An SAP SCM career: Getting started
I am looking for a good career in SAP SCM. I am a mechanical engineer and have a total of 3.5 years of work experience in the aerospace domain. I have working knowledge in SCM (outsourcing, purchase, inventory control and logistics). Also, I have IT knowledge in C++, Unix, PL/SQL and Oracle.

Currently I am working on a project in PL/SQL. Can I get a job in SAP SCM with my total experience? Would I have to take any certification classes related to SAP SCM to benefit the job search?

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There are different careers that you could pursue in SCM. Among the common jobs, you could work for a consulting organization as an SAP SCM functional consultant or in an end user environment as a user of SAP SCM solution.

The hurdles getting into SAP SCM are two-fold – SCM knowledge and SAP knowledge. If you have strong experience in even one of this it becomes easier.

Saying that, if you have a general interest in the field it would be worthwhile to get into an end user position in an organization using SAP SCM. Your work experience in the SCM areas you have mentioned should be helpful in getting this start.

A good starting step would be a general SCM certification in the form of CPIM ("Certified in Production and Inventory Management"). This is offered by the APICS, the American Association for Operations Management. You can find more details at http://www.apics.org/.

You can also pursue the SAP SCM certification that is offered by SAP Education. You can find more information relevant to the country you are in at the SAP education Web site. In order to be successfully certified you might need to undergo some training courses and have hands on experience.

Also, be aware that a certification may not necessarily open doors into the consulting world. Clients expect expertise in implementing projects. However, some consulting organizations do hire at the junior level and offer training in implementing.

Given your background in various IT languages you should also consider SAP ABAP (programming language) and related technology areas as another possible career. This gives you a foothold into the SAP world and you have the chance to steer yourself into the SAP SCM world after that with relative ease.

This was first published in July 2007