Can I get a supply chain job w/o a SCM degree? Engineers wanted! $100K+ by age 30: simecurkovic.com

[@andrewturner9760]

I got to give you a big thank you Sime! I stumbled across your "What is Supply Chain Management" videos a few years back when I was working on deciding and declaring a major. I am now going into my last semester to get my supply chain major with a business analytics minor. I have already received countless job offers far exceeding my expectations. Thank you for helping me get on the right path to start my career.

[@simecurkovic]

Music to my ears Andrew! Thank you so much for letting me know. And you are just getting started! Stay competitive and the rewards will be amazing.

[@user-qy6tu9ip9v]

Do you need to code to do well in supply chain?

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Andrew: See below if you find this helpful (some of the material on the website is free). simecurkovic.com I hope all is well. FYI, I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. My goal is to create an endowed scholarship fund for future supply chain students so I can retire on a very high note. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/

[@simecurkovic]

Undergraduate Program Salary & Placement Trends Salary: *The average starting salary for undergraduates is $58,569, up from $56,973 in 2018 *Top 10 undergraduate programs:$63,067, up from $61,654 in 2018 Placement: *92% of graduates are placed within three months of graduation *74% are placed at or before graduation

[@simecurkovic]

Another engineer wanted in SCM! www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2667398343/?refId=qyobWLklS%2FK3F%2FIved1DdQ%3D%3D Sourcing Engineer IDEX Corporation Benton Harbor, MI 2 days ago 4 applicants Full-time · Entry level 5,001-10,000 employees · Machinery 3 connections · 8 school alumni Actively recruiting Apply SaveSave Sourcing Engineer at IDEX Corporation About the job Sourcing Engineer Benton Harbor, Michigan If you’re looking for a special place to build or grow your career, you’ve found it. Whether you’re an experienced professional, a recent college graduate or somewhere in between, IDEX is a place where you can apply your existing skills and learn new ones in an environment where you can make an impact. With interesting opportunities in engineering, marketing, sales, supply chain, operations, HR, finance, and more across more than 40 diverse businesses around the globe, chances are, we have something special for you. Are you ready to join a different kind of company where our people, our culture, and our commitments are centered around providing trusted solutions that improve lives around the world? IDEX is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Affirmative Action Employer. IDEX gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other consideration or protected category made unlawful by federal, state or local laws (Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled). Posted 3 Days Ago Full time R-01752 IDEX (NYSE: IEX) is a company that has undoubtedly touched your life in some way. In fact, IDEX businesses make thousands of products that are mission-critical components in everyday activities. Chances are the car you’re driving has a BAND-IT® clamp holding your side airbag safely in place. If you were ever in a car accident, a Hurst Jaws of Life® rescue tool may have saved your life. If you or a family member is battling cancer, your doctor may have tested your DNA in a quest to find the best targeted medicine for you. It’s likely your DNA test was run on equipment that contains components made by our growing IDEX Health & Science team.

[@simecurkovic]

Develop or sell these skill sets if you want to get into SCM... All SCM jobs need strategic skill sets (rather than tactical) combined with soft skills (i.e., problem solving, leadership, negotiation, project management, etc.). Other skills include (learn to be a consultant to your own org): 1) Gather & organize information about the problem to be solved or the procedure to be improved. 2) Interview personnel & conduct onsite observations to determine the methods, equipment, & personnel that will be needed. 3) Analyze financial and other data, including revenue, expenditure, & employment reports. 4) Develop solutions or alternative practices. 5) Recommend new systems, procedures, or organizational changes 6) Make recommendations to management through presentations or written reports. 7) Confer with managers to ensure changes are working. Employment of SCM analysts is projected to grow 14 percent from 2020 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. The average growth rate for all occupations is 5 percent. The median annual wage for these types of skill sets was $83,610 in 2019. The median annual wage for all workers was $38,640. You also need to learn (because SCM orgs have tons of data and more is coming with Industry 4.0): big data/predictive analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI.

[@simecurkovic]

Note, WMU supply chain grads from 2022 have a median wage range of $65-$75,000: lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. See where that ranks on The 10 highest-paying college majors list below. Can I get a supply chain job w/o a SCM degree? Engineers wanted! lnkd.in/dYVYxv84 How important are engineering skills in Supply Chain Mgmt? Can you talk to engineers? lnkd.in/ei79SUB. More jobs starting to look like SCM + Engineering…Purchasing Engineer (21,000 jobs on LI) wanted, see: lnkd.in/gqFd4jaG Here is some advice from SCM majors if you take a CAD class (that way you can talk to engineers at work): lnkd.in/e98iF_8 A company forwarded me a job posting for an entry level position in SCM & they especially wanted a SCM major w/ some of these skill sets (Special Product Procurement Specialist): 1. Collaborate w/ engineers, mfg team members, designers, suppliers, tool builders, & associates to complete Eng Change Orders. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1420: Eng Graphics) 2. Must be familiar in the use of common quality system processes such as sample submission, capability studies, etc. (Our students learn this in EDMM 3280: Quality Assurance & Control) 3. Basic understanding of manufacturing processes used for metal fabrication, concrete, wood, and plastics is preferred. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1500/1501: Processes & Materials in Mfg Lab) 4. Must possess the ability to read & interpret blueprints. (Our students learn this EDMM 1420: Eng Graphics) 5. Must be able to add, subtract, multiply, & divide in common units of measure & have a working knowledge of data collection, data analysis, & evaluation. (Our students learn this in CIS 2640: Big data) A few months ago, I had an HR manager tell me she had two entry SCM jobs but she was hoping for a CIS type for one & an engineer for the other. I asked her what about a SCM major that has super strong data analytics skills & takes engineering classes. She then asked: Does that even exist? I said YES. Reminder: many SCM students are Business Analytics minors & all are req’d to take eng classes. Why was the WMU SCM program ranked 2nd in SCM technology by SoftwareAdvice? Answer: Because our students minor in Business Analytics - lnkd.in/er3xiWj • Minor/Major: Business Analytics (e.g., big data & predictive analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, R, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI) Why do WMU SCM grads interact so well with engineers? Answer: We make them take engineering classes. EDMM 1420 Eng Graphics EDMM 1500 Intro to Mfg EDMM 1501 Processes & Materials in Mfg Lab EDMM 3280 Quality Assurance & Control EDMM 4870 Mfg Productivity Techniques EDMM 4880/MKTG 4880 Applied Process Reengineering EDMM 5120 Mgmt of Service Operations #careeradvice #supplychainmanagement

[@simecurkovic]

College Students & High Schoolers (and teachers & parents): Pick a major strong in technology. Penn State 1st, WMU 2nd for Undergraduate Tech Courses "Western Michigan University's integrated supply management program is truly special," says Forrest Burnson, research associate with Software Advice. "It ranked highly on our list due to the emphasis the program places on teaching software and technology in the classroom, in addition to its unique cross-discipline approach that requires students to take specialized engineering courses. WMU is well ahead of the curve in preparing a new generation of supply chain professionals, and other universities should look to the example it has set for what a truly modern supply chain management program looks like." The program is part of WMU's Haworth College of Business. Faculty in the program, college officials say, work diligently to ensure its relevancy for students and for employers who will be seeking talent from the program. Many of the information technology courses have been developed by WMU faculty in close consultation with members of the program's advisory council, which includes representatives from the top supply chain employers in the country. The WMU BA Minor: CIS 2640 - Applied Analytics Foundations This is the first business analytics course designed to give students comprehensive skills and in- depth knowledge to summarize, filter, present, transform and analyze business data to support business decisions. Emphasis will be placed on uncovering insights through visualization, basic business analytics techniques, report solutions, queries and database manipulation. CIS 2650 - Programming for Data Analytics Introduces programming for predictive analytics utilizing popular software languages. Programming concepts of, data structures, input-output, and flow control will be covered, as well as techniques applied by analysts to organize and interpret data that varies in type, volume, and rate of change. CIS 3640 - Visual Analytics This course is designed to give students with foundational analytics experience comprehensive skills, and in-depth knowledge in analytical problem solving through business examples with particular focus on visualizing analyses. Students will learn visual representation techniques to transform data into insights. Tools, techniques, and theories within the realm of business intelligence and data visualization will be explored, utilizing both productivity and specialized software. CIS 4640 - Business Data Mining This course focuses on the theoretical understanding and practical applications of data mining as a decision support tool. Specifically, it covers several types of modeling techniques and tools such as prediction, classification, segmentation and association detection algorithms. Students are introduced to the state-of-the-art data mining applications software such as SAS Enterprise Miner or SPSS Clementine for their class assignments and term project.

[@simecurkovic]

Future SCM managers will need to become consultants to their own organization... My first SCM job was very tactical and has been replaced by technology and automation. Over half of our SCM students also minor in Business Analytics (e.g., big data/analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI). We try to not only teach them how to use the technology, but also change the technology. Also, we gradually shifted our curriculum towards developing strategic skill sets (rather than tactical) combined with soft skills (i.e., problem solving, leadership, negotiation, project management, etc.). Others include: 1) Gather and organize information about the problem to be solved or the procedure to be improved. 2) Interview personnel and conduct onsite observations to determine the methods, equipment, and personnel that will be needed. 3) Analyze financial and other data, including revenue, expenditure, and employment reports. 4) Develop solutions or alternative practices. 5) Recommend new systems, procedures, or organizational changes 6) Make recommendations to management through presentations or written reports. 7) Confer with managers to ensure changes are working. So, future SCM managers will need to become consultants to their own organization. They in essence will evolve into management analysts in a niche area (SCM), but they will also need a strong general business acumen. Note, employment of management analysts is projected to grow 14 percent from 2020 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. The average growth rate for all occupations is 5 percent. Demand for the services of these workers should grow as organizations continue to seek ways to improve efficiency and control costs (SCM centered, not always, but often enough to justify majoring in it). The median annual wage for these types of skill sets was $83,610 in 2018. The median annual wage for all workers was $38,640.

[@simecurkovic]

Michael DeWitt 2nd degree connection2nd Retired Division PCL Manager at Parker Hannifin 1mo Having had the privilege of being an early member of the executive council of the WMU ISM program I am proud of what this program has accomplished and the results that show in the people it puts into supply chain. I remember early meetings talking about how this engineering exposure could be really game changing and the willingness of the staff to listen and then respond was really amazing. It truly set our WMU ISM grads apart from more traditional supply chain programs including my alma mater Michigan State which by the way the founding fathers of the WMU program came from. Sime, you and the team have been awesome.... Keep up the incredible work.

[@simecurkovic]

Why was the WMU ISM supply chain program ranked 2nd in SCM technology by SoftwareAdvice? Answer: Because our students minor in Business Analytics Minor/Major: Business Analytics (e.g., big data/analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI) The business analytics minor or major equips students with the analytical skills needed in a data-driven business setting. This is a growing field with direct relevance to activities in many business disciplines.Possible professional activities: Data mining Knowledge management Predictive analytics

[@simecurkovic]

Reminder: Yes, it is now time to start applying & interviewing for summer internships. Companies get budgets for internships approved months ahead of time & they often recruit nationally for the best talent. Some want to get this wrapped up by the end of the year, but you have to start looking now. Do not wait until Spring 2023 to find a Summer 2023 internship. Note, around ½ my students line up summer internships in the Fall & the other ½ during the Spring (so, it’s never too late). Just look at how demand > supply… There are already > 20,000 SCM 2023 internships posted: lnkd.in/gRKmr7QE & lnkd.in/gt98WuvK & > 60,000 business related internships. lnkd.in/gmMH5myb PERHAPS delay graduation for work experience & stay specialized...lnkd.in/gdr7f9wb lnkd.in/gARup7zr lnkd.in/g4-csGUy Should current students negotiate an INTERNSHIP offer (i.e., a higher salary)? Yes, since many orgs are offering students 20-30% below market value. The avg supply chain internship is $44,918/yr, or $21.6/hr. People on the lower end, bottom 10%, make $37K/yr ($17.80/hr), while the top 10% makes $54K ($25.96/hr). Over half our students are making over $20/hr. I firmly believe the program avg is around 20-22/hr. You can work in food customer service for $16/hr. Fed Ex is hiring manual part time laborers for 22.50/hr. You can collect unemployment & make around 16 per hour. Why would any company want to pay 20-30% below avg? I have soooo many students asking about STAR job interviews & online robots… lnkd.in/ePzz3NG lnkd.in/eZgTxWc STAR is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview question by discussing the situation, task, action, & result. Most companies use STAR. More help: lnkd.in/eyCv4x5 lnkd.in/eaxVjpK Help with online interviews & interviewing with robots (it is AI/machine learning technology)...lnkd.in/eKBDsMq Practice before it really matters (this is mainstream now)...lnkd.in/ekaBK5Q Exploding job offers & do you want a full time job to begin in a job rotation? lnkd.in/ervskG5 Students are getting lots of job offers... Reneging: Once you commit, quit! lnkd.in/e85beQ2 In U.S., 28% accepted a job offer & reneged! 70% of grads are willing to renege? Recent observations & career advice (videos/podcasts): lnkd.in/gJK8xBZe lnkd.in/g-CanjDx lnkd.in/gvPiGTt5 Tips/advice from this college professor (aka, educated idiot): 1. Read. People that read a lot make more $ (2.3 times more?!) lnkd.in/ggBDzJrp 2. Learn the job saving technology. lnkd.in/eu7ANq6 lnkd.in/gE3wp6JU 3. Learn to interview well. lnkd.in/ePzz3NG and lnkd.in/eZgTxWc How to prep for virtual career fairs: lnkd.in/evKd-VzQ Being job ready… lnkd.in/ed-ZfanD 4. Learn to negotiate ($). lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh and lnkd.in/guTUcvdu 5. Learn to network & use LinkedIn. lnkd.in/gPZPQtqR lnkd.in/dAwyTUy lnkd.in/gFa3iCsg 6. Delay graduation for experience. lnkd.in/ewKu7b_X 7. Learn to problem solve - lnkd.in/eWaJ8q2 lnkd.in/gSVTKmwC 8. Double Major? lnkd.in/gAViGTVG lnkd.in/gqAE9u8W 9. Get a grad degree? Earn $3M more than someone w/ only a bachelor’s degree. lnkd.in/g5FY5aty lnkd.in/gA9KH-Ff 10. Job rotations? lnkd.in/ervskG5 11. 10 college majors that earn the most money: lnkd.in/gcSqXwyJ & lnkd.in/gEXGmFfU. 12. Free tool for calculating degree ROI: lnkd.in/gEPwNSTJ lnkd.in/gsKyJ9rn 13. Get certified as a subject matter expert: lnkd.in/g3yfkvQr lnkd.in/gVbQV2q7 14. Learn to talk CFO talk: lnkd.in/gtve9xTM #internships #careeradvice #interviewing #supplychain

[@simecurkovic]

Here is my thought on the Business Analytics minor and how to sell CIS 2650 to employers... First of all, CIS 2650 is not just a "Python" class, but instead a Python class for analytics (big difference). In a traditional Python class, people teach Python straight for the whole semester with tons of syntax, data structure, software development, etc. That type of class is mostly designed for CIS and CS majors. What we do is different. It is Python in a popular analytics platform (more technically speaking, it is Python in Jupyter, which is an analytics platform that data science and business analytics programs do). Can you imagine what an employer will think if they see Python in Jupyter on your resume? The reason for this design is the following: • We studied the top skills in analytics jobs and Python was among the top skills. • The visualization libraries in Python can produce the kind of visualizations not available in Tableau and Power BI. Students will be able to differentiate themselves from other schools. This will be huge in the next Gartner Top 20 Undergrad SCM program rankings. We are ahead of the curve, but only slightly (Penn State is right there with us on this stuff). • Tableau and Power BI recently added Python or Python+Jupyter because certain Python analytics and visualization are not available in Tableau and Power BI. Using them together makes it a powerful analytics solution (e.g., the ability to transform visualization into implementable actions). • All data scientists stress the importance of Python in analytics programs. Note, "data scientist" is one of the fastest growing career paths with escalating salaries because not enough people are good at this stuff. • Python are "R" are both number one and two in analytics, but Python is easier to learn compared to R. • Past experience in the ISM program (3+ semesters of experience in CIS 2650) shows that non-technical students (ISM, marketing, accounting, etc.) are able to handle the content that we designed. • Python + Jupyter (or its variant) are used in Big Data (Hadoop, Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, etc.). It can also be used with/on SAP HANA, IoT, AI, Blockchain, and smart contracts to implement supply chain visibility, and other SC related solutions, etc. Meeting the needs of today's employers is important, but offering a program that does that plus something that can differentiate our students from other schools sounds even better. Compared to the analytics programs from the schools that we benchmarked, our students can do so much more. The WMU BA minor: CIS 2640 - Applied Analytics Foundations This is the first business analytics course designed to give students comprehensive skills and in- depth knowledge to summarize, filter, present, transform and analyze business data to support business decisions. Emphasis will be placed on uncovering insights through visualization, basic business analytics techniques, report solutions, queries and database manipulation. CIS 2650 - Programming for Data Analytics Introduces programming for predictive analytics utilizing popular software languages. Programming concepts of, data structures, input-output, and flow control will be covered, as well as techniques applied by analysts to organize and interpret data that varies in type, volume, and rate of change. CIS 3640 - Visual Analytics This course is designed to give students with foundational analytics experience comprehensive skills, and in-depth knowledge in analytical problem solving through business examples with particular focus on visualizing analyses. Students will learn visual representation techniques to transform data into insights. Tools, techniques, and theories within the realm of business intelligence and data visualization will be explored, utilizing both productivity and specialized software. CIS 4640 - Business Data Mining This course focuses on the theoretical understanding and practical applications of data mining as a decision support tool. Specifically, it covers several types of modeling techniques and tools such as prediction, classification, segmentation and association detection algorithms. Students are introduced to the state-of-the-art data mining applications software such as SAS Enterprise Miner or SPSS Clementine for their class assignments and term project.

[@simecurkovic]

College Students & High Schoolers (and teachers & parents): Major in something at a place that is nationally ranked. Program Major Credit Hours (twice most other programs): The unique curriculum of the ISM program is the result of integrating supply chain, information technology, continuous improvement and engineering curriculum from five departments across two colleges. Curriculum includes 13 supply-chain-specific courses (43 credits)-more than other well-known programs. Required courses include one dedicated to learning ERP systems and processes by using SAP. All students take Try-Z, an intensive, three-day capstone course in which student teams use Deming’s Plan-Do-Act management cycle. ISM majors are required to obtain professional work experience, such as internships, prior to graduation. Students have an opportunity to obtain a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt by completing an industry project using DMAIC. As of 2019, close to half of ISM majors are Business Analytics Minors (e.g., big data/analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI). Supply chain management major coursework: MGMT 2800-Intro to Supply Management MGMT 3200-Managing ERP Systems (SAP) MGMT 3810-Experiential Live Six-Sigma Lean Problem-Solving (DMAIC & A3) EDMM 3280-Quality Assurance and Control EDMM 1420-Engineering Graphics EDMM 1500/1501-Intro to Manufacturing/Processes and Materials in Manufacturing MKTG 3720-Sourcing and Purchasing MKTG 4630-Supply Chain Logistics MGMT 4640-Production Management and Control LAW 4840-International Business Law or LAW 4860-Marketing and Sales Law (Advanced Contract Negotiation) GEOG 3010-Fundamentals of Geographic Info Systems or EDMM WMU Integrated Supply Management (ISM)...Nation's best undergraduate SCM program (Gartner 2014); 2nd in SCM technology (SoftwareAdvice 2015); 2nd in top global SCM talent (SCM World 2017) Email me anytime: [e-mail]

[@shantariancooper1959]

Was thinking about changing my mechanical engineering degree to this because I have a background in diesel engines and trucking but since watching this video I will continue my route plan! Thanks alot!

[@user-qy6tu9ip9v]

I think I might be screwed for supply chain management because I don't like coding.

[@simecurkovic]

For more information: www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/here-is-some-advice-from-supply-chain-majors-if-you-take-a-cad-class-that-way-you-can-talk-to-engineers-at-work/ www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/how-important-are-engineering-skills-in-supply-chain-management-can-you-talk-to-engineers/ www.simecurkovic.com/2022/01/14/this-great-student-got-this-great-job-he-majored-in-supply-chain-minored-in-business-data-analytics-accounting-note-college-accounting-to-m/ www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/another-student-question-what-subjects-are-required-in-supply-chain-management/ www.simecurkovic.com/2022/02/10/salaries-in-scm-are-going-up-already-average-10k-20k-higher-than-entry-level-positions-in-other-fields-quickest-way-to-six-figures-answer-scm/

[@simecurkovic]

Advice to college grads: when you start working...Spend some serious time watching your company's product be built from beginning to end (from the time materials come in until the finished product leaves the facility). Further, study in detail how a customer order is processed (from the time the order is made until your customer has the product/service in their hands). If you put several hours into this, and perhaps even map out the details, you will become a SCM genius and help your employer do all things SCM related better, faster, and cheaper. If you do this, chances are, you will identify a lot of low hanging fruit to generate deliverables and results (for your employer and your resume).

