Path to become Oracle ERP Consultant – From College Fresher to Expert Oracle Techno-Functional Consultant
Tips and Tricks for entry to Oracle Technical and Functional Consultant Career Path
Being an Oracle ERP consultant is rewarding both financially and career wise. Its the best profession that provides you challenging work, opportunities to travel and see the world and grow better than other IT fields. ERP was HOT, is HOT and will remain HOT.
There are plenty of job opportunities here and as Oracle keeps on acquiring more and more companies the job opportunities seems to be increasing. It may not be the much talked about thing in the media but it is the most moneymaking thing out there, you could be a consultant, contractor or work for the company that has implemented Oracle. You may hear stories like ERP implementations have slowed down but practically speaking I have not seen the demand going down.
The beauty of this ERP is, it always keeps evolving and so you always work on the latest and the best technologies. Earlier it was 11.5.10 version of Oracle, and now many companies are on Upgrade path for Release 12 of Oracle and soon we will see a big boom once Oracle Fusion is available and people start implementing them. There exists huge opportunities for allied fields like ETL, Integrations, EAM, Financial Reporting and Business Intelligence. This market is here to stay as long as there is Oracle and SAP, MS Dynamics and Infor, Sage and Lawson…if you search on Google they list more than 100 ERP Vendors. Even Techno-func has identified more than 25 being the top ones for Virtual ERP Consulting.
For a fresher the most difficult thing is getting his first break. This is a tough market to break into, as it requires lot of years of experience to create your credibility. Given below are some tips that will prepare you with the right skill-sets so that you can get that first break into this lucrative area:
Learn the Fundamentals of Oracle ERP
Web is a big information encyclopedia. Start your knowledge assimilation by understanding what ERP really is. Understand what distinguishes ERP from other IT systems, its history and overall understanding of ERP Terminology and ERP Concepts. Try to learn the business cases for why there is a need for companies to implement ERP, what are the benefits, risks, challenges and costs. Techno-Func has a huge repository of material to help you understand the basics. Check some articles on TFBOK, the Techno-functional Body of Knowledge to build a complete and thorough understanding of ERP concepts.
Learn Language of Oracle – SQL & PL-SQL
Knowing the underlying technical language of Oracle gives you an edge as this is a must requirement for anybody who wishes to break into Oracle ERP. If you have any RDBMS skills like MySQL or SQL Server then you are almost there. Download Oracle Database, which is available freely at http://www.oracle.com/, follow the Oracle By Example series, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to learn each Oracle technology. Download some easy guides to help you understand the commands, syntax and usage. Practice on your local installations and showcase once you are done.
Learn the Secrets of Oracle Customizations, Modifications and Extensions:
The most demanding technical skills in Oracle World are understanding and ability to deliver successful extensions, customizations and modifications to the existing Oracle Applications. Oracle has prescribed lot of developmental standards and guidelines that should be taken care of while writing the code. Believe me once you get a Job, you will never get enough time to go through this fundamental knowledge. Use this time to accustom yourself with the best practices for doing development. All the links are available on this portal and you just need to search. Again follow the above point and learn to develop applications using technologies like Oracle Forms or Oracle Applications Frame Work using Jdeveloper, Oracle Reports etc.
Learn fundamentals of at least 4-5 modules of Oracle Applications:
Some of the key modules are General Ledger, Accounts Payables, Accounts Receivables, Purchasing and Inventory. You may select each module at a time and start understanding basics of each. This is somewhat of an optional track if you decide to just become a core technical person to begin with. But you should always try to gain the understanding as you go forward. Understanding the functional side gets you the edge and help you eventually graduate as a Techno-functional Professional. You can start learning by exploring Techno-functional Body of Knowledge or by practicing on Vision Instance, made available by Solution Bacon.
Learn Discoverer, Forms & Reports:
Discoverer is a Business Intelligence tool used for creating adhoc reports and dashboards. It is one of the easiest things to learn and become a quick expert. Most of the companies use Discoverer to build custom reports and you knowledge of Discover will help you prove that you are one with many skills.
Get Certified and Never Miss any Opportunity for Training:
The best place to Learn Oracle is from Oracle University itself, but it’s expensive, rather very expensive. You can order some CBTs available online at Oracle University and as earlier explained use Techno-functional Body of Knowledge to enhance your functional and technical understanding. Use Google effectively to find a bunch of companies offering free ERP training in all the above modules and also try to place you in your dream Job. Use the resources as much as you can, and the best thing is all the resources available on Techno-Func are FREE.
Join ERP Community TechnoFunc:
Build an effective network on largest growing ERP Community on the net. Join Techno-Func for free and start learning and sharing, learning and sharing and learning and sharing. Knowledge is the only asset that appreciated by sharing.
Get your first assignment:
If you have mastered Oracle SQL/PLSQL and learnt Discoverer then you have already become a basic Oracle Developer and you should be able to get a basic entry-level position to begin with. I am sure there are lots of opportunities with even just this basic skill set. Try searching for jobs at Techno-Functional Jobs and you will see everyday there are plenty of opportunities being posted. This Link helps you find all the jobs available on Net on Oracle at one place. Effectively use this resource and never hesitate to offer your services free of cost to any company that may be using Oracle. This way you get to learn and work at the same time and when the client sees the potential in you they might offer you a salaried position, so it becomes a win-win situation.
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