Becoming an SAP consultant: How to make a career change without a degree

Zuletzt bearbeitet am 5. August 2026

The problem has long been known: There is a lack of skilled workers needed to digitize the economy. The Boston Consulting Group’s “Future of Jobs” report predicts a shortage of 1.1 million IT specialists in Germany by 2030. SAP consultants in particular are in demand. The chances of starting a job quickly are better than ever – even for career changers.

Are you looking for a job and/or want to change careers? In this article, we answer all the important questions about the job description, qualification and starting out as an SAP consultant.

Contents:

Why are SAP consultants urgently needed right now?

In the digital transformation, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to react quickly to changes and new challenges. In order to remain competitive, companies must adapt their business processes to the requirements of the new world of work – and usually opt for digital solutions from SAP, the market leader in business software.

What’s more: Support for the classic ERP system SAP ECC will end in 2027. Within the next few years, almost 9 out of 10 companies (88 percent) that already work with an ERP solution are planning to switch to the new, more flexible real-time solution SAP S/4HANA. But how exactly the migration and subsequent implementation should take place is still unclear to many. There is a lack of specialists to help companies introduce the new software solution.

What exactly does an SAP consultant do?

As an SAP consultant, you have the opportunity to provide either technical or functional advice with a focus on a specific business area mapped in the SAP system. For example, if you have already gained professional experience in finance and controlling, you can focus on developing your skills in this area, whereas sales or marketing professionals often specialize in sales. Those with an IT or more technical background usually delve deeper into SAP technology and the development of applications.

As an SAP consultant or SAP consultant, you generally support companies when it comes to SAP projects, such as implementation and migration projects. You are, so to speak, the interface between SAP and the organizations that work with one or more SAP solutions.

You analyze the company’s needs, find the right SAP product for your customer and provide support during installation. If the company also wants to redesign its business processes and optimize workflows, you will identify potential for improvement and make the necessary adjustments to the system.

However, you not only support the introduction and further development of an SAP solution in the company, but also the users of the systems. Your tasks will therefore also include training people who work with the software. With your specialist knowledge, you qualify them for new applications and help them to complete their daily tasks more efficiently.

Can you become an SAP consultant without a degree?

A degree is not necessarily the best way to become an SAP consultant. SAP-specific training is hardly offered at universities anyway. However, it is important for this profession that you have basic business knowledge as well as SAP skills – and can prove this with appropriate evidence, such as recognized certificates.

Your advantage: More and more vacancies cannot be filled, the entry opportunities for applicants without an academic degree or previous professional experience are optimal. Companies have understood that practical knowledge is particularly important in the IT professions – and in view of the increasing shortage of skilled workers, they are increasingly looking for qualified lateral entrants.

An alternative to a lengthy degree course is, for example, retraining as an IT specialist and subsequent internships in the SAP field. Or you can focus on SAP right from the start – with further training from an authorized SAP training partner such as GFN. In this type of SAP certification , professional practice is a top priority: In exercises, case studies, practical projects, etc., you build up skills that you will really need in your future job and can apply immediately. You choose your own focus on individual SAP modules or business areas based on your previous experience, interests and career goals.

With an SAP certification, you can acquire sought-after qualifications and internationally recognized proof of your SAP expertise in a reasonable amount of time. And as part of your online training, you will also learn about digital tools and applications that will make you fit for new types of collaboration in today’s working world.

How do I train to become an SAP consultant?

If you have no previous experience, you will start with a basic certification in the SAP world. Here you will get an initial overview of the SAP system and the individual business areas that are mapped there, for example Finance (accounting) or Sales.

In a user certification course, you will then learn how to work with SAP, focusing on specific areas of the company such as accounting or logistics. The examination is therefore based precisely on the topics that arise in the day-to-day work of a particular job role. You will acquire user skills in your chosen field of activity and learn how to use the SAP system efficiently in day-to-day business. You will benefit from this practical knowledge not only as an SAP user, but also in SAP consulting.

After successfully completing the course, you will receive an internationally recognized SAP user certificate. If you want to broaden your horizons, you can add user certification in a further business area.

