Hello,
which technology is better in term of salary, job availability?
I am looking for a good suggestion from those working in SAP/SAS. I think SAP has better pay, however, i have some experience in data analysis using R, matlab. I am wondering which one to pick.
I'm a person who can thrive in some programming and skript writing environment, but definitely not a hard core JAVA programming type person.
thx

Been working in SAS/Modeling/Risk Analytics for the last 7 years. Data and Analytics IS the future. I get mad job offers on my linkedin and email everyday (not the dhoti contract types). If you know R already, that is huge. Expect to make north of 110k after abt 5 years of exp, that too in the MidWest and full time.

I totally agree with hakim_saab. Career in SAS with SQL/R/Python/tabluau is very rewarding. I started with Database development and shifted to Data Analytics. I love it. I automate most of my work and spend less then 10 hours in a week working. I am trying to work remotely but my manager is old fashion and he wan't f2f meeting so its not working.

SAS in Pharma is huge ! Try to get some certification from SAS to boost your demand.

https://support.sas.com/certify/creds/ct.html

Hello hakim_saab, aafu kata ho kam gerne ? Ma Cali tira chu hai.

@Love4Nepal, thanks bro. I'm actually in the the Indianapolis area and in the Financial Services Industry. I thank the stars everyday for having gone the route of Data and Analytics as do you I'm sure.

i appreciate for sharing your perspective. I also found most opening in SAS related to medical. Do you need to have some background about bio?
@hakim_saab I'm wondering what type of modeling do you do in SAS (is it regression ?) if you don't mind can shed some lights.

You don't have to be from Bio background. All medical discovery( ie medicine, medical device) related documents with data have to be submitted FDA for approval and it is mandatory all files have to be SAS outputs.That is why you are seen more demand in healthcare and pharma then anywhere else.

If you wanna go deeper then there are mainly two types of serious routs you can take.
1. SAS programmer /statistician /Analytics/Reporting in Clinical Trail
2. SAS Credit risk Modeling/Analytics/Reporting/ in Finance

There are other areas growing rapidly like marketing analytics. But they not so much of
fun to work.

Choose one and master your self. Both of them are very distinct but equally challenging and rewarding. Hope this helps ! I am sure you will thanks your self later choosing the route of data analytics as a "CAREER".

@love4nepal
I am considering career change from Non-It Engineering to IT. I am seriously considering career change. Data science is what I am interested in . I do not want to spend thousands of dollars joining university. I have very basic understanding of programming but not done it for many years. What do you suggest and which route to take.

@mutu, I work on Probabilty of Default models and Collection models. Its basically credit bureau and other variables run through, Logistic Regresson/Ensemble/Neural Networks/Decision Trees etc.

Is there anyway to get in sap without consulting?

If you want to make more money go for SAP .

Regarding SAS, it's mainly used in three different areas (I) Clinical -pharmaceutical and (II) Healthcare like medical claims data and (III) Financial sector like Credit Risk analysts ...... 

Dats science is another growing field right now. It involves SAS, R, Python . If you have R skills and statistics knowledge it's a plus for data science. Good salary and new field.

Yes I know itsome good,challenging and rewarding.my question is how do u get your first job? They never hire an intern or an entry level.is there a way besides lying on ur resume?

Hakim_saab and love4nepal,
I have been working for 5 years as a Data analyst. My job is just to create query, run reports in SAP Business Object, SQL then analyze data in Excel. I have basic understanding of SQL (writing simple query, joining tables etc.). I am good in MS Access and expert in MS Excel (Most of advanced functions). I have just realized that I have to learn more if I want to be in Data Analytical field. I like to play with number and want to continue in this field. I am just confused where to move next: Big Data, SAS, SAP or something else which is relatively easy to learn.
Could you please suggest which field would be better for someone who has basic Data analysis skills but no programming knowledge? How difficult it is to learn SAS Credit risk Modeling/Analytics/Reporting/ in Finance? Does it require programming knowledge to learn? I have BA in Finance and have been analyzing financial data for some time so I got interested on this one I read this thread.
I recently heard that Apache Spark and Scala are one of the popular Big Data tools but I don’t know how hard it is to learn. If someone could share their expertise, I would really appreciate it.

There's actually no way to get into Data Science and Analytics by lying on your resume. It usually requires a degree in an analytic field and most jobs are full time. It also involves a fair bit of knowledge of statistics, modeling and most of all coding and inference. It is called data 'science' for a reason.

I started from an entry level position after completing my dual masters in Econ and Stats. But right now its the most amazing field to get into and it will only grow as data takes over everything in the new digital age.

I tried to learn SAS and sat for Test but unable to score enough for certification. Recently I learned DAX - Excel and realize that I need some basic programming on VBA.
My question is DAX can be a substitute of SAS?

I agree with haakim_saab and others on the importance of SAS. If you want to be in healthcare data analysis, then SAS can get you into the door. It's not just the Pharmas, but there is also a need among the health insurers for a person that can analyze/process tons of data to tell a story.

SAS is not equal to DAX. Usually SAS/R/Python is standard industry norms. Most companies use SAS, but R and Python are also being used these days. SAS with amazing SQL skills is what we normally look for apart from the usual inferential knowledge of statistics.

hello gurus , as an about to be college grad in Information System, how do i land a job in SAS, without any consultancies. What kind of certifications can I do or class can I take?

There certainly isn't a lack of jobs out there. If you get Base and Advanced Certifications, you should be able to get your foot in the door.

It literally took me a month after my certifications to land a job when I was still in school, that too in 2009 during the recession and I didn't go to a fancy university or anything. I'm sure it will work for you too.