[@simecurkovic]

Engineering Management: www.linkedin.com/posts/bhanu-pratap-singh-1083_engineering-management-activity-7039769991465869312-tZ5w? For great posts and material, follow: www.linkedin.com/in/bhanu-pratap-singh-1083/

[@simecurkovic]

Why do WMU ISM supply chain graduates interact so well with engineers? Answer: We make them take engineering classes. EDMM 1420 Engineering Graphics: Essentials of engineering graphics including technical sketching, CAD applications, applied geometry, orthographic projection, section, dimensioning, tolerancing, threads and fasteners, weldments, detail and assembly drawing, charting and basic elements of descriptive geometry. EDMM 1500 Introduction to Manufacturing: Analysis and application of a broad range of modern manufacturing techniques utilized in industry. Exploration of production methods as influenced by historical impact, materials, processes, productivity, ethics, and social/environmental concerns. The global challenges to product design, performance, quality, and economic considerations will be investigated. EDMM 1501 Processes and Materials in Manufacturing Laboratory: The purpose of this laboratory course is to use introductory processes and materials found in manufacturing. Major topics include manufacturing principles and organization, principle processes used to make metal, plastic and ceramic parts, design considerations for computer integrated manufacturing, simultaneous engineering. EDMM 3280 Quality Assurance and Control: Techniques of controlling quality in manufacturing systems. Topics include organization of quality, methods of measurement, and basic statistical tools. EDMM 4870 Manufacturing Productivity Techniques: The application of modern systems for engineering design and the re-engineering of manufacturing and service operations from the initial product design to delivery of the final product. Emphasis will be on manufacturing systems, principles, practices and procedures to enhance productivity, quality, and customer service in a global business environment. EDMM 4880/MKTG 4880 Applied Process Reengineering: Application of analytical and process measurement techniques to process design decisions. Benefits of process standardization and improvement. EDMM 5120 Management of Service Operations: An analysis of service industries, exploring differences in planning and controlling operations. Emphasis will be on service system design, service quality, and comparing customer expectations with their perceptions. Ready to make over $70K/yr. upon graduation & over $100K by age 30 (& change the world)? Let’s get started. WMU Integrated Supply Management (ISM)...Nation's best undergraduate SCM program (Gartner 2014); 2nd in SCM technology (SoftwareAdvice 2015); 2nd in top global SCM talent (SCM World 2017)

[@simecurkovic]

www.simecurkovic.com/posts-page/ www.simecurkovic.com/membership/ - Supply chain knowledge for everyone. Explore, learn, & connect - Do your job better, faster, & cheaper - Join my network to reach thousands of SCM students, faculty, & professionals - Hot Market: Over 25,000 SCM internships and > 250,000 full-time jobs Join to get access to endless current SCM content and job postings. Bring your SCM needs and questions, and I will provide you with timely and thorough feedback. If you join our growing community today, you will have access to Sime Curkovic’s expertise through blog posts, articles and videos. You’ll also gain access to Dr. Curkovic for one-on-one advice. Dr. Curkovic (please do not call me Dr.) has more than 30 years experience working to shape the future of SCM professionals. Check out this intro lecture (>217K views). Have access to > 50 hours of timely SCM content with > 4,400 KZbin & > 20K LinkedIn followers, & thousands of views daily.

[@simecurkovic]

I had a SCM professional ask: “I don’t even know basic python yet . I want to get to the more advance items but I am not ready yet . I’ve done research into different courses but there are so many basic courses, I’m not sure which one is actually useful for someone looking to do supply chain analysis.” Some options: You could try one of those intro python classes at coursera or udemy. Just a word of warning, the lack of interactivity and support at those MOOCs usually causes a super low retention rate (9% - 16%). The person needs quite a bit of dedication to successfully finish it. After that, look for a second course in analytics, data science or machine learning using python. This assumes that he/she is interested in using python for those. Otherwise, invest time in pre-built specialized software packages (e.g., Rapidminer, XLminer, Knime, SAS, SPSS, etc.). I kind of like these bootcamp (such as at MSU) but it seems to be an aggressive design. Each of the topics listed under their “Market-Driven Skills” is usually a semester-long course. I am not sure if they are targeting people with some experience in these areas. But, yes, it seems to be an interesting program. The same thing applies to analytics certificates offered through MOOCs, such as Coursera, EdX and others. One caveat that SCM grads should know is that many of these online programs lack the required hand-holding experience. This is why the retention rates of MOOCs are usually in single digits. We find that this hand-holding experience is essential to motivate students to complete the training. bootcamp.msu.edu/data/landing/?msg_cv_scta=4&msg_cv_stbn=1&msg_cv_fcta=1&fqvar1=3&Data&DGPAdvanceUpskiller01_DGPAudTest1_rfullg&SponsoredContent&MSU47_SCI&L2067A_SponsoredContent-Image_Data_Detroit_DGPAdvanceUpskiller01_rfullg_DGPAudTest1_BrandedModel1_CPC&li_fat_id=e627c4e1-d133-41a6-86ec-57fd4b25a952 MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. It is an online course that is designed to be open and accessible to a large number of participants. MOOCs offer a flexible learning environment, allowing participants to learn at their own pace and from anywhere in the world. MOOCs are typically delivered through an online platform that provides access to course materials, videos, quizzes, and discussion forums. MOOCs are usually free and open to anyone who wants to enroll. Some MOOCs may also offer a paid option to receive a verified certificate of completion or academic credit. MOOCs are offered by a variety of institutions, including universities, educational organizations, and private companies. MOOCs have gained popularity in recent years because they offer a convenient and cost-effective way to learn new skills and advance your career. They cover a wide range of topics, from computer science and engineering to business and the humanities. www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_will-i-have-to-learn-and-do-a-lot-of-coding-activity-7029050409201668096-Srar?

[@simecurkovic]

I get this question often, should I pick up another major with my SCM major and/or pick up a minor, and if so which one? I assume you are doing a SCM major to get a SCM entry level managerial position. Basically, that means you want the degree to get a job in SCM, right? OK, so the answer to your question is will the other major or minor compliment your SCM degree? In other words, will it provide you with additional skill sets valued in SCM roles and jobs? I am a huge fan of our Business Analytics minor because SCM jobs require using technology. For example, most SCM jobs have huge amounts of data and you have to make sense of that data (so big data, data analytics, Excel, etc.). Also, you have to not only use the hundreds of thousands of lines of data to make decisions, you have to visualize the data for other SCM managers to buy into your decisions (Power BI, Tableau, etc.). And sometimes, you have to change the code in the technology to get it to do what you want it to do (Python). Without that Business Analytics minor you would not be able to do those things. So, the BA minor compliments the SCM degree. You asked about double majoring in Marketing and SCM. I love it. In fact, at WMU we have a Food Marketing & Consumer Products/Packaging degree, we call it FMK (the best in the world). The FMK industry is one of the largest and most important industries in the world. During Covid 19, it flourished and saved the world in many ways because its supply chain just kept on working. In fact, what was the most popular term during Covid 19? Supply Chain. Look at what industries and jobs flourished during covid 19 (i.e., consumer products/food and supply chain management). I actually had students interview and get job offers during covid 19! OK, back to your question. Does Marketing compliment a SCM degree and job role? Yes, especially lately. Most SCM professionals are tasked with doing things better , faster, and cheaper. They often have to work on creating cost savings with their suppliers. Why? Reducing costs is the same as making more money. This is especially true of companies that struggle to gain market share because markets are too saturated. However, there are lots of companies in growth industries that not only want to cut costs but they want to grow market share (i.e., technology, consumer products, medical equipment, healthcare, etc.). So, for example, Stryker is a Fortune 500 company in Kalamazoo, MI that designs and builds medical equipment. It is in a growth industry and Stryker is obsessed with growth and market share (they double in size every 5-10 years). A hospital system comes to Stryker and says I really need this kind of product but no one makes it. Stryker says, how much would you be willing to pay for this product? The hospital system says, if you can design and build it to do what I want, I would pay you $10,000 for each and buy X amount annually for the next several years. Stryker then goes back to its SCM group and says, reverse market this product. That means, go to our suppliers and engineers and figure out how to make this darn thing for $40, so we can sell it for $100. That is called reverse marketing and/or reverse supply chain management. In fact, Marketing is asking their SCM group to help them sell more of their stuff that makes them a lot of money. In other words, SCM, can you help us not only cut costs, but also help us sell stuff. In other words, help support our growth strategy. And growth strategy is Marketing. So, yes, Marketing and SCM are blending in ways which would really support you double majoring in both. Another example, the data proves that companies which can get products into the marketplace faster and before the competition not only sell more stuff, they can charge higher prices (in other words, command better margins and make more money - people are willing to pay a premium for stuff that is newer - do I really need a new iPhone now? No, but I am willing to pay a premium for the latest and greatest version). So, who does Marketing ask for help with getting products into the market sooner and faster? Yes, SCM. How can SCM help get products into the market faster? Read below if you want more details. ESI = early supplier involvement and CE = concurrent engineering, and they mean the same thing. Before companies go into production with new products, they have to design those products, it is called the new product development process (NPD). Companies expect suppliers to do a lot of the design work for the parts that will go into their new products. ESI and CE is bringing suppliers on board during the new product development process so suppliers and companies can work on design issues from the beginning and together. That way, when they go into production, there are fewer issues. ESI and CE gives companies a chance to do things better, faster, and cheaper. Companies are under competitive pressure to get through the new product development process in record time so that they can get their products into the market sooner than later. The ability to do this is called Time Based Competition (TBC). ESI and CE is driving TBC (along with technology and standardization). In the past, companies (OEMs) would do all the design work and just dump off blue prints to suppliers right before the product went into production. Now, the OEMs expect their suppliers to do the design work and integrate these suppliers in the NPD process from the beginning. Every decision and investment dollar has to translate into helping companies do it better, faster, and cheaper. If it does not, it is non-value added (get rid of it). ESI and CE requires a lot of work and investment, but data shows that it pays for itself very quickly. In other words, it is very value-added.

[@simecurkovic]

You can follow me at: medium.com/@sime.curkovic

[@simecurkovic]

Advice from this college professor (aka, educated idiot): 1. People that read make 2.3x more: lnkd.in/ggBDzJrp 2. Learn job saving technology. lnkd.in/eu7ANq6 & lnkd.in/gE3wp6JU 3. Learn to interview well. lnkd.in/ePzz3NG and lnkd.in/eZgTxWc How to prep for virtual career fairs: lnkd.in/evKd-VzQ Being job ready… lnkd.in/ed-ZfanD 4. Learn to negotiate ($). lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh & lnkd.in/guTUcvdu 5. Network & use LinkedIn. lnkd.in/gPZPQtqR & lnkd.in/dAwyTUy & lnkd.in/gFa3iCsg. 6. Delay graduation for experience. lnkd.in/ewKu7b_X 7. Learn to problem solve - lnkd.in/eWaJ8q2 & lnkd.in/gSVTKmwC. 8. Double Major? lnkd.in/gAViGTVG & lnkd.in/gqAE9u8W. 9. Get a grad degree? Earn $3M more. lnkd.in/g5FY5aty & lnkd.in/gA9KH-Ff. 10. Job rotations? lnkd.in/ervskG5 11. 10 college majors that earn the most $: lnkd.in/gcSqXwyJ & lnkd.in/gEXGmFfU. 12. Tool for calculating degree ROI: lnkd.in/gEPwNSTJ & lnkd.in/gsKyJ9rn. 13. Get certified as a SME: lnkd.in/g3yfkvQr & lnkd.in/gVbQV2q7. 14. Learn to talk CFO talk: lnkd.in/gtve9xTM.

[@simecurkovic]

I love this job title! Engineers in SCM wanted! Strategic Sourcing Engineer brunswick.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/search/job/Lowell-MI/Battery-Strategic-Sourcing-Engineer_JR-027597

[@simecurkovic]

More advice: scmtalent.com/podcast-sime-curkovic In This Episode: We speak with Sime Curkovic, a Professor of Operations and Sourcing Management at Western Michigan University. Sime talks about his start in supply chain along with how he got into becoming a supply chain instructor. He provides an in-depth dive into the hard skills and soft skills students need in order to best appeal to what employers are looking for. In particular, he shines a light the ability to use data analytics and make better and faster decisions using the cloud-based tools available today vs. trying to work with just color-coded Excel spreadsheets. He sees supply chain as a well rounded major with lots of upside. He also places high value on hands-on, experiential learning. Sime sees hybrid work as the future, but is concerned about totally remote positions that may not provide the best value out of talent. He also encourages students to look at the big picture of where work can develop you rather than simply chasing money. He places very high value on the ability to grow your networks. Sime closes by emphasizing how setting aside time for reading can greatly impact your career.

[@simecurkovic]

Do supply chain managers need the technical skills to interact well with engineers? Why do WMU ISM supply chain graduates interact so well with engineers? Answer: We make them take engineering classes. lnkd.in/ei79SUB Engineers wanted for SCM Jobs! Watch: lnkd.in/e6U74N6k _____ A company forwarded me a job posting for an entry level position in supply chain & they especially wanted a SCM major with some of these skill sets (Special Product Procurement Specialist): 1. Collaborate with engineers, manufacturing team members, designers, suppliers, tool builders, and associates to complete Engineering Change Orders. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1420: Engineering Graphics) 2. Must be familiar in the use of common quality system processes such as sample submission, capability studies, etc. (Our students learn this in EDMM 3280: Quality Assurance & Control) 3. Basic understanding of manufacturing processes used for metal fabrication, concrete, wood, and plastics is preferred. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1500/1501: Processes & Materials in Mfg Laboratory) 4. Must possess the ability to read & interpret blueprints. (Our students learn this EDMM 1420: Engineering Graphics) 5. Must be able to add, subtract, multiply, & divide in common units of measure & have a working knowledge of data collection, data analysis, and evaluation. (Our students learn this in CIS 2640: Big data/predictive analytics) Yes, this company is located in Kalamazoo & they know they can find the talent at WMU. _____ A few months ago, I had an HR manager tell me she had two entry SCM jobs but she was hoping for a CIS type for one & an engineer for the other. I asked her what about a SCM major that has super strong data analytics skills & takes engineering classes. She then asked: Does that even exist? I said YES. Reminder: many WMU ISM students are Business Analytics minors & all are req’d to take engineering classes. Why was the WMU ISM supply chain program ranked 2nd in SCM technology by SoftwareAdvice? Answer: Because our students minor in Business Analytics - lnkd.in/er3xiWj • Minor (the most popular for our SCM students): Business Data Analytics (e.g., big data & predictive analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, R, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI) Why do WMU ISM supply chain graduates interact so well with engineers? Answer: We make them take engineering classes. EDMM 1420 Engineering Graphics EDMM 1500 Introduction to Manufacturing EDMM 1501 Processes & Materials in Manufacturing Laboratory EDMM 3280 Quality Assurance & Control EDMM 4870 Manufacturing Productivity Techniques EDMM 4880/MKTG 4880 Applied Process Reengineering EDMM 5120 Management of Service Operations

[@simecurkovic]

New lectures/career advice can be found at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGLSo36YfKl4mK8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWrGqndvrsl6adk kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZmykHyqrat6pqc

[@simecurkovic]

Advice that I give my SCM students on grad school: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnenYoVmecqSsLM and kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYTXaaGkgdNrgcU

[@simecurkovic]

32nd Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends: Navigating a Shallow Pool of Resources www.scmr.com/article/32nd-annual-study-of-logistics-and-transportation-trends?Newsletter&Email&TWISC&oly_enc_id=3358G3995623A8W Wow…”For the 2nd year in a row, a mere 19% of professionals are highly likely to encourage their child or the child of a close friend to pursue a career in transportation or logistics. When asked why they would not recommend a career in logistics and transportation, participants cited concerns about career progression, work-life balance, salary prospects, and industry volatility.” Logistics salary data: lnkd.in/gC63-My4. What’s The Difference Between Logistics And Supply Chain Management? (And Why It Matters): lnkd.in/gAQZr_mC. We are now touching on the Logistics & Supply Chain Management distinction in my Intro to SCM class. Students are shocked by how broad SCM really is (they were concerned it was too “nichey”). Also, our new SCM major curriculum is well underway (and now ALL majors can minor in supply chain...all products and services have a supply chain). Notice, that now our students will take 2 "procurement" classes and 2 "logistics" classes. The majority of our SCM students go into "procurement", but "logistics" is the fastest growing career path in our program. For a long time, we required a single procurement class & a single logistics class. They simply were not enough as one class left little time to focus on the strategic issues. So, starting in Fall 2023, our SCM majors will be required to take 2 sourcing classes & 2 transportation classes. The BLS is projecting that logistics jobs will grow by 7%/yr through 2026. lnkd.in/gikMwzgX. Logistics $ Data: lnkd.in/gKXinFJC. Also, Logistics Careers: lnkd.in/gg9MZjcM. WMU Supply Chain Mgmt Program: lnkd.in/eprKKbF lnkd.in/gp6VX_e3 MKTG 2750 Global Negotiation SCM 2200 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems SCM 2800 Introduction to Supply Chain Mgmt SCM 3000 Production Planning SCM 3030 Procurement Mgmt SCM 3050 Logistics and Transportation Mgmt SCM 3800 Continuous Improvement Theory & Practice SCM 3810 Applied Continuous Improvement Project SCM 5030 Strategic Sourcing; or LAW 4840; or LAW 4860 (3 credits required) SCM 5050 Strategic Transportation Mgmt CIS 2640 Applied Analytics Foundations Or a minor in Business Analytics What skills come with the Business Analytics minor?... 1. Adv Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau,Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib); 3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science; 4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy); 5. Relational data models (Excel data model); 6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn,Matplotlib,Pandas, & Plotly). lnkd.in/gxRayD3j

[@simecurkovic]

College Students & High Schoolers (and teachers & parents): If you are curious about majoring in Supply Chain. Sample Lectures & Should You Major in Supply Chain Management? lnkd.in/e9j33EQ Ready to make over $70K/yr. upon graduation & over $100K by age 30 (& change the world)? Let’s get started. WMU Integrated Supply Management (ISM)...Nation's best undergraduate SCM program (Gartner 2014); 2nd in SCM technology (SoftwareAdvice 2015); 2nd in top global SCM talent (SCM World 2017) Learn more about Western Michigan University’s top supply chain program at: www.wmich.edu/supplychain Where do students end up? ORGANIZATIONS Rolls Royce, General Dynamics, Monsanto, BorgWarner, Whirlpool, John Deere, General Motors, GE Aviation, Hormel Foods, Hydro Aluminum, American Airlines, Kellogg’s, Pepsi, Eaton, IBM, JB Hunt, MANN+HUMMEL, Apple, Gentex, Marathon Petroleum, US Army, Coca-Cola, 3M, J.B. Hunt, Parker Hannifin As of 2019, average starting salary is around $62K. Since 2012, the auto and aerospace industries have hired very aggressively. One OEM starts students at $75K. Email me anytime: [e-mail] College Students & High Schoolers (and teachers & parents): Please reach out if you are curious about majoring in Supply Chain Management. Program Major Credit Hours (twice most other programs): The unique curriculum of the ISM program is the result of integrating supply chain, information technology, continuous improvement and engineering curriculum from five departments across two colleges. Curriculum includes 13 supply-chain-specific courses (43 credits)-more than other well-known programs. Required courses include one dedicated to learning ERP systems and processes by using SAP. All students take Try-Z, an intensive, three-day capstone course in which student teams use Deming’s Plan-Do-Act management cycle. ISM majors are required to obtain professional work experience, such as internships, prior to graduation. Students have an opportunity to obtain a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt by completing an industry project using DMAIC. As of 2019, close to half of ISM majors are Business Analytics Minors (e.g., big data/analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI). Supply chain management major coursework: MGMT 2800-Intro to Supply Management MGMT 3200-Managing ERP Systems (SAP) MGMT 3810-Experiential Live Six-Sigma Lean Problem-Solving (DMAIC & A3) EDMM 3280-Quality Assurance and Control EDMM 1420-Engineering Graphics EDMM 1500/1501-Intro to Manufacturing/Processes and Materials in Manufacturing MKTG 3720-Sourcing and Purchasing MKTG 4630-Supply Chain Logistics MGMT 4640-Production Management and Control LAW 4840-International Business Law or LAW 4860-Marketing and Sales Law (Advanced Contract Negotiation) GEOG 3010-Fundamentals of Geographic Info Systems or EDMM 4870-Manufacturing Productivity Techniques or EM 5120-Management of Service Operations EDMM 4880 or MKTG 4880-Applied Process Reengineering (Try-Z) Minor/Major: Business Analytics (e.g., big data/analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI) Where do students end up? JOB TITLES Supply Chain Specialist, Business Services or IS Consultant, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain Buyer, Procurement Coordinator, Strategic Sourcing Commodity Manager, Procurement Coordinator, Procurement Analyst ORGANIZATIONS Rolls Royce, General Dynamics, Monsanto, BorgWarner, Whirlpool, John Deere, General Motors, GE Aviation, Hormel Foods, Hydro Aluminum, American Airlines, Kellogg’s, Pepsi, Eaton, IBM, JB Hunt, MANN+HUMMEL, Apple, Gentex, Marathon Petroleum, US Army, Coca-Cola, 3M, J.B. Hunt, Parker Hannifin As of 2019, average starting salary is around $62K. Since 2012, the auto and aerospace industries have hired very aggressively. One OEM starts students at $75K. Email me anytime: [e-mail]

