HRMS And Payroll Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Switching carrer from Oracle Apps to SAP HRMS functional Consultant? Hi, I have come across a interesting career turn in now a days. After completing my Engg in IT,4.5 yrs before I have started working as a technical consultant in Oracle working on D2K, Forms-Reports 6i, PL/SQL. After 2 years, I entered into Oracle Applications 11i as a technical consultant in HRMS/Payroll/CRM/Mfg/Finance module. And now I have landed in IT industry as a Oracle Apps HRMS/Payroll Techno-Functional Consultant. Now I am working for a MNC in Singapore which is entirely into HR Business.So far I have played a role of technical/functional consultant/ Team Lead in Oracle Apps HRMS/payroll.Now My company has no projects in Oracle Apps HRMS. But they are very good market player in SAP. So they want me to shift into SAP HRMS as a Functional consultant. But I am bit confused at this stage, whether to take this challenge to enter into SAP or go back to Oracle Apps. Certainly my aim is to become a HR/Payroll functional consultant. Can you please suggest which can be the best option?

Answer: In order to make a decision like this you need to really weigh up your options. It is not possible for us over the internet to tell you what the best option is. However in my experience and what I have seen happening to others, it is best to stay on one track after gaining a few years of experience. It's probably ok for beginners to explore various fields before settling down in one but after traveling the career path for a few years, a change of path might prove risky. It might be like going back to the drawing board and loosing the years of experience you already have. You might end up having to compete with people who have less experience than you, because of their SAP knowledge. The other point to remember is that your employer might be a very good one, but staying on with them and letting them steer your career might not necessarily be the best thing to do. If you want to become a functional consultant HR consultant, it might be well worth going ahead with your plans and considering moving out to an employer who seeks an HR expert with Oracle experience.