A friend of mine was recently recruited by company implementing SAP/ABAP technology stack for their clients. He has been interviewed mostly solving problems via Java and SQL.
Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
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Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just to nitpick: Accenture is not part of the Big4 (PWC/Deloitte/E&Y/KPMG).
"Big 4" used to refer to accounting firms. Accenture used to be a part of the "Big 5" with Andersen, but they had to re-brand because of the Enron scandal. They no longer do accounting. But now all these companies are bleeding over into each others business areas - many do strategy, operations, implementation, accounting.
another minor nitpick-- Arthur Anderson had just recently spun off its consulting division as Accenture before the Enron scandal hit, not in reaction to it. It was a move that had been planned for some time. And I'm sure they thanked their lucky stars they completed the spin-off before Enron; Accenture was safely insulated from the fallout that absolutely killed Arthur Anderson.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Big 4" used to refer to accounting firms. Accenture used to be a part of the "Big 5" with Andersen, but they had to re-brand because of the Enron scandal. They no longer do accounting. But now all these companies are bleeding over into each others business areas - many do strategy, operations, implementation, accounting.
another minor nitpick-- Arthur Anderson had just recently spun off its consulting division as Accenture before the Enron scandal hit, not in reaction to it. It was a move that had been planned for some time. And I'm sure they thanked their lucky stars they completed the spin-off before Enron; Accenture was safely insulated from the fallout that absolutely killed Arthur Anderson.
Didn't know that - really interesting! Always had the assumption they were an Enron crisis relict.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#14What level in your career are you at? If you're recently out of school, the easiest way I know of is to get hired into one of the big 4 consulting firms. (eg: PwC, Accenture, etc). Associates are hired with little experience - related experience is fine. If you're more senior, possibly take an "around the edges" approach - or specialize in the underlying integration technology (eg: java, etc...whatever it is). Creati…
I have limited knowledge of this world, so I'm curious: higher salaries compared to what segment? And boring compared to what segment? Run of the mill non-SAP software that runs on some corporate intranet? Consumer-facing crud apps?
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just to nitpick: Accenture is not part of the Big4 (PWC/Deloitte/E&Y/KPMG).
To nitpick further (but this isn't in common parlance), Accenture was a part of Arthur Andersen, which itself was a part of the Big Five until Enron happened. But you're entirely right in that Accenture isn't considered a part of the Big Four accounting firms precisely because its skillset is advisory rather than accounting.
To nitpick even further, Accenture was not a part of Arthur Andersen. It was known as Andersen Consulting, and when they split from Arthur Andersen, they adopted Accenture as a name.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
To nitpick further (but this isn't in common parlance), Accenture was a part of Arthur Andersen, which itself was a part of the Big Five until Enron happened. But you're entirely right in that Accenture isn't considered a part of the Big Four accounting firms precisely because its skillset is advisory rather than accounting.
To nitpick even further, Accenture was not a part of Arthur Andersen. It was known as Andersen Consulting, and when they split from Arthur Andersen, they adopted Accenture as a name.
That split took place in 1989. Prior to that, it was a part of Arthur Andersen itself, at least if Wikipedia is to be believed.
But this is a meaningless exchange at this point. haha
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#17You said "like" SAP, not SAP only, so let me suggest Cobol. It's a language we rarely hear about but it is an exotic niche that could also pay well. Well, this is just an idea, I'm not an expert on Cobol.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#18Starting in an analyst, support, or end-user role is a good way to get exposure. Or try working with a small boutique consulting firm as an alternative to the big guys, you may get more variety of experience.
Understanding the business processes supported by the application will set you apart from other developers. It is common to find developers without business process or functional experience, and visa versa. If you have some of both types of experience it will set you apart.
Source: I started as an accountant and ERP end-user, moved to a functional analyst role, and am currently working as a data engineer.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#19What level in your career are you at? If you're recently out of school, the easiest way I know of is to get hired into one of the big 4 consulting firms. (eg: PwC, Accenture, etc). Associates are hired with little experience - related experience is fine. If you're more senior, possibly take an "around the edges" approach - or specialize in the underlying integration technology (eg: java, etc...whatever it is). Creati…
This. Accenture's ATS program use to recruit and place dozens of fresh graduates on SAP projects couple years ago.
Re: Ask HN: How do you get into a niche field like SAP development?
#20Aren't we seeing more and more companies (especially smaller companies who could never afford SAP to begin with) move towards programs like JIRA, and achieving much of the same.
Where would JIRA (including its wealth of plugins) lack in terms of what SAP can offer?