SAP trainee has hard time finding job

Q. I am an SAP trainee (Abap), working on in-house projects since June 2008.

Although I want to continue my carrier in Abap, I seem to have a harder time, now, looking for SAP-related employment.

What can I do to improve my employment chances in IT?


Career advice from Tay Kok Choon, country manager of JobStreet Singapore:
The employment market is definitely getting tighter than before. However, I would advise the public not to lose heart as the economy will turn around and get better in time.

It is important to progress in one's career. Move along from the basics, progressing gradually to the more complex tasks.

Expand your horizons to include applications other than SAP. For example, at the "system analyst" type of training (explained below), skills are no longer simply applications specific; rather, relevant business knowledge is more appreciated at this level.

However, while continuous training will be beneficial for career development, one should not to fall into the trap of overtraining or undertaking training that is irrelevant.

There are, broadly, three levels of SAP-related training:

1. User-type training: For people who want to use specific modules or applications, which the IT professional should be able to master within a very short period.

2. Basic system training: Relevant for entry level staff doing configuration of the application to be implemented in an organization.

3. System analyst-type training: For people who have sufficient technical depth and business knowledge so that they can advise others on how best to exploit the application to its fullest.

In our opinion, IT professionals should aim to attain item (3) within a longer period of maybe two to three years.


Source: ZDNetAsia

A trainee program to better your career

Q. I had five years of programming experience before I decided to take up ABAP training and certification. Now I seem to have a harder time looking for SAP-related employment.

What can I do to improve my employment chances?

Career advice from Stella Thevarakam, regional HR director of management and technology consulting firm ISS Consulting (M):

I would suggest you join a trainee program in any one of the SAP partners and take your career in SAP from there.

It may be a temporary salary cut, but usually after the training, the salary rise is quick and you will catch up very fast with your career.

More links:

• SAP Consultant Asks Pay Question
• Is a short course on SAP good enough?
• An ABAP-trained MBA holder eyes an SAP-based job
• Move to SAP field not a bad idea
• Worth leaving accounting for a career in SAP?
• Can a Computing graduate go into SAP?

Source: ZDNetAsia

SAP brings e-certification to S'pore

SINGAPORE--Software giant SAP launched Wednesday the online version of its global certification program in the island-state, targeting working professionals who wish to pursue certification at their own pace.

The German vendor partnered the SIM University (UniSIM) to set up the UniSIM-SAP eAcademy, targeting to train and certify over 200 ERP (enterprise resource planning) consultants each year, Kowshik Sriman, SAP's vice president and Singapore country manager, said during the official launch. UniSIM is run by the Singapore Institute of Management Group.

Noting an increase in global demand for ERP consultants over the next few years, Sriman said around 6,000 SAP-certified consultants would be needed in Singapore by 2010, up from the current 4,000.

As conventional certification programs are held routinely and require working professionals to commit to a fixed schedule, the eAcademy provides a "real viable option", he said.

Besides providing flexibility in learning hours, he noted that the course fees, ranging from S$9,480 (US$6,958) to S$12, 360 (US$9,072) are significantly lower than conventional classroom-based learning.

"We're saying that the course fees are 40 percent cheaper, but we haven't factored in the opportunity cost [such as] salary, risk of [unemployment]…that makes the eAcademy's value proposition a lot higher," said Sriman.

The UniSIM-SAP eAcademy will offer six tracks, five of which--financials, human resources, order fulfillment, procurement and production planning--are ERP modules. Advanced business application programming (ABAP), a programming language developed by SAP, is also available to programmers.

To attain the certification, participants will be required to spend between 200 and 250 learning hours over four months at the eAcademy. They must also achieve a score of above 70 percent for a certification examination, which will be administered at the end of the course.

Although the lessons are conducted without an instructor, students can send queries through Web-based tools to SAP-certified professionals.

Sriman told ZDNet Asia that the UniSIM-SAP eAcademy is different from the University Alliances Program rolled out in April across the region, including Singapore. The earlier initiative does not include certification, he said, and SAP-related course components form only part of the curriculum.

According to Man Mohan Kapur, SAP's director of education services for Southeast Asia, Singapore is the third country in Asia--after India and Malaysia--to offer the online version of the SAP certification program.

Kapur added that SAP is also planning to roll out the initiative in several other Southeast Asian countries. The company is currently in talks with potential institutions in Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, and expects to set up eAcademy programs in these economies by end-August. There are also plans to seek a partner institution in Thailand, he said.


Source: ZDNetAsia

More Links:
Is a short course on SAP good enough?
Earning potential of SAP functional consultant
Philippine IT workers enjoy competitive salaries

Philippine IT workers enjoy competitive salaries

IT professionals in the Philippines are receiving above-average salaries compared to their counterparts in other professions, but most of them lack the IT certification their peers in the region have acquired, according to a survey conducted by ZDNet Asia.

The ZDNet Asia IT Salary Benchmark Survey 2008 revealed that IT employees in the Philippines earned an average annual salary of US$12,425 (500,736 peso).
This wage level, high by national standards, put the country in sixth place after Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India, which have annual salaries of between US$13,864 and US$76,851. The Philippines is just a notch higher over last placer Indonesia, which had a US$7,709 average annual salary.

