Very interesting comments. I wish I had a mentor like Michael. Now the crisis is gone (at least here) but both comments remain valid.

regards from Italy, Maria

I read your post with a lot of interest, not the least of which is that I have been planning a blog entry on a similar topic for some time. I don’t think I’ll get to mine for at least another week or two, but I’ll let you know when it’s up.

I think you raise some really important points. I tend to agree in the sense that having an unmarketable niche in SAP can backfire. It is probably better to be a generalist than have a niche you can’t market easily. I know your post was focused more towards developers so I’ll try to keep mine on the same level. The danger with being too much of a generalist as an SAP programmer is that generalized programming work is more likely to be outsourced.

I think in some ways the “niche versus generalist” debate can be a false argument, in the sense that I think you can cultivate both. I recommend having a core base of well rounded SAP skills in a particular area, with a couple of specializations that logically extend from that core. This is an important point because some folks chase niche skills that don’t relate to their core strengths. And when you’re new to SAP, you shouldn’t just chase a niche, you want to be building a foundation of skills also.

So, in many cases, I think there can be both a core and an emerging skill. An example might be an ABAP-BW programmer who decides to add MDM programming to their core. MDM is a good logical extension of BW skills, but since the MDM product still has a smaller level of market acceptance, it doesn’t make sense to put all eggs in the MDM niche unless you are a true expert. So, combining the core ABAP-BW with MDM could make sense. Another direction for the ABAP-BW person could be towards Business Objects functionality, though that would mean learning more Java-related tools – though this can be a good thing as well!

At the same time, chasing some hot industry niche, for example, while forgetting to master object-oriented programming “foundational” skills like ABAP Objects – this would not make sense. I will say that for the most part, the most effective SAP resumes have some degree of repetition in them – people who have done the same thing over and over again. The repetition builds expertise. Remaining too broad or too general doesn’t give you that focus.

Here’s an example of a technical profile that can be very effective: someone who started as an ABAP ALE-EDI-IDOC specialist (remember that stuff? ), then moved into best-of-breed EAI technologies like Tibco and WebMethods, and then into XI programming. This is a profile I’ve seen a few times that works very well. It’s just one example, but what I like about it is: the person in question has some cutting edge skills, but over time, they have been true to their skills foundation and so they have a deep base of core expertise to draw on.

There isn’t one right answer to your piece, just thought I would share a few thoughts.

- Jon -