ABAP training in the US

[former_member42743]

How should a US based novice programmer familiar with other progamming languages, go about learning SAP ABAP programming?

I noticed SAP has ABAP academies scheduled in India, (31 last time I checked),  but none scheduled in the US.

FF

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi FF!

I responded to you privately before I saw this question on the board. I'm going to copy my answer here in case there are others in a similar situation. If my son was still in school, about to graduate with a degree in Computer Science, but still more than a year away, this would be my advice:

1. Find the school's internship program and get the list of which companies work with the University. Also check the Career Center if that's a separate office.
2. Research local companies that have SAP (should be pretty easy in Philly ). I'm writing up a post for SCN on this topic. Maybe I published it already, I can't remember. Basically, go to the ASUG web site and scrape all the companies out of the registration page and cross reference with companies that have known local headquarters. (There's a wikipedia page for most major cities that lists companies based in that city.)
3. If none of the companies from step 2 are on the list from step 1, then work with the internship program to contact companies from step 2 to see if they'd be interested in joining the program. I would encourage my son to make the calls, rather than the internship program. This shows tremendous initiative and will be very attractive to companies. He could pass anyone interested to the internship program and act as a liaison until the process is complete. He'd probably then end up on the top of the list for choice internships!
4. Absolutely check with SAP in Newtown Square. They hire tons of interns. (http://www.careersatsap.com/CareerCenter.aspx#mainView=search;popUps=0) Even if there are no ABAP based internships, it could be helpful to contact some of those opportunities because the person hiring, for example, the User Experience Research intern may know of other internships available or soon to available. (Sometimes the easiest job to get is the one that is never advertised!)
5. I would advise him not to fixate on programming assignments or even on learning ABAP. As an entry level worker, the most important thing is to get a foot in the door and get the opportunity to prove a strong work ethic. The connections/relationships made while interning will open up opportunities for work that is more directly appealing post graduation. If you read through the replies to the "How did you get your start in SAP?" post, a surprising number of folks were able to get started on SAP while still in Undergraduate school by either working part-time or getting an internship. Job came first, training came later.

If you're dead set on learning ABAP, there are several approaches you could consider.

1. Contact SAP Education department immediately (+1-888-777-1727). Academy courses are often not officially scheduled in the US. They wait till the waiting list gets full, then call everyone and schedule one. Sometimes a consulting firm will hire 5 folks and schedule an academy track which opens up slots for other folks. If he can talk 4 of his buddies in to doing the same thing, you could get your own private Academy course taught at SAP HQ. (At least that used to be true. I'd be shocked if it was no longer true.)
2. Consider the non-academy courses. Academies are convenient because you can knock out 23 days of training in one shot, but it may not actually be the best way to learn the language long term. TAW10, TAW11, and TAW12 were developed by mashing the curricula for BC400, BC401, BC402, BC425, BC427, and BC430 together and then throwing in a dash of a few other classes. If your main concern is to learn the language, then taking each class individually might actually be a better option because you have some time to digest and practice in between. (See Learning SAP when you don't have an SAP job already for how to get access to a system.)
3. The BC series of classes are all (except 427) on the "Guaranteed to Run" list (although most are taught virtually, which has benefits and disadvantages). Check with the SAP Education department if you're going this route, you may be able to buy an "all you can eat" training pass or at least get some kind of bulk discount if you're going to be buying 6 classes.
4. If your son is fairly disciplined, you might opt for the eAcademy route. Basically they give you all the texts for TAW10 and TAW12 (doesn't list TAW11 for some reason, which is odd. May be an accidental ommission) plus they give you access to a live system on which to practice and a number to call for long distance tutoring. It doesn't save you much, if any, money, but it allows you to work at your own pace. I think you may get recordings of instructors teaching the materials in an e-learning format, as well.
5. Another option which would make fantastic resume fodder would be to work with the University to set up an ABAP programming summer course (or even to convince them to offer ABAP or JAVA as part of their regular curriculum.) The university would have to join the University Alliance (which is no cost to the university last I heard) and would enable them to get all of the software plus some limited support for free. I would be happy to facilitate this if he chooses to go this route. I'm already working with a couple universities on a volunteer basis to augment their SAP offerings. If the university could get the paperwork through, they could offer the same 23 day academy program as a summer program. I know *I* would definitely hire the kid who helped found the ABAP track University Alliance program at his university if I saw the resume cross my desk!

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the question!

Best regards,

  --Tom

[Former Member]

Hello

Thanks for the question.   The easiest way to get information about North American ABAP training options is to directly call our Customer Interaction Center at 1-888-777-1727 or email education.northamerica@sap.com.