According to the National Statistics Office, the average annual income of Filipino families in 2006 was estimated at 172,000 peso (US$3,939).
The Philippines, however, was ranked at the bottom in another category with just 24 percent of the respondents saying they had at least one IT certification from a technology vendor or institution. Hong Kong topped the list with 48.9 percent, while Indonesia was able to dodge the pit with 28.6 percent.

A total of 2,521 IT professionals from the Philippines participated in the survey. They came from various industry sectors, across a range of job types, and from different company sizes. Some 92.6 percent of the respondents were working full-time, while the rest were contractors and independent consultants.

The ZDNet Asia survey found a correlation between years of experience, a higher education level, and a good salary. Those who had more than 10 years of experience enjoyed an average annual salary of 95,113 peso (US$2,178). The average number of years of experience among the Filipinos IT workers surveyed was 6.3 years.

Similarly, the survey indicated that larger companies generally gave higher compensation, compared to businesses with fewer employees. Respondents working in large companies, with more than 1,000 employees, commanded the highest average annual salary at 556,529 peso (US$12,745), followed by those in midsize companies (with between 100 and 999 employees) at 516,882 peso (US$11,837) and small companies (with fewer than 100 employees) at 456,183 peso (US$10,447).

Among sectors, the study said respondents from the legal and finance sector commanded the highest average annual salaries with 667,519 peso (US$15,286), followed by those in IT, Web and telecom with 520,612 peso (US$11,922). Those in government, education and health had the lowest average annual salary of 290,300 peso (US$6,648).

The study found that more than half (52.1 percent) of Filipino IT professionals had application development skills, nearly half (46 percent) have desktop/software skills, and more than one-third (38.4 percent) had Web development skills.

The report also noted that respondents who were contract/independent consultants in IT management, project management, communications, and other IT professionals, had higher average annual salaries than those who worked full-time at a company, while those in systems development and support earned less.

More Links:

• SAP and Oracle's referral programs have different focus
• What is the future of a SAP technical/ABAP programmer?
• PeopleSoft Consultant Moving on SAP
• Philippines faces IT skills shortage

Source: ZDNETASIA

Where to enroll for ABAP courses in Manila ?

Check out these prices on this ABAP Courses from SAP Philippines.

TAW10_54 ABAP Workbench Fundamentals
Start Date: 24.03.08
End Date: 04.04.08
Days:10
Fee / Person: P 204,000.00

TAW12_B32 ABAP Workbench Concepts
Start Date: 07.04.08
End Date: 25.04.08
Days:15
Fee / Person: P210,000.00

TAW12_B32 ABAP Workbench Concepts
Start Date: 14.04.08
End Date: 02.05.08
Days:15
Fee / Person: P210,000.00


I think you can inquire in University of Asia Pacific in Ortigas as they have ABAP course offered on their curiculum. Also with KAISA Philippines.


To view the complete list of courses click here.

For other countries, click here.

Which one to take: SAP ABAP, Oracle DBA or CCNA?

Q. I'm really confused as to which IT career I should pick. I'm choosing between SAP ABAP, Oracle DBA and CCNA (Cisco Networking Academy). I'm a computer science graduate.

I know and everybody says that it depends on what I love to do. Modesty aside, I think I can be in networking and programming. Among the three, maybe I'll consider based on which is best in terms of salary and career-wise.

Your advice and opinion is very much appreciated.

Ran Lloyd Ong

Career advice from Stella Thevarakam, regional HR director of management and technology consulting firm ISS Consulting (M):

Sounds like you are a techy type of person. As such, I would recommend you to pursue SAP ABAP training and then move on that career path.

SAP "ABAPers" are very much in demand and it pays very well (good future).

Related Links:

• SAP vs Oracle
• Career Shift: Which would be the best option: Oracle or SAP?
• What is the future of a SAP technical/ABAP programmer?
  
  
  Source: ZDNetAsia

An ABAP-trained MBA holder eyes an SAP-based job

Q. I have an MBA in marketing and engineering in computer science. So far, I don’t have any great career growth probably due to a lack of planning or implementation. I did engineering in 2002 and the MBA in 2007.

Before doing the MBA, I had training in SAP ABAP, but couldn’t be placed anywhere due to lack of opportunities for "freshies" in SAP. Again after doing MBA, I want to go into SAP. ERP is my dream job. Currently I am a sales manager.
Please suggest how to enter into an SAP functional job and which module training will be best according to today's trends.
rahul

Career advice from Stella Thevarakam, regional HR director of management and technology consulting firm ISS Consulting (M):

Since you had some SAP ABAP training, I would advice you to continue with ABAP and get certified and then have cross-functional training into a logistic module based on your background.

There will be a sharp learning curve for you and probably a salary cut as you are going into a completely different career path and your past experience cannot contribute much to the SAP path.

You need go into an organization as a freshie and go through their "freshies" program to pick up the SAP skills. Then, after about a year, move into actual implementation, still as a freshie and grow from there.

What is Mini SAP?

MINISAP is a full-fledged Basis SAP system without the SAP applications (FI, CO, MM, SD, etc.). It has every Basis function of a standard SAP-R/3 system (ABAP/4 Development Workbench, Data Transfer Workbench, Computer Center Management System - CCMS, etc.) and, therefore, is a very good means to get exposed and trained in ABAP/4 programming language.

It is also a very good personal productivity tool (i.e., it can be used to develop programs for customers without having to be on-site).

The minisap are for those who are new and want to get Basis exposure or want to learn ABAP programming at their home PC.