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Can I enter into SAP MM - IT career - Am i eligible"

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Former Member

‎03-24-2016 7:16 PM

0 Kudos

Hi All,

This is second time i'm posting this tread. Hopefully,it gets approved for posting.

I'm a Biotechnology graduate working for BPO since 5 years in Supply chain domain. As part of my day to day job I use SAP a lot ( For creating Material ID's, Shopping carts, PO's, Vendor IDs, contracts, changing purchasing org, posting GRN, Cost center change ect)

Now I'm planing to pursue my career in SAP MM

My question is am i eligible for this, do i really have a chance as I'm not a tech graduate. All do know is i very fast with SAP at work.

Once more thing is that I recently got an email as below.Is real worth doing the it do i really have a chance

Please find  the attachment of  SAP MM Real Time Project Implementation Training Details.

Our Special Features

PROJECT COST:

1. Training with IMPLEMENTATION  TRAINING COST Rs, 35,000/- (2 installments option 20000/- on enrollment and after one month remaining 15000/-.

2. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCE CHARGES : Rs.10000/- you can pay at the time of attending interview and collect your experience certificates.

Please find attachment of Training and details about project mentioned here under:

Benefits:

1. Real Time Project Program

2. Real time Experience

3. Project Duration 2 months.

4.You will be working on real time project with team.

5. involving with step by step implementation.

6. Support for End to End Implementation.

7.After Completing the Real time Implementation program you will be receiving Experience Certificate as Sap Consultant.

8. After completing Real time Project Program you will getting jobs in reputed outsourcing companies like Infosys, IBM, Cap Gemini and other Non IT Companies.

9. Your resume will be updated with the Real Time Project details along with the Client Details whom you have done the project.

10. You will be receiving Work Experience Letter as SAP MM  Consultant

For outstation candidates and current job holders, online training is given.

<<removed by moderator - duplicate content>>

We have openings in all major cities .As per our MNC Clients requirement 1 Real time Project and 2 Support Projects has to be undergone .Which is mandatory for entering as a SAP Consultant. Advt .was given in this regard for aspiring candidates. Pls check the attachments and contents of this mail.

Please advise

Thank you all

Regards,

Rajesh

Message was edited by: Colleen Hebbert - Allowing post to remain but have removed some duplicate content

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

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Colleen
Advisor
Advisor

‎03-25-2016 11:22 AM

0 Kudos

Hi Rajesh

I'll let this post remain. Typically, if you've had content removed by a moderator then do not repost unless you have followed the instructions to improve it. I'm going to assume you did that. However, I felt there was value in keeping your post as it's a common question and problem happening with freshers out there. So here's my view on it...

I do not live in India. At best I’ve spent a month in Chennai outsourcing and training up a team. These was quite a few years ago but already I heard stories of how hard it was to get in the door. I have moderated this space for quite a few years and can see that there is a major problem with training and recruitment practices in India when it comes to SAP consulting. More so, there is an out-dated notion that SAP is a hot market with plenty of job opportunities. 10 years ago it would have been easy to argue that. But I suspect there are still more trainees trying to enter the industry than those in established roles willing to vacate.

My short answer is do not invest in such a scheme. You are wasting your money. Let me break down the points as to why I believe this:

Points (1) and (2) are a sales pitch to let you believe that parting with your money will result in practical work experience so you have a resume worth something when you try to apply for a job. Paying for on-the-job training in some countries is illegal. I have no idea what the situation is in India. So legalities aside, even if you are willing to give this a go and take the gamble when are you going to have time to work on these real projects to get real experience? You have a full time job. And secondly, project experience can mean so many things – you could end up fetching tea and coffee or updating spreadsheets with inputs. You might even end up entering master data into the system – something you already have experience in doing.

So with the full time job – search SCN and you will have numerous members tell you not to quit your job. It is easier to find a job when you already have one. There are members here who talk about 6+ months of job hunting after training and still stuck. Many regretting giving up their job to focus solely on studies and now find themselves in financial strain.

But back on topic and to Points (3), (4), (5) and (6) which are a bit more padding around what Points (1) and (2) are meant to offer: on the job experience. But I’m sorry, it is a delusion to think that a project duration of 2 months is going to equate to a full end to end implementation as well as Support work. But then again, this could come down to their definition of an implementation. A typical implementation (say Procurement and Finance) is around 9 months (and that’s when you are trying to keep it simple). The only way they can argue you would complete full end to end in 2 months is if they define a small change request (like adding another warehouse to configuration – although something like this could be big when it comes to business readiness) as an implementation.

