"What Motivates Jon to be an SAP Mentor, and His Skills Recommendations for SAP Professionals"
Podcast Interview Date: July 7, 2009
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Usually I am the one doing the podcast interviews. But this time around, Muhammad Shaamel, podcaster, blogger, and SAP ERP consultant, turned the tables on me. During this twenty-six minute interview, Muhammad asks me for my take on what's hot and what's not from an SAP skills perspective. He had some excellent questions for me, including the value of certification and whether or not BPM skills can help an SAP consultant.

During the podcast, I share my views on how SAP professionals (and those breaking into SAP) should approach the SAP job market. Since some of my advice goes against the grain of assumptions I often hear about success in SAP, it's good to get a chance to put them out there. Thanks to Muhammad for preparing a good series of questions and sharing the podcast file with JonERP.com readers.

Podcast Timeline:

3:15 How I became an SAP Mentor and what motivates my role in the SAP community.

4:35 My perspective on today's SAP career opportunities: why viewing SAP as a "get rich quick" scheme and/or chasing hot skills gets SAP professionals into trouble.

8:00 The catch-22 of landing an SAP position: you need skills to get the job, but how to you get that first experience. Focus: how SAP certification fits into the picture. Can it help SAP professionals, and to what degree?

10:25 My take on SAP's new three tiered certification levels and how I see those levels lining up with real world experience.

12:42 How BPM skills can make an SAP professional more marketable. Distinctions between BPM as a methodology and BPM as a modeling tool. How BPM fits into the BPX skills picture.

15:31 Which SAP skills are in demand and which are trending down. A view of technical skills in demand (Web Dynpro, Solution Manager, mobile development) as well as functional skills (FI/CO upgrades, BW upgrades HR/HCM upgrades, sustainability/energy management). The strange reality that older SAP skills (legacy ABAP, Basis) are in the same boat as much-hyped "forward-thinking" skills like SAP Business Objects or process modeling tools - neither are in huge demand currently.

19:20 My take on Sapphire 2009. Why it wasn't a big year for headlines and what I thought the most important stories were. Also: what were the unmentioned stories that are still very important to SAP users (hint: Enterprise Support, status of Business by Design).

22:30 How to contact me and final recommendations for career success: finding an niche, dealing with a down market, combining core and emerging skills.

Jon Reed notes: During the podcast, I refer to BI 7.0. The correct terminology is now BW 7.0. Also: even though I downplay SAP Business Objects as a hot skill area right now, that does not mean that I recommend against acquiring those skills. There is simply a distinction between the SAP skills needed now and the skills on the horizon. Both are important.