To try and accommodate people with different career ambitions and different levels of funding for qualifications, SAP offer a multi-tiered certification path. They offer qualifications that go heavily into depth as well as training that gives you a basic understanding of specific modules. To find out what experience and qualifications you need for specific job roles, I suggest taking a look at our SAP jobs page and read through the job descriptions of the roles you would be interested in. If you require additional SAP Certification, you may want to consider either of the following:
Associate Level SAP Certification
Associate level SAP certification is a more basic understanding of a specific module. It is geared towards gaining the fundamental knowledge to be recognised as a SAP Consultant in one particular area i.e. FI, CO or SD. Although you will successfully acquire broad SAP solution knowledge, as it is only specific to individual modules, you will not be competitive against SAP Consultants that have Professional Level SAP Certification.
The benefit is that the certification is substantially cheaper than Professional Level qualifications and offers a very good starting point to learn SAP. It is a qualification that is recognised worldwide and will show that you at least have a sufficient understanding of a specific module. There are plenty of SAP job opportunities out there that require skills in single modules only. If you have Associate Level SAP Certification, than these are the opportunities, you should be seeking.
In today’s marketplace, it is largely argued that industry experience is considerably more valuable than SAP Certification. Whether you agree or disagree, you will not argue the fact that experience will increase your credentials when applying for a position. What I mean is; if you’re highly specialised in one particular module and have plenty of accompanying industry experience, then you will be far more competitive than SAP Consultants with a good understanding across many modules when applying for a role that is specific to your area of expertise.
When the requirements of a role involve several SAP modules, then having Associate Level Certification will put you at a disadvantage as we’ll explain in the next section.
Professional Level SAP Certification
Professional level SAP Certification is far more solid and ‘requires proven project experience, business knowledge and a more detailed understanding of the particular SAP module’ (Training.SAP.com) The training involves sitting exams in several core modules to give you a deep understanding of many of the different areas of SAP. At the very least, you will have project-level knowledge of the modules included in your training. The modules that the exams cover differ depending on which you choose to take them. The number of SAP Training Centres and SAP Partner Testing Centres across the globe allows you to acquire Professional Level SAP Certification with a flexible choice of modules, venues, and formats.
Once you are certified to a professional level, you can expect to gain higher rates as you demonstrate that you have both experience and expertise in several SAP modules. You become considerably more employable as your credentials match a wider range of job requirements than when you are only experienced or certified in one particular niche.
If you want to acquire SAP certification, either at a professional or associate level, you should thoroughly read through the syllabus to fully understand what is involved before making purchase decisions.
The Next Step in your Career
What you can do next:
- Find out more about the best online SAP resources for learning and development
- Have a look at our SAP Jobs Worldwide
If you are looking for SAP job opportunities or want to discuss the possibility of moving to a new SAP job in any part of the world, you can also contact our recruiters direct at +44 (0) 1206 212101 or email your up-to-date CV to recruitment@whitehallresources.com.