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Do I have the skills to move from eCommerce to mySAP CRM?

Hi Jon,

I have been in the eCommerce industry for six years and have been a part of the order management business for a major MNC for two years. I am a business analyst and want to upgrade my career. I am planning to move into SAP, and so far based on my experience, I feel that I am closer to SAP CRM. Can you advise my on my options and if I need to take any certifications? Thanks!

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I like how you've thought about which area of SAP is closest to your current skills. That's something that a lot of aspiring SAP professionals just don't do. It's easy to get caught up in "what's hot" and forget that the key is finding a professional balance between skill areas that are marketable and skills areas that you're good at.

SAP CRM looks like a good option for you based on what you've told me here. In previous columns here on SearchSAP.com, I have written extensively on breaking into SAP, so I'm not going to do the long version here, but the thing to remember is that certification is not necessarily going to help you land your first SAP job. It can help, but it's rarely the key, so make that financial investment with some realism and some caution.

The real key to breaking into SAP is not training but getting hands-on work. Sometimes you can get a good job using your existing skills on an SAP project. That's a tactic that has worked for a lot of people, and it's good to be patient -- once you're on the inside you can move closer and closer to SAP project roles as you develop some credibility with your managers. Companies give the best roles to folks who have proven themselves, so take it one step at a time.

This was first published in September 2005

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