January 13th, 2009 at 5:58 pm...
Hello all
I work in the IT field right now as a Desktop support person, I would like to get into learning SAP, could any one give me some advice on were I should start, and I know nothing about programing at this time, but I am reading a VB programing book to get a understanding of programing, and help and pointers would be great. Thanks
January 14th, 2009 at 2:40 am...
Hey Cecil…I have written a lot in this career blog on getting started in SAP. The biggest thing you need to do is to study the SAP product line and start figuring out how you fit into it. There are many good SAP books, you can check out my SAP book section for some ideas, or perhaps a “dummies” book on SAP ERP or NetWeaver, I liked both of those. You might want to listen in on some webcasts on SAP.com or SearchSAP.com, and I’d also recommend checking out SAP’s own online communities, such as SDN.SAP.com. Product study comes first, then you figure out how your skills might map into SAP.
- Jon Reed -
April 9th, 2009 at 1:55 am...
Hi Jon,
Am starting my career in SAP and i find really interesting of all the view points and information that you are covering through this site. I am glad i found a good site where i can get to know information from experienced people.
Thanks
Regards,
Sudheer Alladi.