Branching out in PLM
Q. I currently work on the eMatrix PLM (product lifecycle management) platform, on which I have almost three years experience. I also have three-plus years of other IT experience.
In the current market, there are very rare openings for eMatrix. I need to change my job because of the recession effect on my company.
I have heard that SAP expertise offers good opportunities.
Some consultancies have suggested I go for SAP PLM. But I don't know how the market is for SAP PLM expertise. Since I already have the domain knowledge, I thought this might be a better option.
Kindly suggest what I should do about my career.
Career advice from Tay Kok Choon, head of strategic sales at JobStreet.com:
If monetary reward is the primary objective, a sales and marketing role is generally the most rewarding. It offers a very good chance of reaching the top of the organization or part of the management team.
However, if carrying targets and numbers is your cup of tea, than a technical role can be the most interesting and satisfying.
Many IT professionals have started on a technical route and gradually ride on a sales/marketing career. A good number have remained on a technical role till retirement and find it most rewarding.
Relatively, the popularity of eMatrix PLM is not very near that of SAP--we all understand that. However, be assured that skills and understanding acquired can be migrated from one software platform to another.
It is important to have a conceptual understanding of what PLM is all about. Essentially, a PLM tool goes beyond the traditional ERP, CAD/CAE etc. It is a "masterpiece" that puts all that together. It is very much like working on different hardware, each running on a different operating system. It calls for some adaptation but it is never impossible to move from one platform to another.
Therefore, it is good to understand the entire jigsaw puzzle rather than focus on individual pieces of the puzzle.