SAP upgrades drive talent demand
When SAP went from a client/server environment to a web application environment, it changed the skills needed to manage the system
By Stephen Meli, Computerworld | Published 09:00, 03 July 07
Candidates should also become more active in the SAP ecosystem by regularly visiting related Web sites and signing up for user groups such as the Americas' SAP Users' Group. These groups conduct seminars and provide technology training to keep members aware of the next releases.
To illustrate: When SAP went from a client/server environment to a web application environment three years ago, it changed the technical skills needed to manage the system.
As such, the in-demand skills were web application services programming, Java and XML. Organisations without that talent in-house outsourced for it on a temporary basis. As a result, job seekers who had anticipated the changing SAP landscape and adapted accordingly quickly moved into these new roles and reaped the rewards of possessing extremely highly sought-after expertise.
In fact, consultants with the desired skills are at an advantage compared with full-time IT professionals. The reason: Organisations would rather hire outside their company to avoid more expensive internal training and hiring costs.
In any event, new implementations of SAP systems will continue to emerge, driving demand for IT talent with evolving skills. This means plenty of hiring opportunities for IT consultants who have up-to-date product knowledge and training, and the opportunity to jump-start a successful SAP consultant career.
Meli is the SAP practice director for Synch from Yoh. For more information, visit www.wecanfindthat.com or www.yoh.com.