Finally, the SAP consultant certification provides you with in-depth business process knowledge. You will build up key skills to be able to tackle SAP projects professionally and support companies in solving complex challenges in the SAP environment.

How do I start my job after my SAP certification?

Both large companies and consulting firms are currently and in the coming years increasingly looking for qualified applicants to support them as internal or external consultants. Software and consulting firms specializing in SAP in particular need new staff to cope with the increasing number of customer orders.

In addition to consultants for the Finance (FI) division, which covers all finance and accounting business processes, we are also looking for specialists for the Logistics, Sales and Human Resources divisions.

It is often possible for SAP-certified graduates to join an SAP consulting firm or a user company directly. You can start as a junior consultant, for example, or via a trainee program lasting several months. On-the-job training allows you to quickly find your feet in professional practice and gain valuable experience. Over time, you will take on tasks in process and application consulting, training or (partial) project management, for example.

What should I bring to the table as an SAP consultant?

To work in an advisory profession, you should be customer-oriented and have good communication and teamwork skills . Both are necessary in order to identify company requirements in exchange with the customer and other project participants and to successfully complete projects. Knowledge of project management, especially agile methods such as Scrum, will also help you in your project work.

It is also important to be able to talk about complex issues as simply, comprehensibly and precisely as possible – in consultations and project work as well as in user training. Presentation skills are also helpful and can be learned, for example, in further training to become an SAP trainer .

In addition to a certain problem-solving ability and creativity, you have a good understanding of business processes. As a certified SAP consultant, you will be familiar with the technical possibilities of the SAP system and have in-depth knowledge of individual SAP modules or business areas, e.g. Human Resources, Finance or Materials Management.

Generally speaking, if you are able and willing to learn, you can be very successful in SAP consulting. The decisive factor for many employers is no longer that you can do everything, because the demands of the job are changing faster and faster anyway. What you should bring with you, however, is the ability to constantly adapt to new tasks and challenges.

Here are the most important requirements at a glance:

What are my future prospects as an SAP consultant?

IT services relating to the SAP product are in high demand and will continue to be indispensable for companies and tradespeople in the future in view of technical developments. As a consultant for SAP projects and digital processes, you will always be in demand and will be needed in almost all industries. The choice of jobs is correspondingly large and will continue to increase in the coming years.

There is an enormous shortage of skilled workers on the IT job market – despite good pay: the average starting salary for SAP consultants is around 51,000 euros per year (see StepStone, as of February 2025), with a gross median salary of 61,000 euros. Depending on the company, project experience and region, you can earn up to 72,900 euros, plus performance-related commissions and bonuses. The highest salaries are generally offered in the finance, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods and automotive sectors.

Become an SAP trainer – As an SAP consultant in professional development

If you show commitment and the potential that is important for the vacancy, you have a good chance in the application process – and can quickly gain your first professional experience. Just like Katrin Grund, a former GFN participant: after more than three decades in the catering industry and a few years in commercial jobs, she took the opportunity to completely reorient herself at the age of 50 with further SAP training. Following user certifications in Financial Accounting (FI) and Human Resources Management (HCM), she also successfully completed the Business Process Integration and Financial Accounting consultant certifications.

Then Katrin Grund received a surprise offer to join GFN as an SAP trainer. “I also had to do further training to become an SAP trainer,” she reports. “I was introduced to coaching step by step. I was able to observe colleagues and learn a lot.” After a while, she was allowed to take on the role of trainer herself: “My first task was to run the exam preparation week. Next, I taught individual lessons, then a whole day. I now teach two groups alternately, SAP beginners and prospective SAP consultants.” Katrin Grund feels she has arrived.

But she also knows that there is still a lot to learn. Whether in SAP consulting or training, it is particularly important in the IT environment to keep up to date and keep pace with technical developments. So if you enjoy constantly learning new things, you will be rewarded as an SAP consultant with a varied career and excellent development opportunities.

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Amadeus Fire AG has made a commitment to its subsidiary GFN GmbH to offer you a permanent employment contract as part of the job guarantee. After successfully completing the qualification, you will receive a permanent employment contract as a temporary employee at Amadeus Fire AG, provided you meet the requirements.

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