I’m going to skip point (8) and come to that next. In the meantime grouping points (7), (9) and (10) together and look at qualifications. They are now selling you on the idea that you will have papers to put into you portfolio or to take to an interview. The certificate is saying you spent money. There doesn’t to appear to be any exam or review to determine if you met a certain quality. More so, a certificate is only worth something is the issuer has a reputation. Have you searched this company to see what level of reputation it has and been able to get a non-bias feedback? Is the email being sent from a gmail/other free account? Your resume won’t be updated – that’s something you own. You’d have to do that yourself. In some places, clients don’t allow you to disclose what work you did for them. Thinking about clients, in this model and for 2 months I doubt the client would even know you are working on their project. You’d most likely be shadowing another consultant who is responsible for delivering the work.

And finally back to Point (8) to complete their sales pitch: NO, NO, NO, NO!!! This statement is not valid. There is no guarantee you will get a job with those companies. Even the reputable/authorised training providers in India can only at best submit your resume for a job interview. And even then, I see members complain that after a few months their training provider stops returning their calls. The names list for these companies are some of the biggest It providers in the world (or at least large base in India) – the company selling their training to you is trying to sound reputable and imply associations with them. And their statement may have some truth in the matter – of all the members who train through them they might have one success story out there. But I doubt they’d be willing to provide you with graduation statistics and job placement success.

Even after all those points – how can they offer an online program to full time works if they place you at a client site for 2 months?

It is not mandatory to have X experience and implementation. However, the market has become so saturated with experience consultants that MNCs and customers can demand experience. They have the luxury to avoid investing in training beginners/freshers when there is a wealth of experience readily available (and more than likely willing to work for the same wage).

But even if the requirements and word mandatory was true. How is this training going to actually meet it? Are they going to turn around and ask you to enroll 3 times to get 3 different clients so you now meet the requirements?

I don’t have solutions as to what to recommend instead. Below are some suggestions if you are really keen on embarking on a career as an SAP consultant but there is no guarantee you will have a job at the end of it:

  • Read SCN spaces in Careers and Certifications to learn about the experience of other members like you. This is to open your eyes and be clear on the challenge you face. If you choose to proceed then you know the effort and patience that will lie ahead
  • Look for certified/authorised/reputable training providers to properly learn SAP.  Without knowing who sent you this email, I doubt their material is necessarily a good quality or something you can use for certification (at a later date once you  have some experience)
  • Seek opportunity within your current employer. You mentioned you work in materials management at your company. Is their SAP support onsite? If so, can you ask your manager if there would be any opportunity to get experience in support and super user activities? It would be a slowly but probably more successful way to move away from being an end user to becoming a consultant. You would have system access where you already are and still have a job
  • Consider online training options from SAP - SAP Learning Hub is an annual subscription but they have a free discovery edition which would serve as a good introduction. There’s also open.sap.com (though not really in your knowledge area). Read up on topics on SCN.

Good luck with it. But please, think through any offers that you receive like that. That business exists as there are many eager people out there who want to enter SAP market. They all have hopes of succeeding and are willing to part with their hard earn rupees/dollars/whatever cash only to be severely disappointed when it comes to nothing.

Regards

Colleen

SCN Moderators for Careers and Training spaces

2 REPLIES 2

Go to solution
Colleen
Advisor
Advisor

‎03-25-2016 11:22 AM

0 Kudos

Hi Rajesh

I'll let this post remain. Typically, if you've had content removed by a moderator then do not repost unless you have followed the instructions to improve it. I'm going to assume you did that. However, I felt there was value in keeping your post as it's a common question and problem happening with freshers out there. So here's my view on it...

I do not live in India. At best I’ve spent a month in Chennai outsourcing and training up a team. These was quite a few years ago but already I heard stories of how hard it was to get in the door. I have moderated this space for quite a few years and can see that there is a major problem with training and recruitment practices in India when it comes to SAP consulting. More so, there is an out-dated notion that SAP is a hot market with plenty of job opportunities. 10 years ago it would have been easy to argue that. But I suspect there are still more trainees trying to enter the industry than those in established roles willing to vacate.

My short answer is do not invest in such a scheme. You are wasting your money. Let me break down the points as to why I believe this:

Points (1) and (2) are a sales pitch to let you believe that parting with your money will result in practical work experience so you have a resume worth something when you try to apply for a job. Paying for on-the-job training in some countries is illegal. I have no idea what the situation is in India. So legalities aside, even if you are willing to give this a go and take the gamble when are you going to have time to work on these real projects to get real experience? You have a full time job. And secondly, project experience can mean so many things – you could end up fetching tea and coffee or updating spreadsheets with inputs. You might even end up entering master data into the system – something you already have experience in doing.

