My Story, what should be my next steps?

Question

I have been working for a pharmaceutical company for nearly 2 years in a transport/inventory control role. My company was in the middle of an integration project (take over from a larger company) when I arrived, immediately I was thrown into the world of SAP, I sat under an SAP consultant and he taught me how to navigate and understand SAP from managing inventory to raising requisitions. After go-live we were very much 'abandoned' by the integration team, they had another integration to do immediately after us at another production plant. There were 2 people trained to use SAP on our site, one of which was myself, unfortunately, a few months later the other trained person left the company. This left me on my own to figure out problems and troubleshoot on my own. This was difficult but very rewarding. I then had to learn a lot of things by myself as support teams took days to get back to me, the problem solving aspect was very fun, even when it was frustrating. After a year or so, the company realized we didn't have enough SAP support and more people got training, but for the past year I have been the 'go to' guy for any SAP problems. I am now part of a team that is re-integrating cGMP compliant SAP on site (risk assessments + testing), unfortunately I am still in the transport/inventory role. The consultants I have met have also noted I am certainly way beyond the average SAP user on site and I look promising.
What should my next steps be?
I am desperate to get a career in SAP, I really love the system, I find I learn things very quickly and have found a passion and excitement while doing it. Is certification the right direction?

Answer 1

Hi,
You are already work on SAP. If I am in your position, I would grab the opportunity. You have every opportunity to learn on a live environment. If you work hard and I am sure you would be more confident in the next coming years. It would be a real opportunity for you to learn many thing. I know it is difficult time being a lone person, but, you have ample opportunity.
If you are confident, going for certification is NOT a bad a idea. You can pass the certification and prove the commitment that you have for continuous learning. Your employer would surely recognize your efforts. But, in my opinion, you should work at the same place for next an year or so. Then, you can think of continuing or moving to other employer.
Hope this helps.
Kind Regards,
Ravi