[@simecurkovic]

Recent observations & career advice (videos/podcasts): kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGLSo36YfKl4mK8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWrGqndvrsl6adk kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZmykHyqrat6pqc What is SCM?... kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3jXaGR-rbypopY kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2XKlYqPba6Il6M kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoPWqaWfd9h4rpY

[@simecurkovic]

Newer Supply Chain Salary Data. Avg salary $144,017 (2021: $131,771): lnkd.in/gESQFNZa - 2022 salaries are up across the board. On avg, supply chain pros are making $126,215/yr, an increase from $112,779 in 2021, but on par w/ 2020’s avg of $126,475. The median salary in 2022 is now $108K. 20% earn $150K - $249,999/yr, while 16% earn $120K -$149,999. 12% earn between $90K-$99,999, & 10% earn $100K-$119,999. At the higher end of the scale, 9% earn more than $250K/yr. For details, see: lnkd.in/gbumc4Wb www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_demand-for-supply-chain-talent-has-never-activity-6948229678465765376-VLXb? "The demand for logistics talent has never been greater. The low unemployment rate has created a supply/demand imbalance, spurring employers to raise salaries in a bid to attract and retain top talent. Of the 454 respondents to DC Velocity’s 19th annual Salary Survey, nearly three-quarters (72%) saw a boost in their total compensation in the past year." lnkd.in/gESQFNZa & lnkd.in/gW-U-KHK & lnkd.in/gJquYyT4 SCM $ Information - 2021: lnkd.in/gpMvehY5 2021: lnkd.in/gn5jM9xt 2020: lnkd.in/gcsrX6tr 2018: lnkd.in/gTBMP5dM lnkd.in/eQvfFMc lnkd.in/g7YamZCU Placement success of ISM Program - *Median salary was $60K-65K (10% of grads hired on w/ 1 auto OEM at $78K!). lnkd.in/gV4x6GWE Should college grads negotiate a higher starting salary? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh. "$ in SCM are going up & avg $10-20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields." lnkd.in/deYpduqZ Should current students negotiate an INTERNSHIP offer? The avg SCM internship is $44,918/yr, or $21.6/hr. People on bottom 10%, make $37K/yr ($17.80/hr), while the top 10% makes $54K ($25.96/hr). lnkd.in/gpBm_m84 JOB SECURITY? U.S. News recently predicted that SCM jobs would expand by 25% w/i 10 years & identified SCM as one of the “20 Best Business Jobs.” SCM is also included in lists that rank top career fields for women (lnkd.in/gKF3-iXu.) "...it’s clear that SCM professionals are poised to become the most powerful executives in the world..." CEOs Will Come from SCM? lnkd.in/eGb9u-3 and lnkd.in/gVC7TNCT 10 college majors that earn the most: lnkd.in/gEXGmFfU MBA graduate can expect to earn $3 million more than someone with only a bachelor’s degree. When is the right time for grad school? Avg age is 33. lnkd.in/gka9Qqmg Laundry list of $ reports: lnkd.in/d4_bYNF lnkd.in/gzM6ZtaC lnkd.in/gakfzs6r lnkd.in/gv4SmiWB lnkd.in/gFvMk35E lnkd.in/ghZpE-rR lnkd.in/gJuGinEi lnkd.in/e6K8NNhg lnkd.in/g-4qtPMz lnkd.in/gHPHHA3p lnkd.in/gd5PJD_6 lnkd.in/gYB7qt7F lnkd.in/gu_SDNEf lnkd.in/gPxfuGUZ lnkd.in/gYq5SMMc $: lnkd.in/g8sN6tqZ lnkd.in/gt_vDR9c lnkd.in/gNbVwX-s lnkd.in/g_m_6jA2 #salary #salaryguide2022 #salarynegotiation #supplychain

[@simecurkovic]

simecurkovic.com I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/ Thank you again! Sime

[@simecurkovic]

My advice to my students with SCM undergraduate degrees, engineers might benefit from hearing this also: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnenYoVmecqSsLM kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYTXaaGkgdNrgcU

[@simecurkovic]

Reads… How should companies use competitive bidding? lnkd.in/gS9vCRQ6 Assume a supplier estimates the following costs on an RFQ lnkd.in/gxFBz3_U ROI and Your Core Competency (i.e., SCM?) lnkd.in/euh2rFdU To stay competitive, companies are forced to outsource commodities and focus on their core competency lnkd.in/g-DHtt8X The primary elements for sourcing a supply partner lnkd.in/ga2xtDsi What does it mean to be hollow? Sourcing Strategy matters! lnkd.in/gHB-nzeJ The most reprinted article in the Harvard Business Review: The “Core Competence” Article lnkd.in/gDsHme-r You have every legal right to say you want a “cost breakdown” lnkd.in/gygd5bzs Procurement 101: Explanation on Commodities lnkd.in/g_nEgvhJ How do companies outsource strategically? lnkd.in/gevbRKEq POs & Advanced Contract Mgmt: lnkd.in/gcpHEEvw How SCM managers “prepare” to negotiate price increases. lnkd.in/gVrdpuer Hundreds of SCM Blogs… lnkd.in/e5zG6sZ lnkd.in/g9_XQdaG

[@simecurkovic]

Working Professionals: Are you interested in becoming Lean Six Sigma certified? Western Michigan's Supply Chain Management center is offering a two-day class to earn your Yellow Belt in April at a 20% discount. For more info: lnkd.in/gFaYAhyN Leading the way with Lean Six Sigma: WMU students earn certification. lnkd.in/g2VDbEPx. The ability to get certified in continuous improvement methodologies and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) techniques all before graduation is just one way students are preparing to become business leaders. A group of 13 graduate & 20 undergrad students across the college’s academic programs had the opportunity to earn their LSS Yellow Belt Certifications. The LSS training, which focuses on continuous improvement (CI) techniques, is offered by the Center for SCM. The center intends to make the tools and skills for the methodology accessible to all. To receive the LSS Yellow Belt Certification, students had to meet training requirements and take a qualifying exam-which is the same exam that certifies industry professionals. Tom Kelly, faculty specialist and associate director of the Center for Integrated Supply Management, and Dr. Tom Scannell, professor of marketing, are LSS Black Belt-certified. They provide LSS training and certification for industry professionals, and incorporate that training into their WMU courses. Students in process mgmt courses who met specific criteria were eligible to take the certification test. Coursework for those classes cover topics on the exam such as: *Understanding the philosophy, principles and strategy of Lean and Six Sigma. *Evaluating the voice of the customer to develop key performance and behavioral indicators. *Identifying improvement opportunities and creating effective problem and goal statements. *Using a scientific approach such as Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) or Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) to conduct root cause analysis and problem solving. *Developing and interpreting continuous improvement tools such as process mapping, Pareto diagrams, run charts, scatter diagrams, histograms and box plots. *Eliminating or minimizing the sources and impacts of waste and variances in processes. *Understanding the importance of culture, leadership and change management to drive continuous improvement throughout the organization. “When we developed the content for our graduate and undergrad courses, we noticed that there was a significant overlap with Lean Six Sigma principles and the training we provide to industry clients through the center,” remarks Scannell, “We always want to put students in a position where they can take advantage of the information they learn in our courses-ensuring there is a value-add to the material that will benefit them in their upcoming careers.” Rest of story: lnkd.in/g2VDbEPx #supplychain #problemsolving #yellowbelt #sixsigma #sixsigmacertification

[@simecurkovic]

Note, WMU supply chain grads from 2022 have a median wage range of $65-$75,000: lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. See where that ranks on The 10 highest-paying college majors list below. www.cnbc.com/2023/02/20/highest-paying-college-majors.html How important are engineering skills in Supply Chain Mgmt? Can you talk to engineers? lnkd.in/ei79SUB. More jobs starting to look like SCM + Engineering…Purchasing Engineer (21,000 jobs on LI) wanted, see: lnkd.in/gqFd4jaG Here is some advice from SCM majors if you take a CAD class (that way you can talk to engineers at work): lnkd.in/e98iF_8 A company forwarded me a job posting for an entry level position in SCM & they especially wanted a SCM major w/ some of these skill sets (Special Product Procurement Specialist): 1. Collaborate w/ engineers, mfg team members, designers, suppliers, tool builders, & associates to complete Eng Change Orders. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1420: Eng Graphics) 2. Must be familiar in the use of common quality system processes such as sample submission, capability studies, etc. (Our students learn this in EDMM 3280: Quality Assurance & Control) 3. Basic understanding of manufacturing processes used for metal fabrication, concrete, wood, and plastics is preferred. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1500/1501: Processes & Materials in Mfg Lab) 4. Must possess the ability to read & interpret blueprints. (Our students learn this EDMM 1420: Eng Graphics) 5. Must be able to add, subtract, multiply, & divide in common units of measure & have a working knowledge of data collection, data analysis, & evaluation. (Our students learn this in CIS 2640: Big data) A few months ago, I had an HR manager tell me she had two entry SCM jobs but she was hoping for a CIS type for one & an engineer for the other. I asked her what about a SCM major that has super strong data analytics skills & takes engineering classes. She then asked: Does that even exist? I said YES. Reminder: many SCM students are Business Analytics minors & all are req’d to take eng classes. Why was the WMU SCM program ranked 2nd in SCM technology by SoftwareAdvice? Answer: Because our students minor in Business Analytics - lnkd.in/er3xiWj • Minor/Major: Business Analytics (e.g., big data & predictive analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, R, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI) Why do WMU SCM grads interact so well with engineers? Answer: We make them take engineering classes. EDMM 1420 Eng Graphics EDMM 1500 Intro to Mfg EDMM 1501 Processes & Materials in Mfg Lab EDMM 3280 Quality Assurance & Control EDMM 4870 Mfg Productivity Techniques EDMM 4880/MKTG 4880 Applied Process Reengineering EDMM 5120 Mgmt of Service Operations #careeradvice #supplychainmanagement

[@simecurkovic]

www.visualcapitalist.com/what-you-need-to-earn-to-own-a-home-in-50-american-cities/ My students in Silicon Valley say making $200K+/yr feels like making $90K/yr in Metro Detroit. Some pay close to $6K/month for rent (so they need roommates). Owning a home will be tough. Kind of related...Ranked: Worst Companies for Employee Retention: lnkd.in/gVqJCXtV. The 10 fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. right now-many pay over $100,000 a year: lnkd.in/g7TNMeja. From Gartner 2022 (2 yrs ago data): Starting salaries for students in supply chain roles also increased. In terms of compensation, U.S. undergraduates finding their first jobs in supply chain roles are earning about $1,600 more per year than in 2020. While the average starting salary is $61,769, graduates from the top 10 programs can expect around $65,000. The highest salary from the ranked schools was $80,000. Well, that avg now is closer to $70K. Also, we just had a student get offered $87K, no job rotation (straight into a full time role as she is already loaded with work experience), $8,700 signing bonus, and immediately bonus eligible at 9%. I talked to one student in the Fall that was given a job offer in Sept. (one month to decide) & he accepted. Yes, he had a summer internship with them. He is a SCM major w/ a Data Analytics minor. $72K base, $14K in relocation, 20% of base bonus eligibility, 4 weeks paid vacation, & a 3 year job rotation (3 jobs in 3 years, and he gets to choose the locations - further, they encouraged him to pick areas outside of his major such as Finance, Engineering, etc., so that he could learn new things & become more cross-functional). Under most circumstances I would encourage my students to negotiate something, but what is there to negotiate lnkd.in/gkmB6BQa. The jobs paying six figure salaries to help lead supply chain disruptions: lnkd.in/gU9VhJEG. lnkd.in/g8n-dCz2 hashtag#supplychainmanagement hashtag#logistics hashtag#salary hashtag#careers

[@simecurkovic]

12 Supply Chain Certifications To Advance Your Career www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/supply-chain-certifications?trk=feed_main-feed-card_feed-article-content …and many more at: lnkd.in/gHBkZ5cM. Supply Chain Manager Salary: Your 2023 Guide: lnkd.in/grxANayH & lnkd.in/gp6iMKT9. Indeed has material on supply chain careers...70 Job Titles in Supply Chain (w/ Avg Salary): lnkd.in/gUAk4SPG. 11 Benefits of SCM Careers: lnkd.in/gXG9EkEF. What Does a Supply Chain Manager Do? lnkd.in/gFxhqH2m. Should You Give Up Your Salary and Go to Grad School? Well, that darn MBA degree still has a great ROI...“Over their lifetime, an MBA grad can expect to earn $3M more than someone w/ only a bachelor’s.” Great ROI!?...At about 98% of universities that offer MBAs, grads typically made more money 2 years out of school than they had borrowed. That stands in contrast to law schools, where roughly 6% of programs had grads w/ higher median earnings than debt in the same time frame. From WSJ: lnkd.in/gKhXe8tM lnkd.in/gMd2vC2T lnkd.in/gkN-ecch Interesting salary & job placement data for USC MS grads. lnkd.in/gBm2cSx9. MIT MS SCM grads can be found at: lnkd.in/gYimnUkP. Hottest MBA Degree Now? Supply Chain Mgmt: lnkd.in/e_NVrJrN What You Can Do With an MBA in SCM? lnkd.in/gbfHx84e. When is the right time for grad school? The avg age is 33. I find the age stat to not be too meaningful. For anyone

[@simecurkovic]

The WMU Supply Chain Graduate Certificate program is now up and accepting students. Information can be found here: lnkd.in/gcu8E2UN www.forbes.com/sites/wesleywhistle/2020/08/03/the-payoff-of-certificate-programs/?sh=1ae702163fbe When viewing this link…Note, that this program has a live "Apply Now" link. The 15-credit hour Supply Chain Graduate Certificate can be earned on its own as a non-degree certificate, or in conjunction with an MBA from the Haworth College of Business, with the certificate credits counting toward an MBA degree. Is a graduate certificate in supply chain management right for me? WMU Graduate Certificate Program in Supply Chain Management, details: lnkd.in/gY_ijCMJ. Organizations are seeking solutions to global supply chain challenges and risks that require expert tools. As a professional, you can develop your supply chain and strategic decision-making acumen with a graduate certificate in supply chain management. You'll elevate your expertise in strategic sourcing, transportation management, processes, and data analytics to improve decision making. Princeton Review names WMU a ‘best business school’ for an MBA: lnkd.in/gdqkRxMb.. Industry Certifications & Associations for Various Business Majors (for exhaustive list): lnkd.in/gVbQV2q7. Top SCM certifications: lnkd.in/gA38N97C. Free: All Combined Links and Supply Chain Salary Reports lnkd.in/gtffWe55 lnkd.in/g_mR74mr lnkd.in/gq84MRMj #education #supplychain #careeradvice #certification #logistics

[@simecurkovic]

Great read: lnkd.in/gCiYgwS2 - "Salaries in SCM are going up & already average $10K-$20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields." Quickest way to six figures? Answer: SCM - lnkd.in/guSURWFF. Note, there are hundreds of open unfilled supply chain internships in Michigan (5,000+ nationally). See postings in MI: lnkd.in/gVsHEZxz What are they looking for? SCM majors. Perhaps delay graduation for work experience & stay specialized... lnkd.in/gdr7f9wb The placement success & starting salaries for WMU ISM is off the charts. *Median salary for all WMU ISM degrees was $60K-$65K (around 10% of grads hired on w/ one auto OEM at $78K!). "SCM" + "Degree" = jobs & $$. lnkd.in/gV4x6GWE There are > 20K jobs on LinkedIn not filled which have the words "entry-level supply chain" in the job title. "SCM"+"Data Analytics"=jobs & $$. There are > 35K jobs on LinkedIn not filled which have these words in the job title and/or job description - “supply chain” & “analyst” & “data analytics”. lnkd.in/dQABdsXc There are >10M jobs not filled in the U.S., many of which are in SCM. In fact, if you loosely define SCM, around half these jobs are in SCM. "Only" 113K unfilled jobs in Indirect Procurement on LinkedIn, & > 4K MRO Buyer jobs not filled. lnkd.in/gFrGvpCA SCM Data Scientist (>171K jobs on LI- that's all). Our Business Data Analytics minor: lnkd.in/gf_UWz5x lnkd.in/gKV4dw2z lnkd.in/gHnUrVZz lnkd.in/g9pgFErz SCM Finance (>25K jobs on LinkedIn - that's all). lnkd.in/gE9gVG34 A SCM undergrad degree creates many benefits beyond employment, but it never hurts to get a bit of educational ROI either! _ JOB SECURITY? U.S. News recently predicted that SCM jobs would expand by 25% w/i 10 years & identified SCM as one of the “20 Best Business Jobs.” SCM is also included in lists that rank top career fields for women (lnkd.in/gKF3-iXu.) "...it’s clear that SCM professionals are poised to become the most powerful executives in the world..." CEOs Will Come from SCM? lnkd.in/eGb9u-3 lnkd.in/gVC7TNCT Common Theme from Grads: It's a great career path because SCM jobs are everywhere. Additionally, SCM jobs usually pay great & there is a great room for career growth. The career path also offers excellent work satisfaction, & it's hard to get bored. ___ SCM Salary Data: lnkd.in/eQvfFMc Negotiation: lnkd.in/guTUcvdu Top School: lnkd.in/dn9-BCg lnkd.in/dVdMRXP Trends: lnkd.in/gDBXEi26 Internship pay: lnkd.in/e8pfXtC SCM orgs: lnkd.in/gkeAdXcU Double Majors? lnkd.in/gAViGTVG WMU ISM...1st among non-PhD granting programs & #8 overall (Gartner 2018)

[@simecurkovic]

Great read: lnkd.in/gCiYgwS2 - "Salaries in SCM are going up & avg $10K-20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields." Gartner 2022: U.S. SCM undergrads finding their first jobs are earning $1,600 more/yr than in 2020. While the avg starting salary is $61,769, grads from top 10 programs can expect around $65K. lnkd.in/gMKdmwx9 lnkd.in/gwKJD6hY The placement success & starting salaries for WMU SCM is off the charts. *Median salary for all WMU SCM degrees was $60K-$65K (around 10% of grads hired on w/ one auto OEM at $78K!). "SCM" + "Degree" = jobs & $$. lnkd.in/gV4x6GWE From the Institute of Supply Management- 2018 $: lnkd.in/gV53aggX. 2020 $ (right before covid): lnkd.in/gz8WQEhr. 2021 $ (deep into covid): lnkd.in/g-SfG93A & lnkd.in/gn5jM9xt. Salaries per "ASCM/APICS" $: 2022 lnkd.in/gtYC5Cnw vs 2021 lnkd.in/gpMvehY5 vs 2020 lnkd.in/gcsrX6tr. FYI from 2019:lnkd.in/grttnhZm 2018: lnkd.in/gTBMP5dM Salaries per "DC Velocity": 2021 lnkd.in/gESQFNZa vs 2020 lnkd.in/gW-U-KHK vs 2019 lnkd.in/gJquYyT4. Newer Supply Chain Salary Data. Avg salary $144,017 (2021: $131,771): lnkd.in/gESQFNZa - 2022 salaries are up across the board. On avg, supply chain pros are making $126,215/yr, an increase from $112,779 in 2021, but on par w/ 2020’s avg of $126,475. The median salary in 2022 is now $108K. 20% earn $150K - $249,999/yr, while 16% earn $120K -$149,999. 12% earn between $90K-$99,999, & 10% earn $100K-$119,999. At the higher end of the scale, 9% earn more than $250K/yr. For details, see: lnkd.in/gbumc4Wb People want more money & rewarding work (not paperwork). lnkd.in/g7BwX84c. "The demand for logistics talent has never been greater. The low unemployment rate has created a supply/demand imbalance, spurring employers to raise salaries in a bid to attract and retain top talent. Of the 454 respondents to DC Velocity’s 19th annual Salary Survey, 72%) saw a boost in their total compensation in the past year." Should college grads negotiate a higher starting salary? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh. Salaries in SCM are going up & already average $10K-$20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields. lnkd.in/gCiYgwS2 There isn’t enough young people working in supply chain - lnkd.in/gtUcJpX7. SCM $ Information - lnkd.in/gn5jM9xt lnkd.in/gTBMP5dM lnkd.in/eQvfFMc lnkd.in/g7YamZCU More salary data…CIPS Procurement Salary Guide 2022 reveals a 7.4% avg salary increase & the avg salary for all procurement & SCM pros in North America was $111,278. FYI: lnkd.in/gR9WZHE3 Recently had former students leave their jobs because of $...After thousands of students, I would say the #1 reason my students change jobs is...their boss. Money becomes a factor when they can make >20% elsewhere (#2 on list). lnkd.in/gtPvk_mx #supplychain #salary

