Transitioning Your IT Skills Into SAP by Daniel Millions

SAP training, like with most areas of Information Technology, is decided upon and paid for by the employee. And now, more than ever, employees are responsible for making their own investments and decisions with regard to which training they will pursue. Since SAP training has the highest probability of a big payoff it is an increasingly popular choice amongst IT professionals.

Everyone knows that SAP skills are the highest compensated IT skills on the planet. Considering that a good SAP consultant can expect to earn USD$150 per hour, one might ask a simple question: Why are SAP people paid so much? There are several reasons. First, SAP skills are higher compensated because they're difficult to acquire, and this constrains the supply of qualified SAP consultants in the marketplace. As many people know, making a move into SAP from other areas in Information Technology can be difficult.

It's difficult for many reasons but mainly because there is no formal process of apprenticeship or training in IT, and SAP skills take a lot of time to acquire. SAP can't be learned on your own like a programming language or an operating system because the most important aspect of training involves a deep understanding of business process and the integration with many other touch points in a large organization. Also, an experienced SAP consultant will send to have going though for or five complete implementation cycles installing the software for clients in many different industry vertical segments.

So skills are hard to acquire and this keeps supply low. But the second (and admittedly related) reason SAP consultants are paid so much is that the demand is high. Employers are always looking for people with SAP Basis/ Netweaver, BW/BI, and SAP functional consulting skills. Experienced SAP consultants are in demand because the work they do is very efficient from a productivity standpoint, and an effective SAP implementation can help companies achieve large reductions in head count, efficiency in business process, and savings on custom programming. SAP is in demand because it helps businesses save money, even if consulting fees are high.

So what is an aspiring SAP resource to do? A few companies have developed online SAP training programs designed to help you Break Into SAP. These programs walk the student through the preparation and early hiring phases of a career in SAP. Students have said that "we do see a big difference with this sort of program" I think it's great. They're well planned and organized. Rather than walk you through the entire configuration for a particular module, breaking into SAP programs train on the details like the recruitment process insofar as they help you get a job in SAP.

Interview Question books are also a popular alternative and a search for SAP interview questions can yield many good results. Others hire personal coaches to train them on the technical details of a module in SAP. But all of these training methodologies reveal one truth: there is no easy solution to the SAP training game you can move into SAP from other areas in IT, but time, money, hard work, and dedication will be required.

About the Author

If you are looking to land a new SAP job our SAP Books and SAP Training will put you on the right path.