HOW TO START SAP CAREER?
Introduction
If you Google ‘learn SAP’ or type it on Youtube, you will be bombarded with lots of proposals in different forms – videos, posts, courses, lessons, individual lessons, webinars and other stuff. Therefore, you may get confused how to start, what is better to do first, who is the right expert to follow, to be your guide or mentor and so on. I went exactly through this thing, that’s why it took me longer to learn and master SAP (selected areas of course, you cannot be master of the whole SAP). That’s why I feel in a perfect posiiton, to share my thoughts and recommendations for you.
Let’s go straight to the point – actually few points with learning options. I will mention free and premium alternatives.
1. Linkedin
I bet you have already heard about this platform. It’s like a Facebook, but for work. How can you learn SAP at Linkedin? First of all you need to create an account there, that’s for sure. Then, you can start following certain SAP experts, read content which they post, comment their stuff or ask questions by sending private messages. But please, don’t ask them to give you certificate dumps and other s**t like this. This way you won’t learn anything.
You can also follow SAP-oriented groups like ASUG – American SAP User Group, or DSAG – which is the same, but for German speaking people.
At linkedin you can also find your future SAP job. Why to do it now? You can check out what they expect, what skills are needed, so you can note them down and consider in your learning journey.
Pros:
- easy access to SAP people, jobs, content
- you can build your network there
- you can enable Engagement with other people
Cons:
- many ‘experts’ posting unuseful things
- many SAP people, who post SAP stuff, but don’t have practical experience
- in SAP groups at Linkedin you will face with spam, like ‘Whatsapp groups, Certificate dumps’ and other trash
2. SAP Press
There is also a website called SAP-press.com, which is independently run by Rheinwerk Publishing. It is like a book shop, where you can find printed books and e-books about SAP topics/areas. They have also subscription-based access. It means, you can read online various e-books for a month or later.
Pros:
- SAP knowledge from IT experts, people with experience
- lots of SAP-related books and materials
- you can buy a printed book and place it on your bookshelf
Cons:
- books are heavy, can be even 1100-pages long
- books are getting obsolete real quick, as SAP S/4HANA gets updated even quaterly
3. Learning Platforms from SAP – FREE & Paid
You can also learn SAP directly with them. There are few ways and the first one is SAP Learning. It consists of free courses, which you can access and skill-up in various areas – SAP Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, SAP Business Technology Platform and more. There are different levels – for total beginners, for intermediate or advanced. It’s not only for Application Consultants. If you want to become an SAP Developer (ABAP, UI5), Architect or Data Analyst – you will find something for you there as well.
Pros:
- knowledge directly from SAP
- free content
- learning materials for different roles/positions
Cons:
- lack of practical examples, use-cases
- no deep-dive into topics
If you are more into Premium content from SAP, they have so-called Learning Hub. It’s a platform with many courses, prepared by SAP for most of the topics. Whether it is something about Materials Management, Finance, Production Planning, ABAP, UI5 or other stuff. It’s not only about knowledge in a form of pdfs. At SAP Learning Hub you can also access demo systems, where you can practice, follow their exercises. The access to the platform is subscription & one-time pay based. And yeah, it’s kind of expensive. That’s why it’s mainly a choice of big companies, so they can share it with their employees.
Pros:
- demo system access included (limited, around 50 hours)
- courses for most of the topics around SAP
- the most popular way of learning SAP in Consulting
- if you work in a big company – most probably you will get the access from them
Cons:
- expensive
- a lot of knowledge, but without deep-dive into topics
- SAP materials in an outdated form, not so User-Friendly and interesting
3. SAP online and on-site courses
This option is only for people, who work in a company, which deals with SAP . Whether you are from Business or Consulting, you can ask SAP to organize trainings for you and your colleagues. It can be online or on-site.
How does it work? An SAP Trainer comes to your company for example for 2 days, and she/he conducts training all day long (for example from 8 am – 4 pm). You receive printed learning materials, which you use throughout the whole training. The trainer guides you, you can ask questions, ask for help and such.
Pros:
- The instructor/trainer is there for you
- You can ask for ad-hoc help
- You receive a ‘Record of Completion’ from SAP, which you can place at your Linkedin account
Cons:
- many trainings are led by trainers, not real hands-on experts
- you receive a book from SAP with exercises and you perform them during the course. There is no much space for creativity.
- No deep dive, it’s more ‘where and when to click or press ENTER to create something in the system’
4. Courses by SAP experts
You can also participate in courses prepared by SAP experts. Just google it, read reviews and take a decision. There are many coursers on the internet. It’s vital to check out the plan, the agenda of such courses, to make sure it suits you. Ideally, there should be a trailer, where you can have a sneak peak into the content, what materials are included, and what are the next steps.
If you want to learn SAP S/4HANA Plant Maintenance (also called EAM or Asset Management) – I have something big for you. I guess you already know my content on YouTue. It’s totally free. If you want to master SAP S/4HANA Plant Maintenance from a complete Zero to Hero, or to boost your current knowledge – I’ve created an Ultimate Course, which will make it happen. It’s for everyone: total beginners, SAP Consultants, Asset Management Experts. In this course I explain everything what you need, to successfully implement this module. If you finish it carefully, I am more than sure, you will get your first SAP job, even if are not from IT industry. At the end of the course I tell you what are the next steps, which you should take.
Which is the best?
Everything depends on you. If you are more into books – consider SAP press. If you want to try online courses – start with free platform from SAP, or check out free content on YouTube. There are many videos there, from many experts. And yeah – you will find me there too.
Summary
No doubt, it pays-off to learn SAP S/4HANA and start your career in this field. There are many ways to achieve this – it’s up to you which way you decide to go. Each of them is worth trying, as they bring you closer to your goal. Of course it doesnt mean you gotta stick to this plan for the whole time – learn from your activities, implement changes, note things down, don’t be afraid of failres – they will come and from them you will learn the most.
I wish you challengeful and pleasant journey towards your first SAP job or your skills in this area.
Cheers,
Dan