[@simecurkovic]

How important are engineering skills in Supply Chain Management? Can you talk to engineers? lnkd.in/ei79SUB. More jobs starting to look like SCM + Engineering…Purchasing Engineer (55K jobs on LI), example: lnkd.in/gqFd4jaG. Also, engineers need to know how to answer “what is SCM & why is it important?” That is why we also have engineering majors w/ SCM minors. Engineers wanted for SCM Jobs! Watch: lnkd.in/gKKmNMX7 lnkd.in/ggaJBAVn Here is some advice from SCM majors if you take a CAD class (that way you can talk to engineers at work): lnkd.in/e98iF_8 A company forwarded me a job posting for an entry level position in SCM & they especially wanted a SCM major w/ some of these skill sets (Special Product Procurement Specialist): 1. Collaborate w/ engineers, mfg team members, designers, suppliers, tool builders, & associates to complete Engineering Change Orders. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1420: Engineering Graphics) 2. Must be familiar in the use of common quality system processes such as sample submission, capability studies, etc. (Our students learn this in EDMM 3280: Quality Assurance & Control) 3. Basic understanding of manufacturing processes used for metal fabrication, concrete, wood, and plastics is preferred. (Our students learn this in EDMM 1500/1501: Processes & Materials in Mfg Laboratory) 4. Must possess the ability to read & interpret blueprints. (Our students learn this EDMM 1420: Engineering Graphics) 5. Must be able to add, subtract, multiply, & divide in common units of measure & have a working knowledge of data collection, data analysis, and evaluation. (Our students learn this in CIS 2640: Big data/predictive analytics) Yes, this company is located in Kalamazoo & they know they can find the talent at WMU. A few months ago, I had an HR manager tell me she had two entry SCM jobs but she was hoping for a CIS type for one & an engineer for the other. I asked her what about a SCM major that has super strong data analytics skills & takes engineering classes. She then asked: Does that even exist? I said YES. Reminder: many WMU SCM students are Business Analytics minors & all are req’d to take engineering classes. Why was the WMU ISM supply chain program ranked 2nd in SCM technology by SoftwareAdvice? Answer: Because our students minor in Business Analytics - lnkd.in/er3xiWj • Minor/Major: Business Analytics (e.g., big data & predictive analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, R, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI) Our SCM students take these engineering classes: EDMM 1420 Engineering Graphics EDMM 1500 Introduction to Mfg EDMM 1501 Processes & Materials in Mfg Laboratory EDMM 3280 Quality Assurance & Control EDMM 4870 Mfg Productivity Techniques EDMM 4880/MKTG 4880 Applied Process Reengineering EDMM 5120 Mgmt of Service Operations #careeradvice #supplychainmanagement www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_engineers-need-to-know-what-is-scm-why-activity-6965276702235115520-Qcbp?

[@simecurkovic]

Students: Thousands of new internships posted, to name a few - lnkd.in/gVsHEZxz & lnkd.in/gRKmr7QE & lnkd.in/gmMH5myb. What do internships pay (never work for free)? The going rate appears to be $18-30/hr. See: lnkd.in/g6CH_pYv & lnkd.in/g4znXYHu. Being job ready in the post covid market & beyond. lnkd.in/eZGZbkP & lnkd.in/g8cAcBh3. Prepping for a job interview? Here's how to answer 'What is my biggest weakness?' Demonstrating self-awareness during an interview is huge. I tell my students to always answer the “what is your weakness” question in the context of having a strategy to fix it (explain what you have done about it, actual RESULTS). For example: lnkd.in/gMtdr92u.

[@simecurkovic]

*2.4M SCM jobs to remain unfilled between 2018 and 2028 *44M people employed in SCM jobs, making up 37% of the job market *A third of current SCM workers have hit retirement age >20,000 jobs on LinkedIn not filled w/ "entry-level supply chain" in job title >35,000 jobs not filled w/ these words- “supply chain” & “analyst” & “data analytics” 113,000 unfilled jobs in Indirect Procurement & > 4K MRO Buyer jobs not filled Supply Chain Data Scientist (>171,000 jobs on LinkedIn - that's all) Supply Chain Finance (>25,000 jobs on LinkedIn - that's all) >10,000,000 (10M) jobs not filled in the U.S., ½ are in SCM

[@simecurkovic]

Great read…Translation: Success = Pick the right major (i.e., demand > supply) + Get work experience (i.e., internships related to major) + Pick the right first job (i.e., they pay a premium for your major because of supply/demand conditions and you are job ready day one because you have professional work experience). www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/college-degree-jobs-unused-440b2abd Half of College Grads Are Working Jobs That Don’t Use Their Degrees Notice: “More than any other factor analyzed-including race, gender and choice of university-what a person studies determines their odds of getting on a college-level career track. Internships are also critical.” I chuckled at this one: "He also regrets taking an entry-level sales job in logistics after months of fruitless job hunting after graduation." “Bachelor’s degree holders in college-level jobs earn nearly 90% more than people with just a high-school diploma in their 20s.” “…most of the graduates who don’t find work reflecting their degrees are what they call “severely underemployed, meaning they’re in jobs that only require a high school education or less.” Picking a college major: lnkd.in/eX8XUHxj Notice SCM made the list: #5. Supply Chain (Logistics): $52,290. finance.yahoo.com/news/majored-one-18-subjects-ll-193945292.html Note, WMU SCM grads (2022) have a median wage range of $65-$75K. lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. I have been trying to explain SCM to high schoolers. It’s not that easy. Parents like to see this: the number of US job postings for supply chain managers on LinkedIn more than doubled between 2019 & 2022: lnkd.in/gyWH5gxt. The U.S. supply chain accounts for 37% of all domestic jobs, according to the Harvard Business Review: lnkd.in/gbV_aMT7. “Employers are fed up with college 'waste,' opt for skilled blue-collar workers instead”…Really? lnkd.in/gR5pNeDe. Ranked: Median Student Debt for a U.S. College Degree: lnkd.in/g_Eaq7zu. Ranked: Most Popular U.S. Undergraduate Degrees (2011-2021): lnkd.in/gWTxiFch. The top 10 most-regretted college majors - and the degrees graduates wish they had pursued instead: lnkd.in/gtapAxUJ. Students/Parents: Which college majors pay off? From WSJ: lnkd.in/gMy3nwS2 & lnkd.in/gH3jSWKt. 90% of 2023 graduates think college is really worth it. lnkd.in/g_Vipjd5. College majors have a big impact on income. Here are the highest- and lowest-earning fields: lnkd.in/gt8BHiFM. Here’s where the jobs are - in one chart: lnkd.in/gN-dSc6E. The 10 highest-paying college majors, five years after graduation: lnkd.in/gTFb6_vw. Top Degrees in demand, current data (2023) from NACE: lnkd.in/g3kM_sZ6. Professional experience that pays well while in college?...Thousands of new internships posted, to name a few - lnkd.in/gVsHEZxz & lnkd.in/gRKmr7QE & lnkd.in/gmMH5myb. What do internships pay (never work for free)? The going rate appears to be $18-30/hr. See: lnkd.in/g6CH_pYv & lnkd.in/g4znXYHu. Being job ready in the post covid market & beyond. lnkd.in/eZGZbkP & lnkd.in/g8cAcBh3. Are students satisfied with their college experience?...Students have overwhelmingly positive reactions to their college experience: lnkd.in/gR5pNeDe. Goals of an internship (it’s not job shadowing): lnkd.in/gMtdr92u. If you look at this 2020-2030 job growth chart closely, all things supply chain related scored VERY well: lnkd.in/g8n-dCz2 hashtag#college hashtag#major hashtag#careers hashtag#supplychainmanagement

[@simecurkovic]

From Professor Sime: If I was 25 and just came off of a job rotation in a full time role, I would start thinking about a graduate degree (assuming I had an undergrad degree in SCM with already a strong data analytics foundation via a Business Analytics minor). Of course, do what is rewarded in the culture of your organization. Look at your boss’s resume and your boss’ boss’ resume. In general, I would not do a general MBA or even an MBA with a general SCM concentration. I like certifications associated with ISM, APICS/ASCM, CSCMP, etc., but I suspect that I would not actually learn much from the process of getting certified. These certs however would externally validate me a SCM subject matter expert and that is worth a lot in industry. However, I would get a graduate degree in something that is quicker than the traditional 12 classes (i.e., a mini MBA or MS degree). I would also get it in something I am weak in and is likely to be important. So as of 2021, what would I do? I would do something like a mini MBA (9 classes, not 12) at Rutgers (high profile SCM school, great brand) in “Digital” Supply Chain Management. Note, their mini MBA has an entire course dedicated to SCM Finance. Good luck climbing up the corporate ladder if you cannot talk to your CFO. I like SCM Finance so much, I encourage my students to get a graduate degree in Finance if they already have world class technology skills. The “Digital” transformation is getting VERY popular these days. We have heard of Industry 4.0, but in reality it is Supply Chain 4.0, because nothing happens without the supply chain HEAVILY involved. For digitization to work, manual processes have to be digitized/automated and eventually analyzed. That is what companies are doing right now. Converting manual to digitized versions requires someone with a good knowledge on systems analysis and design, data storage and information retrieval. These are the topics usually covered in IT/CIS/CS majors. A lot of companies have gone past this stage, but they are facing the next problem - data analysis. Data are collected, but no one knows what to do with it. That’s where our Business Analytics minor comes in as an undergrad. If you lack these skills, go get your MS in Data Analytics before you miss the boat. These skills would include: big data/analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI, etc. Fortunately, most of my undergrads walk away with these skills. Just like AI, the boundaries of what is and what is not Industry 4.0 (supply chain 4.0, digital transformation, digitized supply chain, etc.) is quite blurry. These days any product with even a tiny element of AI/ML is claimed to be an AI product. As a new field like supply chain digitization evolves, people are still trying to figure out the essential components that characterize it. This is the reason that people offer certificates in digital supply chain in all kinds of flavor. For example, Rutgers takes a high-level managerial approach, Missouri S&T takes an ERP+BI+PM approach, and NUS takes an analytics+strategic planning approach. One issue with the mini MBA in the Digital Supply Chain at Rutgers is not their high level managerial approach per se, but perhaps the usefulness on what they predict will be super useful. They could be wrong for example on dedicating an entire course to Robotic Process Automation. This reminds me a lot about the Business Process Reengineering or Business Process Automation course that people used to offer years ago. On RPA for example,… • Will there be a continuous or frequent demand for RPA at a company? • Will new RPA need to be created or existing RPA need to be tuned often? • What kind of robots are involved? Consumer robots, manufacturing robots, or a mixture of both? • Will the course need to teach realistic applications or BPR? What technologies? What kind of robots and for what purpose? If the answer is no and no to the first two questions, the skills will likely be taught and then forgotten. This is not to say that there is no environment that needs a constant or frequent RPA design and tuning, but I wonder what kind of environment that would be and how much a company would sustain doing that for long. If the RPA is done once in a few years for example, I am not sure of the utility/usefulness of such a graduate course other than showing people that they are teaching leading-edge topics. In conclusion, get a graduate degree because the data says it will make you more successful (in general). I would do it in something that you are bad at and will be very important. SCM Finance will always be important. In the near term, Industry 4.0, Supply Chain 4.0, and Supply Chain Digitization will transform SCM orgs and the skill sets required of them.

[@simecurkovic]

“You can see this in the figure below, which shows data on job postings by non-technology companies tied to skills around artificial intelligence, robotic process automation & data science/analytics.” From Gartner: lnkd.in/gcs-xgxV “Walmart deployed AI-powered negotiations software w/ a text-based interface (i.e., a chatbot) to connect w/ suppliers.” lnkd.in/gF5qT_im How to approach a new technology investment, based on what I have seen in software & professional services: For example, If a company wanted to get started w/ using RPA, where & how should they begin? lnkd.in/eQYrHUM. FYI, a great post on RPA by Mr. Stankovic: lnkd.in/gM6PcT-m. From me: Have you heard of RPA? That is basically software that makes use of ML & AI to do routine manual SCM activities like process a PO. These processes tend to be manually driven. However, that RPA software is learning from itself on how to do things better, faster, & cheaper. For example, RPA could start saying things like: I think we are paying too much, I think we should be using a different supplier, I think we are ordering in the wrong quantities, etc. The RPA software might actually decide to reopen the contract & have suppliers rebid on the business & the RPA might actually pick the new supplier. Yes, there will likely be human intervention for any activities that are “strategic”. I have a former student who went on to become a technology consultant & I asked him: if a company wanted to get started with using RPA, where & how should they begin in general? See his response below. Let’s just say the student has become the teacher. 1. Have a very specific use case for implementing RPA. This requires research on behalf of your company. If you approach it with a general attitude that says, “Let’s have robots do all the work”, you will end up paying a consulting firm loads of money to evaluate your business for RPA opportunities, only to hear them tell you what you could have figured out on your own. 2. It would be better to research industry peers to see what they are doing with RPA, THEN engage a consulting firm to help you implement an RPA solution that is focused on specific business processes. If you are looking for general help w/ where to start on RPA, perhaps do not jump into outsourcing the research to consulting/tech firms. It might be best to engage a consulting firm for the implementation of an RPA solution, but not for general advisement on where to start. Most high-level assessments can be overly priced in my experience & do not always add tons of value. RPA is a cool technology but I have seen limited adoption with the mid-market companies I work with. It seems more popular with the F500 because they can afford the investment. In my opinion...lnkd.in/eQYrHUM. #roboticprocessautomation #rpa #supplychain

[@simecurkovic]

Our students are going into a job market inundated with outdated processes. Manual and labor-intensive operations will force them to spend hours every week doing repetitive tasks that could be automated for much greater efficiency and accuracy, allowing them to focus on more fulfilling work. The majority of their time will be spent gathering data, while much less will be spent analyzing and providing insights to support strategic decision-making. For example, during these inflationary times, it is time for business faculty to start teaching the lost art of Price Analysis and Strategic Cost Management (in very different ways). I have asked a lot of business managers how they “prepare” to negotiate price increase requests from their suppliers. In particular, I was curious about how and where they get their data from (i.e., Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), Commodity Exchange (COMEX), London Metals Exchange (LME), New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), etc.). Many said their suppliers provide that information. I am not convinced that using data from your suppliers is a form of “Preparation” for the negotiation process. Surprised by price increases? As much as 70% of current contracts have price increase provisions! In the WMU supply chain management program we teach our students to track commodity forward price curves. We now look at raw material market data from multiple sources, visualize and analyze historical pricing scenarios, and simulate planned purchases and what-if scenarios against forward price curves. How do we better prepare our business students to be job ready day one? Procurement organizations need processes and “tools” to mitigate and negotiate on these price increase requests in a strategic, data-driven manner (and academics need to do a better job of teaching it). Traditionally, we have worked very hard to help our students develop very sophisticated data analytics skill sets to manage these very large and complicated forms of information. Employers place a premium on these business analytics skill sets and would include: Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau, Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib); 3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science; 4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy); 5. Relational data models (Excel data model); 6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn, Matplotlib, Pandas, & Plotly). See our Business Analytics minor at: wmich.edu/infosystems/academics/analytics However, I would recommend complimenting the above skill sets with bringing in some cloud-based software and technology that gets us beyond manually updating and coding giant colored Excel spreadsheets. For example, I have been collaborating with N-Alpha and they have a cloud platform called materialx that I am bringing into the classroom (n-alpha.com/solutions/decision-support/). It gets us away from manually updating spreadsheets. Further, these technology software companies tend to be very supportive in helping faculty and students as these students will eventually become the future business professionals that actually use the technology (win-win-win, right?). And the technology is out there! We will soon have some white papers from our WMU SCM program based on the following price analysis & strategic cost management research. Some of our alumni are already testing and / or implementing these cloud-based services that allows procurement organizations, finance, and all other organizations that are exposed to raw material pricing changes, to stay on top of market pricing from multiple sources and proactively assess its impact on future raw material purchases. These technologies are also now serving as the basis for addressing price indexing implementations (formulas, alerts, etc.). It can all be done automatically and updated daily, saving hours from manually updating spreadsheets. These tools are quick and easy to use to prepare for price negotiations with suppliers, and often returns its investment (which is minimal to begin with) rapidly. These technologies also allow organizations to replace multiple spreadsheets and email threads with one tool that tracks pricing, facilitates collaborative decisions, revisiting past decisions and what led to them, and capturing organizational knowledge. I have asked many of my former students what are the most prevalent technologies used in your supply chain and business role. The two most common answers are Excel spreadsheets and email. It is 2023 now and we need to move further along. You could make a strong case that using antiquated business tools was a major source of supply chain disruptions the last few years. My former students keep telling me they are the “Excel Spreadsheet” generation. Excel works and they have very advanced spreadsheet skills. They also tell me that it gives them a competitive advantage in the workplace (i.e., people depend on their monthly report outs per se and very important people read them). The older managers have very weak Excel skills and even the younger graduates coming in have to play catch up to the people that are in their 30s and 40s (that have very advanced Excel skills). My former students also feel very comfortable with Excel. Many of these spreadsheets are their own creation and they find it empowering. In general, it works, it works well, it gets the job done, they feel comfortable with this version of technology while most others do not feel comfortable with it, the technology itself is cheap, and it gives them job security. Some said it took years to build up these spreadsheets, and now they are up and running. However, as I teach my current students, there are alternatives rooted in technology that will allow you to do things better, faster, and cheaper. Final Thought In talking with a colleague, we both agreed that many hiring managers do not have a full understanding of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) skill sets associated with our graduating students. Our business students told us many times that their hiring managers valued only the traditional Excel capabilities (i.e., lookup functions, pivot tables, etc. - however, that is NOT AI). Managers also greatly overlook the opportunities from other analytical solutions (skill sets that our students have). This makes it a bit difficult to sell the analytical techniques taught in classes that go beyond our Advances Excel and Predictive Analytics courses. For example, our data mining class is essentially a machine learning class for business, which is the core of AI. The course is designed to solve the problems that Excel falls short on. Hopefully we do a better job of training our students to “sell” the AI skills and managers become more open to embracing the benefits (which might require a culture change). Embracing and trying new technologies requires leadership that is willing to try new things. Otherwise, we keep using spreadsheets and email to manage very large and complicated data sets.

