With TechEd right in front of us, there will be @Certification5 Whereabouts at TechEd 2010 in both Berlin and Las Vegas. You'll be able to@Certification5 Whereabouts at TechEd 2010 if you aren't able to be at one of the on-site meetings. And the meetings promise to be very interesting, with new developments to report. I'm not going to provide any spoilers on this blog, except to say that you'll want to catch our TechEd sessions.
There are SAP Mentors, Certification Five geek out with Bill McDermott, and you can expect no less from us at TechEd. We have been called many things, but as far as I know, we've never been referred to as boring.
Early results from SAP Certification 5 survey that has been generating some very interesting results about the perception of SAP certification in the SAP community and what improvements are needed (thanks to all who have filled out the survey so far - and feel free to add your views if you haven't!).
We'll be sharing more of those results for the first time at the TechEd shows. In my opinion, this survey is groundbreaking in that it confirms things many of us suspected but it also has results that compel those with a stake in this topic to rethink some assumptions - and that includes me.
As many of you know, we've also been in an ongoing dialogue with SAP Education about their plans to enhance certification based on SAP Certification: The Certification 5 Report and their own internal research. None of us knew exactly where this conversation was headed, but maybe that's why it's been compelling and sometimes high drama. Yesterday (Thursday the 7th) we had a constructive conversation with SAP Education leaders that has paved the way for some fresh news we will share at TechEd.
The conversation suggests that SAP has a number of important and what we think are exciting initiatives around certification. I know this will sound as though we're keeping something hidden, but we'll be able to say more at the upcoming TechEds. Don't miss it - and we're planning to stream the sessions as well, as long as wifi and other unpredictable factors cooperate. Of course, you can expect follow up blogs and updates after the show.
On related topics, I'm also conducting some additional SAP skills related sessions in Las Vegas, including the second annual "Tech Skills Chat" recorded live with the Enterprise Geeks.
Following in this blog is all the links and info you'll need to track these activities live or virtually:
CERTIFICATION FIVE TECHED SCHEDULE
Berlin :
EXP303 : Wednesday October 13th, 2010 - Lounge 2 : 1:30pm (CET)
Live feed : https://sap.na.pgiconnect.com/certification5
Onsite C5 : @mgillet @pixelbase
Las Vegas :
EXP273 : Wednesday October 20th, 2010 - Lounge 1 : 1:30pm (PDT)
Live feed : https://sap.na.pgiconnect.com/certification5
Onsite C5 : @dahowlett @jonerp @Leonardo_Araujo @mgillet
I'm sure we'll tweet plenty on the #SAPTechEd hashtag, you can also follow the certification5 on Twitter.
You can also hit us up individually on Twitter anytime:
JONERP TECHED VEGAS SKILLS SESSIONS
As for my own SAP skills sessions, I have some good ones planned this year in Vegas (these will not be streaming live but will be taped and released as podcasts if all goes as planned):
This year they limited the Expert Networking Lounge sessions from three to two per presenter, so I had to make a tough call and eliminate my BPX skills chat. Hopefully in the future I’ll be able to revive that one given that TechEd is the perfect place to grapple with the technical/functional SAP overlaps. That’s the gap where so many project struggles live, and in view, filling that gap is not only Video Rant: Why SAP TechEd is Relevant to Business Users, but where many of us should be headed in terms of our SAP skills development. But there are two other fun sessions on tap:
Tuesday, October 18th, 1:30 pm:
EXP266: SAP Social Networking Chat: Career Success Through Community Building
“This session was inspired by two things: first, the impact I have seen on the careers of those SAP professionals who have adopted social networking tools in their professional/personal lives, and the sense that SAP career success is changing to include more of an emphasis on "how have I served the community" versus a "broadcasting" mindset towards floating resumes. The challenges of finding the right SAP career path are not as simple as getting a Twitter account. The conversation goes much deeper, to more soulful (and strategic) questions about passion for your work, ultimate professional goals, being a part of a meaningful (and sustainable) work culture, and how to move towards those goals in a way that impacts the community rather than the traditional ‘tunnel vision’ approach to career planning. At any rate, we can talk about it, call "B.S." on the hype around this stuff, and share lessons learned.”
One excellent thing about this session: my fellow SAP Mentor Vijay Vijayasankar will be co-hosting it with me. Vijay has vijay.vijayasankar/blog and is always good for thoughtful insights and an incisive comment that helps to make the discussion stick.
Thursday, October 20th, 1:30 pm:
EXP 267: SAP Tech Skills Chat: Career Strategies in the Outsourcing Age
“Perhaps no one in the SAP community is more passionate about their work than the true "SAP techie." Yet the SAP technical career path is frought with concerns about the global sourcing of technical skills. Once our skills become commodities, we are vulnerable to outsourcing, which reduces the rate on the skills pay, decreases available openings, and creates cookie cutter work roles. But it's not time to bail out! There are highly rewarding SAP technical career paths out there. Let's talk about those individuals who are making their mark on the technical side of SAP and find out what we can learn from them in terms of their career progression, a knack for staying ahead of the curve and having real impact on their projects - impact that makes them integral rather than commodities. A chance to share concerns, rate frustrations, and put our heads together on success tactics.”
Good news: this session will also include the Enterprise Geeks as it did last year. In fact, both of my sessions occur right after the Enterprise Geeks live podcast recording in the same location.
Note that if you're logged into the SAP TechEd Agenda Builder, you can add these (or any other) Expert Networking Lounge sessions to your schedule and make sure they don't conflict with other scheduled workshops you've signed up for.
We hope to see you at the C5 sessions and hopefully I'll see you at one of my skills sessions also if you are in Vegas!