So with the full time job – search SCN and you will have numerous members tell you not to quit your job. It is easier to find a job when you already have one. There are members here who talk about 6+ months of job hunting after training and still stuck. Many regretting giving up their job to focus solely on studies and now find themselves in financial strain.

But back on topic and to Points (3), (4), (5) and (6) which are a bit more padding around what Points (1) and (2) are meant to offer: on the job experience. But I’m sorry, it is a delusion to think that a project duration of 2 months is going to equate to a full end to end implementation as well as Support work. But then again, this could come down to their definition of an implementation. A typical implementation (say Procurement and Finance) is around 9 months (and that’s when you are trying to keep it simple). The only way they can argue you would complete full end to end in 2 months is if they define a small change request (like adding another warehouse to configuration – although something like this could be big when it comes to business readiness) as an implementation.

I’m going to skip point (8) and come to that next. In the meantime grouping points (7), (9) and (10) together and look at qualifications. They are now selling you on the idea that you will have papers to put into you portfolio or to take to an interview. The certificate is saying you spent money. There doesn’t to appear to be any exam or review to determine if you met a certain quality. More so, a certificate is only worth something is the issuer has a reputation. Have you searched this company to see what level of reputation it has and been able to get a non-bias feedback? Is the email being sent from a gmail/other free account? Your resume won’t be updated – that’s something you own. You’d have to do that yourself. In some places, clients don’t allow you to disclose what work you did for them. Thinking about clients, in this model and for 2 months I doubt the client would even know you are working on their project. You’d most likely be shadowing another consultant who is responsible for delivering the work.

And finally back to Point (8) to complete their sales pitch: NO, NO, NO, NO!!! This statement is not valid. There is no guarantee you will get a job with those companies. Even the reputable/authorised training providers in India can only at best submit your resume for a job interview. And even then, I see members complain that after a few months their training provider stops returning their calls. The names list for these companies are some of the biggest It providers in the world (or at least large base in India) – the company selling their training to you is trying to sound reputable and imply associations with them. And their statement may have some truth in the matter – of all the members who train through them they might have one success story out there. But I doubt they’d be willing to provide you with graduation statistics and job placement success.

Even after all those points – how can they offer an online program to full time works if they place you at a client site for 2 months?

It is not mandatory to have X experience and implementation. However, the market has become so saturated with experience consultants that MNCs and customers can demand experience. They have the luxury to avoid investing in training beginners/freshers when there is a wealth of experience readily available (and more than likely willing to work for the same wage).

But even if the requirements and word mandatory was true. How is this training going to actually meet it? Are they going to turn around and ask you to enroll 3 times to get 3 different clients so you now meet the requirements?

I don’t have solutions as to what to recommend instead. Below are some suggestions if you are really keen on embarking on a career as an SAP consultant but there is no guarantee you will have a job at the end of it:

  • Read SCN spaces in Careers and Certifications to learn about the experience of other members like you. This is to open your eyes and be clear on the challenge you face. If you choose to proceed then you know the effort and patience that will lie ahead
  • Look for certified/authorised/reputable training providers to properly learn SAP.  Without knowing who sent you this email, I doubt their material is necessarily a good quality or something you can use for certification (at a later date once you  have some experience)
  • Seek opportunity within your current employer. You mentioned you work in materials management at your company. Is their SAP support onsite? If so, can you ask your manager if there would be any opportunity to get experience in support and super user activities? It would be a slowly but probably more successful way to move away from being an end user to becoming a consultant. You would have system access where you already are and still have a job
  • Consider online training options from SAP - SAP Learning Hub is an annual subscription but they have a free discovery edition which would serve as a good introduction. There’s also open.sap.com (though not really in your knowledge area). Read up on topics on SCN.

Good luck with it. But please, think through any offers that you receive like that. That business exists as there are many eager people out there who want to enter SAP market. They all have hopes of succeeding and are willing to part with their hard earn rupees/dollars/whatever cash only to be severely disappointed when it comes to nothing.

Regards

Colleen

SCN Moderators for Careers and Training spaces

Go to solution
Former Member
In response to Colleen

‎03-25-2016 11:48 AM

0 Kudos

Hi Ms. Colleen Hebbert,

Thank you for your time and replay on my query. Its really helpful.

Much appreciated

Thank you once again

Rajesh