[@simecurkovic]

Students/Parents: Which college majors pay off? Is graduate school a golden goose or a money pit? Are Ivy League degrees usually worth it? From WSJ: lnkd.in/gsKyJ9rn. WMU supply chain grads have a median wage range of $65-$75K. lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. WSJ: lnkd.in/gMy3nwS2. The U.S. supply chain accounts for 37% of domestic jobs: Harvard Business Review. lnkd.in/gbV_aMT7 > 5,000 open summer internships in MI, postings - lnkd.in/gVsHEZxz & > 20,000+ nationally - lnkd.in/gRKmr7QE. What are they looking for? SCM majors. Perhaps delay graduation for work experience & stay specialized...lnkd.in/gdr7f9wb Per Fortune, “Over their lifetime, an MBA graduate can expect to earn $3 million more than someone with only a bachelor’s degree, according to GMAC.” When is the right time? lnkd.in/gka9Qqmg Great read: lnkd.in/gCiYgwS2 - "Salaries in SCM are going up & avg $10K-20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields." SCM, quickest way to six figures- lnkd.in/guSURWFF. Negotiate a higher starting salary? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh. Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession with them... lnkd.in/gup9rrDQ "Students who are able to build strong relationships with professors are far more likely to find engaging work after graduation." lnkd.in/gSuzhcjP -those who believe a professor cared about them as a person, made them excited about learning, & encouraged them to pursue their dreams had more than double the odds of being engaged at work & experiencing a higher degree of well being overall, these studies find. lnkd.in/g-v3-iTk …only 3% of grads reported having the kind of positive experiences in school that these studies find to be valuable. At WMU, we do better than 3%. Why? My answer: faculty are obsessed with student success (that’s what you should be looking for as a student). lnkd.in/gK_PQdYh Another study: Students who choose to specialize are having better experiences than those who stay generalist. They also found that professors have the most influence on major. lnkd.in/ex89namH From me: if you are a student majoring in something, but your school is not on some list, do not worry about it! I am 99.9% certain that you are still getting a world class education that is extremely comparable to the schools on the list. In fact, in some ways, you might be getting a better education (i.e., smaller classes, closer mentors, better ROI maybe, etc.). Note also, all rankings are somewhat dubious and suspect. At the undergraduate level, pay less attention to the brand and reputation of the school, and pay attention to your major (i.e., does demand exceed supply which means you will have multiple job offers upon graduation) and make great decisions while you are in school (i.e., work experience, networking, grades, passing a drug test, build your brand, etc.). #college

[@simecurkovic]

It's not too late. > 7,000 open summer internships in MI, - lnkd.in/gVsHEZxz & > 20,000+ nationally - lnkd.in/gRKmr7QE. WMU supply chain grads have a median wage range of...$65-$75K. lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. Offers are coming in…Should students negotiate an INTERNSHIP offer? The avg SCM internship is $44,918/yr, or $21.6/hr. People on the lower end, bottom 10%, make $37K/yr ($17.80/hr), while the top 10% makes $54K ($25.96/hr). lnkd.in/gpBm_m84. Should grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh. Yale advice: lnkd.in/gggJFADW lnkd.in/gxkjy3sm Harvard: lnkd.in/ghEYr3Qw lnkd.in/gc4Kd_SE MIT: lnkd.in/g3xqeDyc Personally, I prefer WMU’s Career Services manual. Also, WMU HCOB/SCM has a great ROI (just ask my students starting at 70K & making over six digits by age 30). Keep in mind that many schools such as Harvard ($54K/yr tuition), Yale ($58K/yr), & Stanford ($57K/yr) don't offer undergrad business degrees. WMU ($13K/yr) - A Top Business School (take a look at the list): lnkd.in/dn9-BCg I actually have employers tell me they will NOT consider a student if they do NOT have a strong professional LinkedIn presence. Hmm. How to effectively join LinkedIn. lnkd.in/dAwyTUy. I have former students that found new jobs & they were not even looking! Interviewing tools: lnkd.in/gipsXEsK. Also, most employers will not even look at your resume if it looks like a lazy effort. Aesthetics matter! Virtual career fairs: lnkd.in/evKd-VzQ Business externship? lnkd.in/e9aeewPa Will technology replace SCM jobs? lnkd.in/gX8vcRNa Global Negotiation: Fastest growing class. lnkd.in/guTUcvdu A Top School: lnkd.in/dVdMRXP Sample Lectures: lnkd.in/e9j33EQ Power BI or Tableau? Do not be a victim of technology. lnkd.in/eKEaPGq lnkd.in/e5zG6sZ Here is a read on how SCM 4.0 does not have to be super expensive: lnkd.in/eyebnSct How much Python do I need to know in order to excel in SCM? lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw STAR interviews & online robots… lnkd.in/ePzz3NG lnkd.in/eZgTxWc lnkd.in/eyCv4x5 lnkd.in/eaxVjpK Myers-Briggs. lnkd.in/ehj3ysR How to build your brand: lnkd.in/dSAA6wF Similar to MBTI: lnkd.in/ey4TEUY lnkd.in/exNDhSv Help w/ online interviews...lnkd.in/eKBDsMq Practice before it matters...lnkd.in/ekaBK5Q Resume advice... lnkd.in/eWen96qj lnkd.in/e7utipBi lnkd.in/eVEHgvk6 Internships, salary data, etc. lnkd.in/eNfUzksJ Delay graduation for experience? lnkd.in/ewKu7b_X Right time for grad school? lnkd.in/eTk-PXPv Predictive Data Analytics (Excel)…lnkd.in/dQABdsXc Problem solving #1 skill set! Elon's resume - lnkd.in/eWaJ8q2 #jobhunting #networking #interviewing

[@simecurkovic]

Parents: are you pushing your kids to finish college ASAP? Perhaps delay graduation for work experience & stay specialized? FYI: What do SCM internships pay (& they all pay, never work for free)? The going rate is $18-27 per hour. lnkd.in/g6CH_pYv & lnkd.in/g4znXYHu. Thousands of SCM internships currently posted - lnkd.in/gVsHEZxz & lnkd.in/gRKmr7QE. > 25,000 business related internships. lnkd.in/gmMH5myb. Being job ready in the covid market & beyond. lnkd.in/eZGZbkP. Most good paying jobs are highly specialized (e.g., purchasing, operations, and logistics). SCM degrees are specialized but you also have to get good practical work experience related to what you are majoring in. Quite simply, students without work experience in their major do not get good jobs in their major. That means you have to make getting an internship one of your top priorities while in school. You have to do this even if it means delaying graduation (in my opinion). The delay will pay for itself in terms of starting salary & future advancement opportunities (because of what you learned during the internship & what you brought into your full-time job because of the internship). Pasted below is some feedback from a manager that thinks students are less inclined to delay graduation for great work experience. I think his points are somewhat exaggerated, but I just wanted to reiterate the importance of getting work experience related to what you are majoring in. Please take this in the right spirit. I just want the very very best for you. I am currently working with a handful of graduates that are unemployed. What do they have in common? Low GPAs & no work experience. Again, please know that I am not judging. __ Students (here is an email from a manager): “As a bit of feedback, we always seem to have trouble convincing students that taking a semester off school & working for a company is “okay”. They tend to want to stay in school straight through & graduate in 4 yrs. In my opinion, times have changed, & a student absolutely needs to have some co-op work experience on their resume in order to land a good job in the area of Supply Chain. A summer internship (around 3 months) is just not enough anymore.” __ Being job ready in the covid market and beyond… lnkd.in/ed-ZfanD Also, students who choose to specialize in their education (e.g., SCM) are having better experiences than those who stay generalist. FYI, research from my colleagues: lnkd.in/ex89namH. They also found that college educators have more influence on a student's choice of major than any other person--more than parents, friends, other students, high school figures, academic advisors, etc. If there's one thing my SCM career taught me, it is to not fear specialization. It is the fastest road to growth and opportunity. #college #supplychain #internships #salary

[@mdubs12]

These videos rule! Please make a video about services Procurement. I have 5 years of purchasing experience and have never purchased a single tangible item. All services such as banking/staffing/software licensing/and management consulting. I think a lot of folks are not aware than supply chain jobs exist outside of manufacturing. I have bachelors in Finance and MBA Finance. Our firm only requires a biz degree for supply chain. Finance is preferred oddly. Not supply chain. Courses in business law and Corp finance are desired and asked about in the interview process.

[@simecurkovic]

Great feedback Matt, along the same lines: Should I go to graduate school? MS? MBA? PhD? Concentration? Certs? Business & supply chain (Part 1) Part 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnenYoVmecqSsLM Part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYTXaaGkgdNrgcU Indirect Procurement: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGmaaoNtasqGi9U kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnLZqpyeqMSieNE

[@mdubs12]

Sime Curkovic thank you! I had no idea what I have been doing was considered Indirect Procurment. Both my employers since college have never used that phrase lol. Good to know for future job hunting.

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Matt: Yes indeed, the "indirect" space has become strategic and because of its uniqueness relative to direct spend, companies will pay a premium for these skill sets. wmich.edu/business/indirect-standard Curkovic and alumni create new global industry standard When global consulting firm COPC Inc. planned the development of standards for indirect procurement, industry executives responsible for organizations were asked to participate on the project. Many of those executives were Business Broncos. And, when COPC identified the need for academic leadership for the project, it tapped resources from the Center for Integrated Supply Management and Dr. Sime Curkovic, Valluzo Faculty Fellow and professor of supply chain. “Companies are only now starting to look at their indirect procurement from a strategic perspective. The COPC Indirect Procurement Standard not only meets academic rigor but satisfies real-life business needs for today’s procurement professionals,” says Curkovic. COPC announced the publication of the Indirect Procurement Standard, a set of best practices and key metrics for any company seeking to manage its indirect spending strategically. The standard is a comprehensive system for managing procurement operations and covers five areas-leadership and planning; business processes; support processes; people processes; and performance. The goal is to help companies create efficient and high-performing procurement operations that provide indirect goods and services at an optimal value-balancing cost, quality and risk. Indirect procurement, also called indirect spend, refers to the purchase of goods and services used internally at a company for effective operations. Examples of indirect procurement purchases include computer hardware and software, travel management, services from recruiting or training agencies, facilities management, utilities, and fleet management. A variety of companies stepped in to help with the project, including Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intuit, Magna International, Perrigo, and Stryker. And, among the group of executives, a team of Business Broncos that included Christopher Flum, B.B.A.’86, founding member of the ISM executive council and director of purchasing, North America, Magna Exteriors. “The standard was an essential step in ensuring companies can implement appropriate best practices and benefit from the latest knowledge in this evolving area,” says Flum. Other influential WMU alumni participating in the project included Dave Drouillard, B.B.A.’84, of General Motors; Brad Roberts, B.B.A.’11, of Mann Hummel; Ryan Horn, B.B.A.’02, of Xylem; Justin Hallenbeck, B.B.A.’01, of EcoLab; and Jeff McInerney, B.S.’92, of Rolls Royce. “The WMU ISM program is more than 20 years old, and we have several alumni who have become decision makers and change agents in their organizations,” says Curkovic, commenting on the large number of alumni involved with the project. “It speaks volumes that our faculty and alumni have such a major imprint on this indirect procurement standard. This network is a loyal, trend-setting and accomplished group that is committed to moving the supply chain field forward.” The WMU ISM curriculum was an academic leader in developing indirect procurement curriculum in response to industry needs. “Several years ago, I addressed the faculty at WMU regarding the lack of indirect procurement training in curricula,” says Flum. “The indirect space was developing into a strategic discipline that required a formal education where very little was offered. The ISM program responded by building indirect content that puts it at the forefront of the specialty.” Since that time, the discipline has grown so much that industry was starting to demand a framework to guide their indirect processes. The free standard can be downloaded at copc.com/resources-customer-experience-services/copc-standards/. ABOUT COPC COPC Inc. is an innovative global leader that empowers organizations to manage complex customer journeys. The company provides consulting, training and certification for operations that support the customer experience. Founded in 1996, COPC Inc. began by helping call centers improve their performance. Today, the company works with leading brands worldwide to optimize key customer touchpoints and deliver a seamless experience across channels. COPC Inc. is privately held with headquarters in Winter Park, Fla., and has operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, India and Japan. To learn more about COPC Inc., visit www.copc.com.

[@simecurkovic]

See below if you find this helpful (some of the material on the website is free). simecurkovic.com I hope all is well. FYI, I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. My goal is to create an endowed scholarship fund for future supply chain students so I can retire on a very high note. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/

[@simecurkovic]

Even in the pandemic, the placement success of the WMU Integrated Supply Management Program continues to be off the charts. *Median salary for all WMU ISM degrees was $60,001 - $65,000 (around 10% of graduates hired on with one automotive OEM at $78K!). "Supply Chain" + "Degree" = jobs and $$$$. There are > 20,000 jobs on LinkedIn not filled which have the words "entry-level supply chain" in the job title. An undergraduate degree creates many benefits beyond employment, but it never hurts to get a bit of educational ROI either! Wow, check out this job placement... _ Quickest way to six figures? Answer: Supply Chain Management JOB SECURITY? U.S. News & World Report recently predicted that logistics & SCM jobs would expand by 25 percent within the next decade and identified SCM as one of the “20 Best Business Jobs.” Logistics and supply chain management are also included in lists that rank top career fields for women during the next decade. "...it’s clear that supply chain professionals are poised to become the most powerful executives in the world..." Tomorrow’s CEOs Will Come from an Unlikely Place: The Supply Chain. lnkd.in/eGb9u-3 Common Theme from Graduates: It's a great career path because SCM jobs are everywhere. Additionally, supply chain jobs usually pay super well and there is a great room for career growth. The career path also offers excellent work satisfaction, & it's hard to get bored. Everything has a supply chain and everything comes from a supply chain. ___ SCM Salary Data $$: Since so many people asked, here is a list of pubs: lnkd.in/eQvfFMc Employment of SCM analysts is projected to grow 14 percent from 2020 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. The average growth rate for all occupations is 5 percent. The median annual wage for these types of skill sets was $83,610 in 2019. The median annual wage for all workers was $38,640. Also, from the Institute of Supply Management: For the 15th year, the ISM is out with its annual salary report for procurement professionals, this year based on survey results from some 2700+ supply managers from those new to the profession to chief procurement officers. The survey was conducted between mid-Jan & mid-Feb 2020, and based on 2019 compensation data. Salary levels include both base pay and any bonus payments. The headline news is that average compensation growth for SCM practitioners rose for the third straight, with average overall 2019 compensation across all levels reaching $123,226, a 3.3% increase compared to 2018, when the avg was $119,271. The increase in 2019 is double the 1.6% rise reported for 2018 versus 2017. This year, 87.6% of respondents indicated their base salaries increased in 2019, & of those, the average increase was 5.5%. lnkd.in/ekhu3YHA - Yes, WMU has one of the best business colleges in the world.

[@simecurkovic]

I have so many world class international students that are very hungry for American professional work experiences (i.e., internships) & they are often told by employers: we do not hire international students. Why? The paperwork? There is none for an international student if they are here legally (i.e., they are given a SS# w/ their student visa). I get it, it is complicated. Some do not have STEM degrees, so there is the chance they have to leave the U.S. one year after graduation (3 yrs if they are STEM). I just have so much talent from overseas that simply want to work & stay here (& I think the US would be better for it). These are amazing people w/ so much to offer. I see a lost opportunity that appears to be rooted in...incoherent government bureaucracy? Unemployment is at record lows (3.7%) & we have 10,000,000 unfilled jobs. www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_h1b-dashboard-activity-7045125169966694400-VrqS? U.S. Employer's Guide to Hiring International Students lnkd.in/gwKz4Tyb Why Hire International Students And What You Should Know Before You Do. Why International Students are The Talent You Are Looking For. lnkd.in/gmZ-P3n6 lnkd.in/gwBXEn_e lnkd.in/gFWHhYBx lnkd.in/gWZEjXSh The chart below is 3 years old, but cool stats & visuals: The Impact of International Students on the U.S. Economy (thank you). Also: Immigrants Have Started More Than Half of America's Billion-Dollar Startup Companies (thank you). lnkd.in/g-dph6cd. I am grateful for my international students. They have broadened my horizons. FYI (I cannot attest to the accuracy)…Data science grads on new U.S. visas can earn $100k. lnkd.in/gvMn-AR7. The Biden administration added data science & financial analytics to the list of degrees for which international students on student visas can spend three years after graduating in the U.S. instead of the standard 1 year for most courses. Known as 'optional practical training', the 3-year waiver is now being applied more widely. lnkd.in/gn4MrjKJ lnkd.in/g-bqWZUW lnkd.in/gmNJTGPh lnkd.in/g3nhPgmD The US gov has added data science & financial analytics to the list of degrees where you can get a 3-year visa extension after graduating instead of the standard 1 year. Not new, right? From me: how is this different than the STEM OPT extension of 24-months from 2016? lnkd.in/gTDtDavD OPT Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT) Certain F-1 students who receive science, technology, engineering, & mathematics (STEM) degrees may apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT. lnkd.in/gC_n5TtP U.S. schools saw a 72% decrease in new student enrollment in 2020 compared to 2019, but that increased slightly in 2021 as pandemic restrictions eased. During the 2020-21 academic year, they contributed $28.4 billion to the U.S. economy & supported more than 306,000 jobs. This marked a decrease of more than a third from the previous year. lnkd.in/gGzp_8GW #dataanalytics #internationalstudents

[@simecurkovic]

I see so many SCM job postings that say: Master's degree preferred... Classic example of a SCM job posting where the company (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) says the job requires that you be a consultant to their organization (they are not mincing words in the job title - Senior Consultant). If you look at the description, there is nothing here that can be outsourced and/or be replaced by technology. However, it does require major use of technology. careers-bcbsa.icims.com/jobs/3555/sr.-consultant--gpo-operations/job Sr. Consultant GPO Operations Job LocationsUS-IL-Chicago Overview The senior consultant will lead projects and portions of other projects to help develop operational improvements to enhance the systems, processes, functions and reporting of the Group Purchasing Organization (GPO). Through automation, data collection and analysis, integration, team interaction and project management the senior consultant is responsible for assisting in structuring the operational efficiency of our business. The emphasis is placed on systems and process. While the role will be focused on the Operations and Reporting area, it will also support the rest of the GPO that includes and is not limited to system administration, developing and running reports, implementing new systems and working directly with Finance, IT and other internal stakeholders. Responsibilities Responsibilities include but are not limited to: • Designing and running ad-hoc and scheduled reports through excel, tableau and other systems, with responsibility for reporting quality and integrity. Includes time sensitive leadership requests for data and information.. • Acquire, organize and synthesize financial data and other information to identify and communicate key findings. • Manage the Contingent Worker portal processes. • Identify and lead the implementation of best practices and process improvements (e.g., Supplier onboarding, RFx, Process, Plan communication) • Assist in implementation and administration of systems (e.g., procurement management system, contract management system, e-sourcing, vendor management) for the GPO team in their day-to-day work. • Engage with GPO and other functional stakeholders on creating new business processes and improving the operational functionality within the group. • Manage the day-to-day operations of GPO Salesforce CRM environment and assist with supplier questions regarding accessing supplier-facing platforms. Qualifications Required Basic Qualifications: • Bachelor degree or experience in related discipline (Supply Chain Management, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Data & Analytics) • Five years related business experience • Demonstrate ability to work independently and take ownership of assigned projects • Proficiency in Microsoft Office products required (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) • Proficiency in data analytics solutions (e.g. R, R Studio, Python, Tableau, SQL, Salesforce) Preferred Basic Qualifications: • Master’s degree in related discipline (Supply Chain Management, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Data & Analytics) • Experience in sourcing or procurement • Experience integrating disparate systems into seamless experience for end user Equal Opportunity Employer Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other legally protected characteristics

[@simecurkovic]

Technology skills are a great way to get into SCM... Do you know how to use Power BI or Tableau? Do not be a victim of technology. WMU ISM students learn: big data/predictive analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI, etc. Visualization is big. Kellogg's is the largest user of Tableau in Michigan and Tableau is owned by Salesforce. Salesforce is huge and is worth $220B. PowerBI is owned by Microsoft which is even huger than Salesforce and MSFT is worth almost $2,000,000,000,000 - that is $2 Trillion. PowerBI (MSFT) is playing catch-up but making significant strides. Tableau is the real deal. But so is Power BI. Students ask me which one will prevail in the market place? I have no idea but would you bet against a $2T company? Based on what I have seen, they both might be long term players in this space. Our CIS 3640 class has added Tableau and/or Power BI. I had a student with a Technology Skills section on her resume. She (Business Analytics minor) listed all the things she learned in all her ISM and BA courses. During an interview, an employer asked her, do you really know how to do all this stuff? I would love to be asked that! As of today, what would a Technology Skills section on your resume look like?

[@simecurkovic]

Yes, WMU supply chain grads from 2022 have a median wage range of $65-$75,000. Watch these major stories on WMU Haworth's major students. lnkd.in/dHhA8iEX Parents: 93% WMU graduates are employed or continuing education. lnkd.in/gPxaBnys FYI, from 2021, WMU salary report by every major: lnkd.in/gUueUNe7 WMU: No. 1 in Michigan for earnings by graduates from all backgrounds, Salaries & job placement by every major: lnkd.in/g3CZBrM7 Yes, the WMU Haworth College of Business is one of the best in the world. AACSB accredited (that means top 5% globally) & most programs are nationally/globally ranked. Why? My answer: faculty are obsessed w/ student success. Examples: WMU named in Princeton Review's 2022 'best business schools' lnkd.in/gnRvmJwD Accounting *Select 1% of business schools worldwide that have additional specialized AACSB accreditation for their accountancy programs. lnkd.in/esW6ZuD lnkd.in/eN5wF6b Supply Chain Management *Nation's best undergrad SCM program (Gartner); 2nd in SCM technology (SoftwareAdvice); 2nd in top global SCM talent (SCM World): lnkd.in/eprKKbF Food & Consumer Package Goods Mktg *Has earned certification for its category management coursework from the national Category Management Association lnkd.in/eTjBRP9 Sales & Business Mktg *Nationally ranked as the best university sales program since 2007 lnkd.in/etcppYi Digital Mktg & eCommerce *One of only a handful of its kind in the nation. wmich.edu/dme Advertising & Promotion *Among only 10 percent of advertising programs housed within a university business college, offering the best mix of marketing, communication & business fundamentals. lnkd.in/ecR2pxu Entrepreneurship lnkd.in/emeTCTJ *Starting Gate is a student business accelerator program that gives students rich and valuable resources to develop their startup companies. Human Resource Mgmt *One of a few programs in the state of Michigan recognized by the Society for Human Resource Management as having a curriculum consistent with their Body of Competency and Knowledge guidelines.lnkd.in/e75KnJ6 Leadership & Business Strategy *We undertake large scale consulting projects, executive mentorship for students, designing “learning spaces of the future" & supporting students in acquiring & operating small businesses. lnkd.in/e5JUSye Military Science & Leadership *Thank you for your service to our country! wmich.edu/rotc Finance & Commercial Law *Business law, finance & personal financial planning wmich.edu/finance Business Information Systems *Business analytics, Computer information systems, Cybersecurity lnkd.in/evSdSqU GRADUATE PROGRAMS *Princeton Review: one of the best places to earn a Master of Business Administration degree. #college #career #major #business

[@simecurkovic]

Also, our new SCM major curriculum is well underway (and now ALL majors can minor in supply chain...all products and services have a supply chain). Notice, that now our students will take 2 "procurement" classes and 2 "logistics" classes. The majority of our SCM students go into "procurement", but "logistics" is the fastest growing career path in our program. For a long time, we required a single procurement class & a single logistics class. They simply were not enough as one class left little time to focus on the strategic issues. So, starting in Fall 2023, our SCM majors will be required to take 2 sourcing classes & 2 transportation classes. The BLS is projecting that logistics jobs will grow by 7%/yr through 2026. lnkd.in/gikMwzgX. Logistics $ Data: lnkd.in/gKXinFJC. Also, Logistics Careers: lnkd.in/gg9MZjcM. WMU Supply Chain Mgmt Program: MKTG 2750 Global Negotiation SCM 2200 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems SCM 2800 Introduction to Supply Chain Mgmt SCM 3000 Production Planning SCM 3030 Procurement Mgmt SCM 3050 Logistics and Transportation Mgmt SCM 3800 Continuous Improvement Theory & Practice SCM 3810 Applied Continuous Improvement Project SCM 5030 Strategic Sourcing; or LAW 4840; or LAW 4860 (3 credits required) SCM 5050 Strategic Transportation Mgmt CIS 2640 Applied Analytics Foundations Or a minor in Business Analytics lnkd.in/eprKKbF lnkd.in/gp6VX_e3 What skills come with the Business Analytics minor?... 1. Adv Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau,Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib); 3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science; 4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy); 5. Relational data models (Excel data model); 6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn,Matplotlib,Pandas, & Plotly). lnkd.in/gxRayD3j

[@simecurkovic]

Looking into getting into the SCM field but do have a strong SCM background? These SCM graduate certificates could help get your foot in the door. For example: MIT MicroMasters program in SCM courses are delivered at a fraction of the cost of traditional training. Single subject courses are US$199-US$299 per person. The full MITx MicroMasters program credential is US$1524.60. Sime: You need to be very disciplined to follow through in these online environments though. micromasters.mit.edu/scm/mitx-micromasters-scm-business/#:~:text=Affordable%3A%20MicroMasters%20program%20in%20SCM,program%20credential%20is%20US%241524.60. Sime: and I think this gets you half way to a full blown graduate degree at a fraction of the cost. Brilliant if you can flourish during an online experience. I think SCM education is fairly conducive to online learning because it does not require tons of hand holding (versus data science which I think does require some hand holding as I would need to learn that face to face). Also, I think you can apply to ASU’s graduate online program and apply these 6 classes from the MIT MicroMasters SCM. Good luck to other schools trying to compete in this space with ASU and MIT collaborating in very creative ways.

[@simecurkovic]

WMU supply chain program once again named top program in U.S. FYI: Here is the WMU press release on ISM’s national ranking. wmich.edu/news/2020/07/60197 Also, here is my commentary on the rankings (9 minutes): kzbin.info/www/bejne/boeqmJiPqLOVapY You may have heard that we finished #11 in the Gartner Top 25 Undergrad SCM program rankings (report attached). We are once again in very good company with some very high profile schools that have extremely strong national brands. If you remember our journey over the last decade: 2011 - #12 2013 - #5 2015 - #8 2018 - #8 2020 - #11 And also remember, 2nd in SCM technology (SoftwareAdvice 2015); 2nd in top global SCM talent (SCM World 2017) For me, it means we offer a world class education and will continue to do so. Note, the difference between scores is very slight when you look at the Top 10/20. So, at #11, we could have easily been at #5 again. For example, program size has a significant impact on these ratings. Another 50 students could have moved us up 3 spots. It all adds up as the competition thickens. Yes, we are dropping in the rankings. We acknowledge that. Moving forward we need to invest resources in a similar fashion that these other schools do and that will be no small feat for us. I have friends at all these other schools and they always say to me - how do you folks at WMU do you what you do with what you have? The lack of a named ISM center, benefactors, sponsored student scholarships, named professorships, new junior faculty, resources, and investment is catching up to us. Further, Covid 19 has brought that issue front and center (across the board budget cuts are upon us). At the end of day, be reassured that our students are getting an unrivaled world class education. Also, be assured that we have every intention of moving up in the rankings and being #1. We will be reaching out soon to ask you to help us get there. In the meantime, just keep doing what you do and that is hiring our students! Thank you and let's celebrate yet another rankings accomplishment. Sime

[@simecurkovic]

The U.S. supply chain accounts for 37% of all domestic jobs, according to the Harvard Business Review. From me: it is actually higher if you loosely define SCM since every product and/or service comes from & has a supply chain. Note, this is all pre-covid data (so add more to the dollar signs)…Source: lnkd.in/gPqvNwG5 Logistician, $74,750 Logistics analyst, $58,713 Supply chain planner, $64,844 Purchasing agent, $69,600 Purchasing manager, $121,110 Logistics manager, $114,670 Distribution manager, $94,775 Operations manager, $100,780 Business and supply chain competencies make up 80% of the fastest-growing skills in this industry; basic technical skills make up the remaining 20%. Top two: Microsoft Office and productivity tools Advanced Microsoft Excel Technical skills Among the top and fastest-growing technical skills are: Data science Supply chain knowledge Supply chain management Project management Many of our SCM students get a Business Analytics minor, what does that mean? See: 1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau,Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib); 3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science; 4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy); 5. Relational data models (Excel data model); 6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn,Matplotlib,Pandas, & Plotly). lnkd.in/gxRayD3j From me: AI will have a great impact on SCM. However, one thing often not mentioned is the attitude of hiring managers, as many do not have a full understanding of the AI skill sets of graduating students. Our SCM students told us many times that their hiring managers valued only the traditional Excel capabilities (lookup functions, pivot tables, etc. - that is NOT AI), & they greatly overlooked the opportunities from other analytical solutions (skill sets that our students have). This makes it a bit difficult to sell the analytical techniques taught in classes that go BEYOND our CIS 2640 (Excel on steroids) - Applied Analytics Foundations. For example, our data mining class is essentially a machine learning class for business, which is the core of AI. The course is designed to solve the problems that Excel falls short on. Hopefully we do a better job of training our students to “sell” the AI skills & managers (SCM Leaders) become more open to embracing the benefits (which might require a culture change). #supplychain #dataanalytics #datascience #python #artificialintelligence #ai

[@simecurkovic]

Great read about getting into supply chain management with no SCM background: www.wsj.com/articles/career-reboot-a-music-director-gets-an-m-b-a-to-land-a-job-at-ford-11618747200?st=tijpntxij08lmyp&reflink=article_email_share

[@simecurkovic]

Graduate Program Salary & Placement Trends Salary: • Supply chain MBA average salary is $91,949, up from $88,935, in 2018 • MSSCM average salary is $85,879, up from $83,066 • Top ten schools → MBAs average well above $100K; many MSSCMs also Placement: • 45% of students are already employed and plan to continue to work for their employer post-graduation • 42% secure a new job prior to graduation and 18% were employed by three months after graduation (average totals will exceed 100%)

[@simecurkovic]

WMU ISM students will get virtual/remote professional work experience during covid 2020-21Experiential Live Lean Six Sigma Problem-Solving Projects: lnkd.in/emANEgK WMU ISM students are required to obtain professional work experience in order to graduate. In reality, almost all of our students obtain multiple work experiences (e.g., internships, co-ops, industry class projects). During Covid 2020-21, we are guaranteeing our students they will graduate with a professional work experience. The WMU ISM program has teamed up with several corporations to provide every student in the program with a virtual/remote work experience. Most of these projects are being run out of our lean six-sigma problem solving class. Below are examples of previous projects & charters. WMU Student Project Proposal Sheet To propose a student project please complete the following information: 1. Project Title: 2. Company Project Champion (Name, Title, Phone #, e-mail address): 3. Project Scope: 4. Project Deliverables (specific & measurable): 5. Background Information: WMU Integrated Supply Management (ISM)...Nation's best undergraduate SCM program (Gartner 2014); 2nd in SCM technology (SoftwareAdvice 2015); 2nd in top global SCM talent (SCM World 2017) lnkd.in/emANEgK WMU

[@simecurkovic]

Sell your soft skills. Note skill sets required of supply chain professionals... Solid skills required in future supply chain managers include: Project management Technical understanding Cost accounting skills Ability to understand financial statements Understanding of e-business / e-procurement systems Troubleshooting, problem solving Understanding of cross-cultural / global issues Business ethics Understanding of the legal issues involved in managing contracts Soft skills and personality attributes required in future supply managers include: Ability to communicate effectively through presentations, email, one-on-one, and team discussion Ability to logically organize thoughts Ability as a natural facilitator to enable team-based decisions Time management Leadership Understanding of customer’s expectations Vision - creating the environment Desire to learn Ability to present oneself with confidence Ability to think on one's feet Ability to pass on knowledge and mentoring

[@incubatorhub6376]

Love your content! Given the pandemic / new work from home policies do you think companies will embrace hiring remote SCM talent?

[@simecurkovic]

Hi, it is already starting to happen. I see mid level SCM positions being posted as 100% remote. My students are getting job offers with the words remote/virtual being built into them. The offers might actually be specific by saying 1-2 days per week remote, etc. Most of the offers say remote/virtual based on need/applicability, etc. The days of sitting in a cubicle 5 days a week in an office building are all but over. A lot of SCM can be done remotely, even maintaining and building previous relationships. However, I must say that building completely new partnerships and relationships will require some on site face time. Balance, balance, balance. Greatness will come from this pandemic if we process it all the right way (and we will).

[@simecurkovic]

See below if you find this helpful (some of the material on the website is free). simecurkovic.com I hope all is well. FYI, I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. My goal is to create an endowed scholarship fund for future supply chain students so I can retire on a very high note. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/ Thank you again! Sime

[@simecurkovic]

We are now touching on the Logistics & Supply Chain Management distinction in my Intro to SCM class. Students are shocked by how broad SCM really is (they were concerned it was too “nichey”). Also, our new SCM major curriculum is well underway (and now ALL majors can minor in supply chain...all products and services have a supply chain). www.forbes.com/sites/katevitasek/2023/08/18/whats-the-difference-between-logistics-and-supply-chain-management-and-why-it-matters/?sh=320a0dd4d639 Notice, that now our students will take 2 "procurement" classes and 2 "logistics" classes. The majority of our SCM students go into "procurement", but "logistics" is the fastest growing career path in our program. For a long time, we required a single procurement class & a single logistics class. They simply were not enough as one class left little time to focus on the strategic issues. So, starting in Fall 2023, our SCM majors will be required to take 2 sourcing classes & 2 transportation classes. The BLS is projecting that logistics jobs will grow by 7%/yr through 2026. lnkd.in/gikMwzgX. Logistics Salary Data: lnkd.in/gKXinFJC. Also, Logistics Careers: lnkd.in/gg9MZjcM. WMU Supply Chain Management Program: lnkd.in/eprKKbF lnkd.in/gp6VX_e3 MKTG 2750 Global Negotiation SCM 2200 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems SCM 2800 Introduction to Supply Chain Management SCM 3000 Production Planning SCM 3030 Procurement Management SCM 3050 Logistics and Transportation Management SCM 3800 Continuous Improvement Theory & Practice SCM 3810 Applied Continuous Improvement Project SCM 5030 Strategic Sourcing; or LAW 4840; or LAW 4860 (3 credits required) SCM 5050 Strategic Transportation Management CIS 2640 Applied Analytics Foundations Or a minor in Business Analytics What skills come with the Business Analytics minor (imagine seeing this on a student resume)?... 1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau,Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib); 3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science; 4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy); 5. Relational data models (Excel data model); 6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn,Matplotlib,Pandas, & Plotly). lnkd.in/gxRayD3j #logistics #supplychain #procurement #purchasing

[@simecurkovic]

#9 caught me off guard (monitoring employee emails?). Data collection is expanding. "Gartner analysis shows that 16% of employers are more frequently using technologies to monitor their employees through methods such as virtual clocking in and out, tracking work computer usage, and monitoring employee emails or internal communications/chat. While some companies track productivity, others monitor employee engagement and well-being to better understand employee experience.” Hmmm. www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_supplychain-leadership-supplychainmanagement-activity-6998604191367663617-f3dt? For more details from Gartner: gtnr.it/3zQI8if Kind of related: Most college students do the bulk of their electronic communication via text messaging. Standards for emailing are different, especially in academic settings. Students' emails WILL 100% influence the way their professors view them. On avg, professionals spend 28% of their workday just reading & writing emails, which amounts to an unbelievable 2.6 hours & 120 messages received every day (in SCM it’s probably way more). Will Email Stand The Test Of Time? lnkd.in/gvWjtr-W Why are Americans quitting their jobs? lnkd.in/gtPvk_mx After a few thousand students, I would say this is the #1 reason my students change jobs (it's their boss). Money becomes a factor when they can make > 20% elsewhere. 10 Most Important Leadership Skills For The 21st Century Workplace (And How To Develop Them): lnkd.in/gmJ_GG6H FYI: You can major in LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS STRATEGY at WMU (but you have to have another major also, you cannot just major in Leadership per se). lnkd.in/e5JUSye Professor (no Dr. allowed) Sime (Sheema) Curkovic, Supply Chain Western Michigan University Sample Lectures: What is SCM? lnkd.in/dSkXQSGY #supplychain #leadership #supplychainmanagement #careeradvice

[@simecurkovic]

Research: In Supplier Negotiations, Lying Is Contagious. Summary- Being deceptive - or not totally honest - in negotiations is fairly common. But two experiments found that it can have a harmful effect: It can spread in an organization. This article discusses the research findings and offers measures that can curb the practice of potentially contagious excessive deception. lnkd.in/gJvYDNdT. __ ISM identifies negotiation as the most important skill of SCM profs & yet the weakest in terms of delivery. However, not at WMU. In fact, our Supply Chain majors take the class with Sales majors. lnkd.in/guTUcvdu. Of 8 countries examined, workers in the U.S. are the most anxious negotiators. My theory: lack of formal training & we throw them into these roles too soon. It never hurts to think like a lawyer. That is why we make our SCM students take a customized legal course. lnkd.in/g9W9sjUc The Bad Actors of OEM Procurement. "When sending out a request for quote (RFQ), OEMs have the option of soliciting bids either on individual parts or parts packages as a whole. This latter practice is often referred to as bundling, & its purpose is to incentivize suppliers to quote in the most competitive manner since they can sense a significant amount of business is at stake. This practice, in itself, is not procurement malpractice." For rest of read: lnkd.in/gy7DBU6U As a buyer, you have every legal right to say you want a “cost breakdown” of the price they gave you. Let’s say you have a supplier and you are starting to get the vibe that you are overpaying. What can you do? You could ask them for a cost break down. lnkd.in/gC2THQWB Reads… How should orgs use competitive bidding? lnkd.in/gS9vCRQ6 Assume a supplier estimates the following costs on an RFQ lnkd.in/gxFBz3_U ROI & Your Core Competency (i.e., SCM?) lnkd.in/euh2rFdU To stay competitive, companies are forced to outsource commodities & focus on core competency lnkd.in/g-DHtt8X The primary elements for sourcing a partner lnkd.in/ga2xtDsi What does it mean to be hollow? Sourcing Strategy matters! lnkd.in/gHB-nzeJ The most reprinted article in HBR: The “Core Competence” lnkd.in/gDsHme-r You have every legal right to say you want a “cost breakdown” lnkd.in/gygd5bzs Procurement 101: Explanation on Commodities lnkd.in/g_nEgvhJ How do companies outsource strategically? lnkd.in/gevbRKEq Adv Contract Mgmt: lnkd.in/gcpHEEvw How SCM managers “prepare” to negotiate price increases. lnkd.in/gVrdpuer Supplier Cost Breakdowns & How To Negotiate Price Increases: lnkd.in/gp5naJxE lnkd.in/gGRaKtVK lnkd.in/gMuhMNf6 lnkd.in/gQZ7HfWb lnkd.in/gvCpr6T5 lnkd.in/gPVMbWd6 lnkd.in/g6qdMvcS lnkd.in/gwFjDfx7 lnkd.in/g494sxYr lnkd.in/g6Uxkuby #supplychain #negotiation #procurement

[@amorbukid5899]

It's good to know that one doesn't necessarily have to major in SCM to gain opportunities in SCM. At the moment due to full time work, I can only afford and go to an online school such as Western Governors University. However, they don't have an SCM program... They offer a BS Admin in Business Management and a BS in Data Management/Data Analytics. Which degree do you think would be better to take if I want to work my way up in SCM with a non-SCM degree?

[@simecurkovic]

Hello, I am a huge fan of skill sets associated with data scientists. See below and also see my other comments on encouraging my students to obtain a Business Analytics minor. I get this kind of email over and over and over (FYI - CIS 2640 is our Data Analytics class)... Subject: That darn CIS 2640 class!!! Hello Sime, I'm one of your former students I just graduated in August and I just wanted to let you know I just got hired at a company called Topco. They're a privately member-owned large distribution center and I will be doing supply chain analysis for them. Just wanted to make sure you keep encouraging ISM students to take CIS 2640 if it wasn't for that class I would not have got the job. Thanks for everything you're doing for the program and I hope you have a great day! Neil xxxxx **************************************************** Another one... Hi Sime, I wanted to reach out to let you know that I have received a couple job offers! One that I really am leaning toward taking is a Inventory Analyst role with xxxxx in Minneapolis. They have offered me $58,000 a year and $3,000 to help me relocate. I think it is a great offer but do you think I should negotiate the pay at all? Also for any ISM students thinking about the business analytics minor please stress to them the importance of it. In every interview I have had they are very impressed with it and really want new hires to be comfortable with Excel. For xxxx they told me it was one of the things that helped me stand out against other candidates and they think it will help me be able to do anything within the position. Thank you! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ************************************************************* Another one... Hello Dr. Chen, I would like to thank you for a wonderful semester! I learned a great amount and its already transitioning into the business world! I just got done with a Skype call with Steelcase that was strictly focused on excel skills you taught me this year! Its exciting to see such a quick turnaround and application of the knowledge from your class! I hope that the rest of finals week goes well, and that you have a relaxing summer! Regards and Bronco Pride, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ************************************************************ Another one...this was an article on the HCOB website...it made Nathan famous... Gamifying Travel at Intuit Supply chain professionals, expert at improving processes and reducing costs, fill roles in a variety of areas leading and supporting initiatives that help the bottom line. As a new analyst at business and financial software giant Intuit, Nathan Henckel, B.B.A.’17, teamed up with three other Intuit employees to pitch a way to reduce employee travel costs that would benefit both the company and the employee. The team created a gamification process where employees earn rewards with the “Price to Beat” plan. “In order to pitch a program like this, we had to the have the data and a program to back our idea,” says Henckel. “This was my part of the project. I created an algorithm using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications programing language that analyzes Intuit’s historic and real-time travel data and generates a price to beat for the specific route the user was seeking.” Using the company’s travel booking system, employees can “Beat the Price” generated by Henckel’s algorithm and receive half of any savings in their next paycheck. In order to deploy a program where Intuit provides cash incentives to employees, the group presented their invention and explained the algorithm to Intuit’s chief marketing officer. “Following our presentation, he advocated to senior management for the deployment of this program as a pilot to approximately 1,000 intuit employees,” says Henckel, who credits his time in the Haworth College of Business with sharpening his knowledge of data analytics as well as his communication skills so that he could effectively present information and data about the project in a way that is meaningful. “The business analytics skills and effective communication techniques I learned as a WMU student are put to use every day,” says Henckel. “As a sourcing analyst, my day-to-day responsibilities include deriving insights from data and effectively communicating those insights to our leaders. While a student at WMU, I took multiple courses that prepared me for the role that I am in now.” To date, the travel game has generated $40,000 in savings and has been received very well by Intuit employees. “The primary goal of this project and pilot was to show savings for the company as a result of the incentive based travel program, and we accomplished that.” The team is now looking at expanding the pilot. Excited about his position at Intuit and the opportunity to develop his skills for the future, Henckel anticipates his chosen field will change often. “In today’s world, more and more roles and tasks are being completed programmatically and with artificial intelligence and machine learning,” he says. “As a result, the roles of traditional sourcing professionals and analysts could be quickly changing directions. At Intuit, we employ the top software engineers in the world, which makes it the perfect place to further develop skills such as Python and other programming languages. I have already seen my skills pay off with the creation of our travel gamification algorithm using visual basic.” Henckel’s path to Intuit began as a sophomore student participating in the introductory integrated supply management course taught by Dr. Sime Curkovic, professor of management. “I think back to that course and how much passion and thought went into that class,” says Henckel. “After being exposed to the excitement and rigor of the course and the ISM program, I knew this was the field I wanted to pursue.” Henckel went on to participate in the ISM program’s Bronco Force initiative where he helped develop a scorecard for a manufacturing firm in southwest Michigan. “This hands on experience, as well as the fact that students earned a LSS Green Belt as part of Bronco Force, helped me land my first summer internship at Brunswick Corporation in Chicago.” As an indirect sourcing co-op at Brunswick, Henckel performed heavy data analytics and assisted in corporate travel and ocean freight bids. He later landed a co-op with GAST Manufacturing “where I finally got to put the manufacturing engineering knowledge ISM students gain to good use. This experience was substantial for developing my business acumen in a fast-paced setting and honed my ability to effectively communicate and negotiate.” When Henckel was approaching graduation, Curkovic talked about the business and culture of Intuit, and Henckel was intrigued. After some research, he applied for a position in San Diego. After several phone interviews, he was invited to a case interview, and the next day had the job. “The opportunity to move out to San Diego and work for such a progressive company was a career-defining move, and I couldn’t have done it without Western’s ISM program,” adds Henckel. ********************** One more... Dr. xxxxxx- Following up on our conversation from earlier, I wanted to say again how much CIS 2640 has already helped me with my career. I took the class this past spring with Dan Miller, and the timing could not have worked out any better. I went right into a summer internship at xxxxx Systems (a third party logistics provider) as a logistics analyst intern. My excel skills coming out of CIS 1020 were rudimentary, and I would have struggled if that had been my only excel experience. With 2640, I was able to immediately begin cost savings analysis of freight pay data by using pivot tables, vlookups (I’m excited to begin using xlookups), index match, paste values, text formulas and other general excel workflow best practices that are taught. I spent a lot of my time this summer cleaning data, and the industry experience stacked really well on top of the classroom experience to help me use my time as efficiently as possible. The curriculum was spot on. I can’t imagine not taking this class, as it would be much more difficult to stand out in interviews and the workplace. I recommend the Business Analytics minor to everyone I know because of it. This semester I am tutoring for 2640 at the Dallas Rauker Center, and feel very confident after my combination of classroom success and workplace application. I’d appreciate if you could let the CIS team know that in my opinion, the content is spot on, and that we should to as much as we can to offer the class to as many students as possible. Best, xxxxxxx Western Michigan University Integrated Supply Management | May 2021

[@amorbukid5899]

@@simecurkovic thank you for a great response. This has definitely helped me with my decision!

[@simecurkovic]

Hi AmorBukid: See below if you find this helpful (some of the material on the website is free). simecurkovic.com I hope all is well. FYI, I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. My goal is to create an endowed scholarship fund for future supply chain students so I can retire on a very high note. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/

[@simecurkovic]

Mid-Level Supply Chain Positions | Average Salary: $115,000 Senior-Level Supply Chain Positions | Average Salary: $260,000 Nice supply chain website. My students ask great questions when it comes to…money. Recently, someone asked if they could earn a great salary in mid-career. I asked what is mid-career & he said by age 30. I smiled, but also told him many of my students are six digits or above by that age. SCM is very opportunistic. Entry-Level Supply Chain Positions | Average Salary: $69,000 Also: Entry Level Manufacturing Jobs | Salary Range: $66,000 - $78,000 Mid-Level Manufacturing Jobs | Salary Range: $110,000 - $143,000 Senior-Level Manufacturing Jobs | Salary Range: $239,000 - $338,000 Source: lnkd.in/ga8Azij7 __ Yes, WMU supply chain grads from 2022 have a median wage range of $65-$75,000. lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX Salaries per "DC Velocity": 2021 lnkd.in/gESQFNZa vs 2020 lnkd.in/gW-U-KHK vs 2019 lnkd.in/gJquYyT4. From "ISM": 2018 $: lnkd.in/gV53aggX. 2020 $ (right before covid): lnkd.in/gz8WQEhr. 2021 $ (deep into covid): lnkd.in/g-SfG93A & lnkd.in/gn5jM9xt. Salaries per "ASCM" $: 2022 lnkd.in/gtYC5Cnw vs 2021 lnkd.in/gpMvehY5 vs 2020 lnkd.in/gcsrX6tr People want more money & rewarding work (not paperwork). lnkd.in/g7BwX84c. "The demand for logistics talent has never been greater. The low unemployment rate has created a supply/demand imbalance, spurring employers to raise salaries in a bid to attract and retain top talent. Of the 454 respondents to DC Velocity’s 19th annual Salary Survey, 72%) saw a boost in their total compensation in the past year." Should college grads negotiate a higher starting salary? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh. Salaries in SCM are going up & already average $10K-$20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields. lnkd.in/gCiYgwS2 There isn’t enough young people working in supply chain - lnkd.in/gtUcJpX7. SCM $ Information - lnkd.in/gn5jM9xt lnkd.in/gTBMP5dM lnkd.in/eQvfFMc lnkd.in/g7YamZCU #supplychain #job #salary #manufacturing #logistics #procurement

[@simecurkovic]

More and more jobs starting to look like SCM + Engineering… Purchasing Engineer, Viking Group, Caledonia, MI Job Description Responsible for managing the new product launch process for purchased components & materials. Supports the Purchasing Department's overall organizational and operational objectives. This includes selection and evaluation of new suppliers, leading cross functional team audits to qualify new suppliers, creating and implementing sourcing strategies for new components, obtaining and analyzing quotes, analyzing make vs. buy scenarios for current in-house manufactured products, and leading design reviews between R&D, QA, and key suppliers to identify opportunities to reduce material costs. RESPONSIBILITIES: • Leads new product development process for the Purchasing Department, managing all new projects from initial kick-off to approved product launch. • Researches, evaluates, audits, and recommends new suppliers based on their ability to provide value in the form of products or services that are strategically suited to the current and future needs of the Viking Corporation. • Component quoting and cost analysis for all new product components. • Leads new supplier audits with cross functional Viking team (QA, R&D, etc.). • Leads design reviews between Viking R&D, QA Departments, and key suppliers in order to recommend lower cost alternatives for raw materials, etc. • Attends internal new product development meetings as the Purchasing Department representative. • Analyzes make vs. buy scenarios for new product to identify potential cost saving opportunities. • Identifies opportunities to reduce supplier lead times. • Identifies opportunities to reduce raw material inventory at Viking (Kanban, consignment inventory, etc.) • Performs other duties as assigned. REQUIREMENTS: • BS in Engineering or BA in Supply Chain Management, with emphasis on technical and engineering classes • Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills • Proficient Microsoft Excel skills. • Knowledge of or experience in lean manufacturing environment. • Ability to communicate technical issues between engineers & suppliers. • Up to 20% travel for supplier evaluations and audits. • Ability to work independently and complete projects on time to achieve goals. • Ability to lead internal teams to implement change to reduce costs. Viking Group Caledonia, MI 49316 USA

[@simecurkovic]

Interviewing tips. If you missed it, this is cool (I think)…Google's "Interview Warmup" asks practice job interview questions, then gives feedback on your spoken answers. If you can’t practice w/ another human for an upcoming job interview, Google has a new solution: Talk to its computer. www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_google-has-a-new-job-interview-practice-tool-activity-6977773719796547584-qn0w? Also worth noting: @LinkedIn has a similar feature where you can practice by recording an answer to an interview question and 1) get immediate AI feedback, or 2) send it to someone in your network for personal feedback. lnkd.in/d8YGspvf Get Instant AI Feedback to Improve Your Interview Answers Also, I have soooo many students asking about STAR job interviews & online robots…lnkd.in/ePzz3NG and lnkd.in/eZgTxWc STAR is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview question by discussing the situation, task, action, & result. Most companies use STAR. Star Method: Tell me of a time when you had to work within a group where the members did not get along? How did you handle the situation? More help: lnkd.in/eyCv4x5 lnkd.in/eaxVjpK Help w/ online interviews & interviewing with robots (it is AI/machine learning technology)...lnkd.in/eKBDsMq Practice before it really matters (this is mainstream now)...lnkd.in/ekaBK5Q Note, it is my understanding that these robot interviews are simply being used to weed out students. Also, that does not mean there is anything wrong w/ you if you do not get a face to face and/or onsite interview with a hiring manager. These robot interviews often simply are trying to develop a psychological profile of you & hence the weird questions. Some of these questions might be: what was the first thing you did this morning? Or what would you do if you saw someone bleeding heavily at work? The companies that use these might be trying to see if their corporate culture is a good fit for your profile. So, do not take the results personally, but learn as much as you can & get better at them (because they are not going away).The WMU website below is actually a very good link for that purpose. WMU has a service through Big Interview that has students get real life practice interview that get recorded & submitted. (I believe this is similar to Hirevue). Students can practice with Big Interview & come talk to HCOB advisors. lnkd.in/eKBDsMq How to prep for virtual career fairs: lnkd.in/evKd-VzQ lnkd.in/eNfUzksJ Interviewing tools: lnkd.in/gipsXEsK. Thank you WMU for 112 pages of ideas. A Top Business School (take a look at the list): lnkd.in/dn9-BCg Being job ready… lnkd.in/ed-ZfanD What do SCM internships pay? lnkd.in/e8pfXtC Delay graduation for experience? lnkd.in/ewKu7b_X 93% of WMU grads are employed or continuing education. lnkd.in/gabdesWa Sample Lectures: lnkd.in/e9j33EQ Follow: lnkd.in/gejqpRrP #careerguide #interviewing #interviewtips #careeradvice

[@C9Aimtohead]

I’m planning to start to study Ba in international trade and business. My friend told me I better focus on “SCM” He sent me “ Supply Chain Management & Logistics programs university link” Are they different? Should I start international trade and business and pick courses related to SCM, or study - Supply Chain Management & Logistics programs?

[@simecurkovic]

Hottest MBA Degree Now? Supply Chain Management. That darn MBA degree still has a great ROI!...“Over their lifetime, an MBA graduate can expect to earn $3 million more than someone with only a bachelor’s degree.” When is the right time for grad school? The avg age is 33. I find the age stat to not be too meaningful. For anyone

[@simecurkovic]

A solid, albeit somewhat generic/broad, overview for those looking to get acquainted with the supply chain field…Common Careers in Supply Chain Management: www.forbes.com/advisor/education/supply-chain-management-jobs/ We sourced the below salary data from the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). Buyer/Planner Median Annual Salary: $72,800 Required Education: Bachelor’s degree Job Description: Buyers and planners work on the front lines of organizations’ supply chains. They create forecasts for demand, obtain and distribute products and maintain data to determine products’ performance. They may also contribute to sales and customer service while identifying and managing risk. Logistics Manager Median Annual Salary: $100,000 Required Education: Bachelor’s degree Job Description: Logistics managers oversee products and services as they enter and exit organizations. They also manage distribution, shipping, transportation and raw materials. They plan routes, organize fleets and create and adhere to budgets. These professionals often supervise warehouse staff in several locations as well. Materials Manager Median Annual Salary: $110,340 Required Education: Bachelor’s degree Job Description: Materials managers ensure an organization’s available products, services and goods meet customer demand. They take stock of all materials, minimize waste and manage inventory and output. Supply Chain Manager Median Annual Salary: $114,750 Required Education: Master’s or bachelor’s degree Job Description: Supply chain managers are top executives for their organizations’ supply chain processes. At a high level, they oversee all related functions, work with multiple departments to create valuable products and match organizational supply with customer demand. What are the highest-paying supply chain jobs? According to ASCM, the highest-paid supply chain professionals are supply chain directors, who earn a median annual salary of $145,000. Supply chain managers and materials managers also earn salaries exceeding $110,000. _ Also: “In ISM’s 2023 Salary Survey, the reported overall average salary remained steady, dipping imperceptibly to $123,523, while the median salary rose 5.8 percent year over year, to $105,795. Except for 2021, average salary has mostly increased over the past five years for both women and men, though the pay gap between men and women persists, now at 25 percent.” lnkd.in/giznybvJ #salary #salaryguide #salarynegotiation #supplychain

[@yaseenawooda5391]

Thank you so much for the informations. I have a 15-minute presentation job interview on supply chain management next monday. For an Entry-level. In an industrial company called (dal-group ) that have alot of businesses in (truckes, food, Medical) and more. I have an engineering degree . And I would love to shift to SCM. Any advice on what to say or to do would be mutch appreciated.

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Yaseen, for now, I would focus more on being able to interview well using the STAR technique... Google searches (STAR interview). If you send me your email, I can send you more material. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnnUlH-OaNaGj9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp-xaIRtedd8bLM Subject: Read: Interview suggestions from former student (STAR Technique) Interview Questions asked 1. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? 2. Have you ever had any failures? What did you learn from them? 3. Have you had difficulty getting along with a former professor/supervisor/coworker and how did you handle it? 4. Why should we hire you rather than another candidate? 5. What job related skills have you developed? 6. Describe your ideal job 7. Why did you choose your major? 8. Give an example of a situation where you had to provide a solution to the employer? 9. Do you prefer to work under supervision or on your own? 10. Describe a time in which you were forced to multi-task. Make sure you get names of interviewers, years employed and connection made to assist with follow-up letter/email. Star Method: Tell me of a time when you had to work within a group where the members did not get along? How did you handle the situation? Situation Interactive Qualifying Project Team. One team member showed up late, or not at all, to team meetings. Task To have the team member participate in team meetings. Action Called other team members together to discuss situation. Suggested we specifically state what we expected of the team member directly to him. Another member thought if we asked the team member what day and time he could always commit to would be better. The team decided to do both. We met with him and told him of our frustration and what we wanted. The team member apologized. He knew he had been missing meetings but he was working over 30+ hours to meet his college bills. Results We determine that meeting at lunch time would work for all of us. So we scheduled our meetings for every Thursday and it worked out great. In fact, we even invited our advisor to join us and he did regularly since he was free at that time also. • Tell me of a time when during updating database you observed a problem? Be sure to include how you resolved it. • Tell me of a time when tracking inventory you realized there wasn’t sufficient material for production? • Tell me of a time when you were overwhelmed with your tasks and how you solved them? Questions to Ask the Employer 1. What kinds of assignments might I expect during the internship portion of the job? 2. Why have you stayed with the company for 20 years 3. Describe your career path 4. What characteristics do the achievers in this company seem to share? 5. What is the next course of action? 6. When should I expect to hear from you? Things to research 1. Mission Statement/Vision 2. Core values 3. History; like when business began 4. Industry 5. Current events   Interview do’s • Write names down on portfolio • Ask for business card • Write down every question they ask • Find out years worked • If connection, like kids, sports anything talked about during interview to aid with thank you letter

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Yaseen, see below if you find this helpful for teaching purposes (some of the material on the website is free). simecurkovic.com I hope all is well. FYI, I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. My goal is to create an endowed scholarship fund for future supply chain students so I can retire on a very high note. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/ Thank you again! Sime

[@simecurkovic]

If you look at this 2020-2030 job growth chart closely, all things supply chain related scored VERY well (i.e., operations & logistics): lnkd.in/g_G-xwFv. Basically, we are going to see 20-30% growth in SCM jobs over the next decade. Also, the jobs in SCM pay VERY well. Lastly, the data science jobs scored off the charts in growth & pay. So, SCM + data science = jobs & $. Finally, automation is killing all things manual (negative job growth). Note, there are not enough young people working in supply chain - lnkd.in/gtUcJpX7. Fastest growing occupations (see Data Scientist at #3): 20 occupations with the highest projected percent change of employment between 2022-32. lnkd.in/gBdJpVMS. For students going into SCM, the prospects are great, but do not be a victim of technology! Top 12 Skills You Need To Become a Data Scientist (many business grads should have these skills). lnkd.in/gwrjksAa. Employers place a premium on - 1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau, Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib); 3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science; 4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy); 5. Relational data models (Excel data model); 6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn, Matplotlib, Pandas, & Plotly). Business analytics addresses an increasing demand in orgs of all types to understand data related to their operations. Investments in information systems throughout the enterprise over the last 10-15 years are generating tremendous amounts of data, & companies will spend at least the next 10 years developing processes that generate insight from those data (visualization is huge, think Tableau and Power BI). In addition to data generated internally, many companies are exploring the effects of external data, primarily present in social media, web search, manufacturing, & the SUPPLY CHAIN. The ability to manage data to support business projects are the key to success in many disciplines. Business analytics will provide a comprehensive skill set for SCM professionals & future SCM graduates to analyze, VISUALIZE (Tableau & Power BI!), & report data. This has become a bare minimum: CIS 2640 (Our Predictive Data Analytics class, Excel on steroids): I get this kind of feedback all the time…lnkd.in/dQABdsXc - You will be glad to hear that (Anaconda + Jupyter Notebook + Python + visualization libraries) is what we have been teaching in CIS 2650 since the course was created. lnkd.in/er3xiWj & lnkd.in/dcEJuZJX.

[@simecurkovic]

supplychaindigital.com/operations/top-10-supply-chain-schools Top 10: Supply Chain Schools Tough to argue with this list though, just pay attention to ROI. Should You Give Up Your Salary and Go to Grad School? Well, that darn MBA degree still has a great ROI...“Over their lifetime, an MBA grad can expect to earn $3M more than someone w/ only a bachelor’s.” Great ROI!?...At about 98% of universities that offer MBAs, grads typically made more money 2 years out of school than they had borrowed. That stands in contrast to law schools, where roughly 6% of programs had grads w/ higher median earnings than debt in the same time frame. Note, the MBA route requires careful thought. See: lnkd.in/gGAx4QyK. Five reasons why CEOs need to drive supply chain excellence from the top: “Some of the world’s leading CEOs today emerged from supply chain roles. Many have carried over their relentless focus on supply chain excellence into their leadership approach, proving to be invaluable in recent times….A deep understanding of supply chain issues is now a critical skill set for any C-suite leader.” lnkd.in/gVXyzaEn. I had a student ask: Shouldn’t I major in Finance or Accounting if I want to become a CEO? I said: Well, being able to talk CFO talk is critical to long term success, but you might want to give this supply chain thing some thought… lnkd.in/ganuUD6r Note, (I encourage my SCM students to get an Accounting minor): College Accounting to me feels like Supply Chain Finance. The Accounting Minor for SCM Majors seems like a great fit & has grown on me. Long term in your careers, understanding SCM Finance will be critical…lnkd.in/gBPZJsVq. lnkd.in/guejd-vi. Two classes in our Accounting minor, good fit for SCM types, right?: 3220: Cost & Managerial Accounting and ACTY 4220: Cost Mgmt & Analytics. FYI, we make EVERY business major take FIN 3200 - Business Finance Decisions. More: lnkd.in/gtUMdsiT. hashtag#supplychain hashtag#ceo hashtag#csuite hashtag#cfo

[@isslem6482]

i early graduate as veterinary, and I'm preparing to take a master degree in scm , is the best industry to go for it is pharmaceutical veterinary industry ?! I'm 23 years old what would be your advice?!

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Isslem, would a company like Zoetis and these jobs be a good fit for you? Note, supply chain in the pharma industry is about to save the world with vaccine roll outs. www.google.com/search?q=zoetis+supply+chain+jobs&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS746US746&oq=zoetis+supply+chain+jobs&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i333.8287j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[@simecurkovic]

Ready for a HW assignment that will sharpen your SCM Finance skills?... Students: See the one-page financial statement on ROI at: wmich.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/u56/2023/LectureROIHandoutPDF.pdf Let’s say you just started working for this company and you are a problem-solver that is obsessed with finding ways to do every part of your job better, faster, and cheaper. Over a six-month period, you work very aggressively to reduce your organization’s direct material purchases/costs by 5%. For example, you figured out a way to consolidate your purchases by reducing the number of suppliers you use. So, you are giving a fewer number of suppliers larger amounts of business and volumes. By the way, that is called supply base deproliferation and it usually results in lower prices from economies of scale for suppliers. Suppliers are very OK with lowering their prices if you give them higher volumes of business (suppliers reduce their costs that way and share the cost savings with you by charging you less per part). Question #1 (fill in the blanks): Here is the question: what impact does reducing your employer’s direct material (DM) costs by 5% have on its ROI (use the numbers on the attachment)? Note, if you reduce your DM costs by 5%, it also reduces your inventory value by 5% (in other words, it will also increase your asset turnover rate - so you have to recalculate profit margin and asset turnover rate). Such a cost reduction (5%) would increase profit margins from __% to __% and ROI from 10% to __%? This equals a __ percentage point increase improvement in return on investment for each 1 percentage reduction in material costs…Hint, (new ROI - old ROI)/5. My thoughts…The 5% reduction used in this example is certainly a realistic expectation if the firm hires a high performer and if the SCM operation in this firm is not particularly progressive/strategic or well run. In a well-managed supply chain organization, a more realistic target might be a 2-3% cost reduction. However, this new post covid inflationary environment has made trying to cut costs VERY difficult. Remember, I said earlier that a dollar saved in SCM is the same as a dollar of new profit. However, an additional dollar of income from sales is NOT a new dollar of profit. Applicable expenses (your costs) must be deducted from the sales dollar to determine the remaining profit. Question #2 (fill in the blanks): Back to the financial statement…A 5% reduction in direct material costs produces a profit increase of $____? If the same profit increase had to be increased by sales, what sales increase would you need? At the existing 8% profit margin, the following calculation provides the answer: Profit increase (plug in the number from the blank above in Question #2) = New sales x .08 New sales = $______ This represents a sales increase of: ($_____/$5,000,000) x 100 = ____% So, for comparative purposes, in this case study, the same absolute profit improvement can be achieved by reducing material costs by 5% or by increasing sales ___%, approximately a ratio of ___ to 1. My thoughts: If the profit margin were greater than 8%, the ratio would be somewhat less; if material costs, as a percentage of sales, were higher, the ratio would be somewhat greater. Look, most progressive/strategic (long term thinking) managers strive to improve the firm’s profit position by both increasing sales revenue (if possible in global saturated hyper competitive markets) and by reducing the various elements of operating costs (which is always a viable option since most costs come from the supply chain!). Sales and Marketing majors: Yes, selling more stuff to make more money is great, especially stuff with wide margins, but cutting costs can be a way more viable and effective option. In practice, the cost of materials can easily vary as much as 10%, depending on the skill sets of your supply chain management organization. This is why typically there are more opportunities available for reducing purchasing costs 5% per se than there are for increasing sales volume by 20-30%. Also, additional profit from purchasing savings can normally be made without increases in expense. If an increase is required, it is usually for hiring more Broncos which pays for itself because they are trained to be problem solvers that do things better, faster, and cheaper. On the other hand, additional profit from increased sales volume normally entails increases in both expenses and increases in risk of capital. Additional expenses are incurred for such things as expanded sales and/or workforce, expanded advertising budget, additional plant capacity, overtime production pay, or some combination of these factors. Additional profit from sales, therefore, entails increased capital risk and increased managerial effort. Additional profit from purchasing/supply chain management normally only entails increased managerial effort, plus an occasional modest increase in management expense (hiring Broncos). What’s wrong with hiring a high performer for $70K/year ($100K/year with benefits and bonuses) if they save you hundreds of thousands of dollars annually (maybe millions in savings). Question #3 (start over with the case study): Go back to the original financial statement on ROI. Let’s say you start working for this company and you tell the owner of the company that you need around six months to reduce direct material costs by 5%. You tell the owner that it will make the ROI go up by X% (your answer to question #1 above). The owner says that is great but he/she does not have that much time and wants instant cost savings results. This company is privately owned and family run. That means they are not publicly traded (you cannot buy stock in the company). The hourly workforce in the factory is also not represented by a union. So, the owner said he/she is going to cut direct labor costs by 5%. How much will doing so improve the owner’s ROI? How effective do you think that is and what might be the consequences? What would you have done if this was your company and you were dealing with low, thin, and tight margins? My notes (I keep giving you my notes): How can Supply Chain Management (SCM) increase company profit? For the typical firm, SCM is responsible for spending well over half of every dollar the firm receives as income from sales. More dollars are spent for purchases of materials and services than all other expenses combined, including wages, taxes, dividends, and depreciation. The fact that SCM is responsible for spending well over half of most companies’ total dollars highlights the profit-making possibilities of SCM. Every dollar saved by SCM is equivalent to a new dollar of profit. Note, almost all of my students that go into SCM, are immediately bonus eligible. That is management’s way of saying Broncos will get extra money added to their salary if they help the company save money (saving money is the same as making money). Top management’s performance is frequently evaluated on the basis of the rate of return management is able to earn on the total capital invested in the business. A firm’s profit margin reflects management’s ability to control costs relative to revenue. The asset turnover rate reflects management’s ability to effectively utilize the firm’s productive assets. Hence, a firm’s management (SCM) can improve ROI (and managerial performance) in three ways: 1) by reducing costs relative to sales; 2) by getting more sales from available assets (or increasing sales proportionately faster than investment); or 3) by some combination of the two. As seen from the handout, SCM can contribute to ROI by both increasing the profit margins and/or increasing the asset turnover rate. That’s it! Email me if you want the answer key. Thank you. Sime

[@simecurkovic]

www.strykercareersblog.com/post/3-engineering-interview-tips-and-advice-from-stryker-engineers 3 engineering interview tips and advice from Stryker engineers You’ve been invited for an engineering interview at Stryker and now you need to prepare. Start here with tips and advice from 3 Stryker engineers around the globe. Aleksandra Chilikina Senior Biomaterial Scientist What was the engineering interview process like for you? I went through several rounds of interviews. The initial interviews focused on my technical problem-solving skills and while I was not expected to know everything, the interview questions helped me articulate my approach to the problem and demonstrate that I did have the knowledge and skillset needed for the role. It is important to have the skills to know how to identify key information to execute on a deliverable. The second round of interviews was with my future manager and HR - I think we talked about everything! From really high level to really detailed project descriptions, as well as who inspires me in my daily life! What engineering interview tips do you want to share? For recent college graduates, I would focus on revising basic concepts. While it’s good to impress with in-depth knowledge, it’s just as important, if not more so, to be able to nail the basic fundamentals. Be comfortable being able to explain basic concepts in your area of focus - I know it may sound obvious, but it can be surprisingly tricky to articulate the meaning of something you haven’t revisited in a while, it also helps you get a solid start and avoid drawing a blank during the interview! For more experienced engineers, teamwork is crucial to thriving in a multinational company as globalization brings us all closer. Show that you are capable of integrating yourself into being a key team player and how you have been able to utilize team strengths to complete projects. Be able to describe how you manage different aspects of a project, from planning to execution, and how you’ve used your problem-solving skills to make sure a project succeeds. Engineers and scientists can often make the mistake of getting too much into the weeds about the specifics of the project details - be sure to also focus on your skills portfolio and what you can add to the team. Any advice for a potential engineering candidate? Show your passion, your interviewers will be holding not just the current role in mind but thinking ahead to future projects where you could excel. When they see what you are passionate about - you will be the first person that comes to mind when a relevant project begins to take shape in the future! Sunny Jay Associate Portfolio Manager What was the engineering interview process like for you? As I came through Stryker’s graduate program, the interview process was multiple rounds spanning a number of months. However, although long, each individual round was manageable. There was nothing in there that college didn't prepare me for, and all the interviewers were friendly and made it as stress-free as an interview can be. What engineering interview tips do you want to share? Both having come through the process myself, and now sitting on the other side of the table as an interviewer has taught me several things. Two huge components of any interview are confidence and your ability to articulate your thought process well. The good thing is both of these things come with practice and preparation. For example, when the interviewer asks a question like, ‘tell me a little bit about yourself’, it’s an opportunity to direct the conversation in a direction you're comfortable with. Talk about what got you into engineering, your proudest achievements, what motivates you, any relevant experience that got you to this point in your career, etc. Keep it concise and high level so the interviewer can ask follow-up questions on what intrigues him or her. Any advice for a potential engineering candidate? Make a list of potential questions, a list of achievements you want to highlight and form answers to suit. Practice these answers out loud, over and over again. Then in the interview you'll just need to think how you can make those pre-practiced answers suits the actual questions that come up. Doing this level of preparation will give you confidence and having the answers at the tip of your tongue will remove any "ummms" "ahhhs" or any awkward silences. Sumit Patel Senior Principal Engineer What was the engineering interview process like for you? The process for me started with a simple conversation on the role description and what it required. As my background was not in the medical technology field, Stryker’s openness to accept candidates from different backgrounds really stood out to me - they were more interested in my accomplishments and solution-oriented attitude. I interviewed with different managers and technical leaders and talked through things like concept development, basic engineering, projects I had previously worked on and my future goals. What engineering interview tips do you want to share? Focus on your current job profile and on projects where you’ve made an impact. Know the details such as material, specification and how you arrived at those specifications. It is about correlating and building the story from start of the project, how you got the requirements, how you converted those requirements into engineering terms, and finally the challenges you faced and how you solved those challenges. Any advice for a potential engineering candidate? Clearly illustrate your current role and projects to convey your efforts and accomplishments. Consider how you relate to Stryker’s mission, values and culture and share why you are passionate about a career with Stryker.

[@simecurkovic]

New trend/question when managers ask me about students: How professional is their email communication & attention to detail? Hmm. Hey College Students: Do not begin an email message with “Hey” & always finish it with “Thank you.” Most college students do the bulk of their electronic communication via text messaging. Standards for emailing are different, especially in academic settings. Students' emails WILL 100% influence the way their professors view them. On avg, professionals spend 28% of their workday just reading & writing emails, which amounts to an unbelievable 2.6 hours & 120 messages received every day (in SCM it’s probably way more). Will Email Stand The Test Of Time? lnkd.in/gz9NTye2 Do not underestimate the power of a professional email signature (most do not even have one, or they have very boring ones). It might be the first impression you create! lnkd.in/ge9nGrjx lnkd.in/evaNVnbv I just saw this one from a current student & liked it... lnkd.in/gqMRPeTC Do NOT round up your GPAs, use a post script on your phones for email replies, take your email signatures VERY seriously, & use keywords on your resume. Students should not change their official GPA for their resume. Instead, I recommend they calculate their major GPA using the courses required for their major & also list their overall GPA (especially if your major GPA is much higher than your overall & your overall is under a 3.0). Also, a 2.96 GPA is not a 3.00 GPA. If an employer requests an official transcript be sent upon graduation (which they will), this could be labeled as "falsification of employment record" & as a result, an offer of employment can be revoked (if you round up your GPA). I am noticing that several of my students are responding to my emails via smart phones. That is fine. It is 2022 & your future employer will expect you to do the same. However, it can be cumbersome to write emails on your phone that are clean & easy to read. & sometimes, you try to write one word but another word appears that was not intended. So, please take the time to make sure your reply message looks professional & reflects positively on you. Impressions will be made based on your written communication & you will be judged. I would also recommend programming your phone so that the post script tells the recipient of your message that it was sent from your smart phone. That way people will be less judgmental if a mistake was made. You can add the message in your iPhone settings so that it will appear on all emails sent by phone but not on your email signatures sent by computer. An appropriate post script message from your phone would be: “Note: this email was sent by iPhone, please forgive grammatical errors. “ Resume Keywords Ideas/Action Verbs. Does your resume use these? lnkd.in/ea6gV-K Here are my thoughts on resumes: lnkd.in/gxEy9VkH lnkd.in/gCgi72kX lnkd.in/gKV5JYhR #careeradvice

[@maxpc4109]

Hi professor, I want your advice and opinion please. So I am studying Business major in Information systems management and supply chain and logistics management, so it is a double major bachelor degree, do you think that I did the right choice? Is it a good combination for a supply chain major with ISM major? I also have the choice to drop and move to engineering so would you advise me to do that? Hope I can get your opinion and thoughts please. Regards,

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Max: I love your double major. Question, does the information systems degree develop these skills?...big data/predictive analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI, etc. If yes, then you have the perfect double major. In regards to majoring in engineering, that is tougher to answer. Personally, I think you should major in supply chain if getting a SCM job right after college is your top priority. If you are uncertain, then engineering would give you more options. Note, in our supply chain program, we make students take 4 engineering classes which is VERY rare for a SCM program. If you take the SCM degree route, perhaps try to build in some technical classes for your elective options. I hope this helps. Thank you. Sime

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Max: See below if you find this helpful (some of the material on the website is free). simecurkovic.com I hope all is well. FYI, I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. My goal is to create an endowed scholarship fund for future supply chain students so I can retire on a very high note. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/

[@simecurkovic]

Here is a way to be very proactive and even stay one step ahead of your suppliers (and customers). lnkd.in/gMuhMNf6 and lnkd.in/gQZ7HfWb Surprised by raw material price increases? At the WMU ISM supply chain management program we teach our students to track commodity forward price curves. Here's a quick video of Net Alpha's cloud based materialx Decision Support service that is being made available to our students in class as they prepare to become future SCM managers. Some of our alumni have experienced this new service and love it. It looks at raw material market data from multiple sources, visualizes & analyzes historical pricing scenarios, & simulates planned purchases & what-if scenarios against forward price curves. Our grads will be ready.

[@simecurkovic]

After a few thousand students, I would say this is the #1 reason my students change jobs (it's their boss). Money becomes a factor when they can make > 20% elsewhere (#2 on list below). FYI: WMU students can major in Leadership (however, they have to have another major also, make sense?). 10 Most Important Leadership Skills For The 21st Century Workplace (& How To Develop Them): lnkd.in/gmJ_GG6H www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_why-are-americans-quitting-their-jobs-5-activity-6997166854179876864-xHc-? "Quiet quitters" make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce -- probably more, Gallup finds. U.S. employee engagement took another step backward during the 2nd quarter 2022, w/ the proportion of engaged workers remaining at 32% but the proportion of actively disengaged increasing to 18%. The ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is now 1.8 to 1. lnkd.in/gb4WBKvf U.S. productivity posts biggest EVER drop in 2nd quarter 2022. This is a very complicated calculation, but it is very concerning. Has how we managed the last 2+ years caught up to us? This not only will make inflation harder to beat, it contributes to inflation. Note, in the quarter after Sept. 11th, & during the Great Recession of 2007-09 & early in the pandemic, American productivity SOARED. Why? Because it’s what we do. Something is amiss in 2022. I think Leadership got us into this, & Leadership can get us out. For example, here are Four Ways to Energize a Post-Pandemic Workforce (which have largely been downplayed in my opinion): 1. Physical Safety Remains #1 2. Mental Health on the Mind 3. Time Matters Most-Even Above Pay 4. See Me, Hear Me Working Together To Get Back to Normal: lnkd.in/gRRntrQ6 Why are people quitting their jobs? Is there a LEADERSHIP void? I would say this is the #1 reason my students change jobs (it's their boss). Money becomes a factor when they can make > 20% elsewhere. From Gartner: If you want to develop and retain strong employees without compromising their health and well-being, Connector managers are your secret weapon. gtnr.it/3A1mDvc FYI: Our students can major in Leadership (lnkd.in/e5JUSye). It can actually be taught, practiced, & learned (you can get better at it). However, another major is also req’d in our program (you cannot just major in Leadership), make sense? Great posts & reads: Flowchart: Are You Working for a Toxic Boss? lnkd.in/ggp_NaTx Why are Americans quitting their jobs? lnkd.in/gRN_tFm3 The five best lessons I’ve learned on leadership and career development lnkd.in/g2PaXqF9 The Great Resignation turns to the Great Regret as worker needs are not being met, expert says. lnkd.in/ggNH5YMY "Promotions are, in part, a function of who has the best relationship with the decider - if you're young, get to the office @smerconish @CNN": lnkd.in/diBcDBM4 Malcolm Gladwell says people must return to the office to regain sense of belonging’. lnkd.in/gaCbAzSj #leadership #careeradvice

[@simecurkovic]

Data Analytics + Finance = Strong SCM Skill Sets. talkinglogistics.com/2023/11/06/back-to-school-classes-supply-chain-leaders-should-take/ Back To School: Classes Supply Chain Leaders Should Take “Half our member respondents (50%) said they would take a “Data Analytics” class to continue their growth as supply chain leaders. Second on the list was taking a “Finance” class (33%).” lnkd.in/eEEVhWEX. “Knowledge workers were the hardest positions to fill. With the explosion of data in supply chains and the richness of that data, many companies are starting to understand the value of that information. This is causing tremendous demand for people to analyze the data, and companies aren’t able to fill those roles.” lnkd.in/eGp6xXJG. Do not be a victim of technology. You could make the case that every Business major should minor in Data Analytics. These skill sets would perhaps include: lnkd.in/dQABdsXc Employers place a premium on - 1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau, Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib); 3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science; 4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy); 5. Relational data models (Excel data model); 6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn, Matplotlib, Pandas, & Plotly). lnkd.in/dtqV-HqE. Note, (I encourage my SCM students to get an Accounting minor): College Accounting to me feels like Supply Chain Finance. The Accounting Minor for SCM Majors seems like a great fit & has grown on me. Long term in your careers, understanding SCM Finance will be critical. lnkd.in/gBPZJsVq lnkd.in/guejd-vi. Two classes in our Accounting minor, good fit for SCM types, right?: 3220: Cost & Managerial Accounting and ACTY 4220: Cost Mgmt & Analytics. FYI, we make EVERY business major take FIN 3200 - Business Finance Decisions. More: lnkd.in/gtUMdsiT.

[@simecurkovic]

I have been trying to explain Supply Chain Management to high schoolers. It’s not that easy. Parents like to see this: the number of US job postings for supply chain managers on LinkedIn more than doubled between 2019 & 2022: lnkd.in/gyWH5gxt. The U.S. supply chain accounts for 37% of all domestic jobs, according to the Harvard Business Review: lnkd.in/gbV_aMT7. WMU SCM grads have a median wage range of $65-$75K. lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. Good ROI, right? kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZneTc2V-Z6xogqs Professional experience that pays well while in college?...Thousands of new internships posted, to name a few - lnkd.in/gVsHEZxz & lnkd.in/gRKmr7QE & lnkd.in/gmMH5myb. What do internships pay (never work for free)? The going rate appears to be $18-30/hr. See: lnkd.in/g6CH_pYv & lnkd.in/g4znXYHu. Being job ready in the post covid market & beyond. lnkd.in/eZGZbkP & lnkd.in/g8cAcBh3. Not becoming a victim of technology?...The ultimate SCM minor…Business Data Analytics: lnkd.in/eqiqSMRb & lnkd.in/gwHynAZB & lnkd.in/dtqV-HqE. Are students satisfied with their college experience?...Students have overwhelmingly positive reactions to their college experience: lnkd.in/gR5pNeDe. How To Become A Supply Chain Manager: Salary, Education Requirements And Job Growth: lnkd.in/gtXUfBJg. Goals of an internship (it’s not job shadowing): lnkd.in/gMtdr92u. Women in Supply Management: lnkd.in/g8bpMTq9. If you look at this 2020-2030 job growth chart closely, all things supply chain related scored VERY well: lnkd.in/g8n-dCz2 hashtag#supplychain hashtag#career hashtag#college hashtag#jobs .

[@simecurkovic]

Notice how a lot of these jobs are in the supply chain. "Most Sought-After Entry-Level Jobs Without a Degree: #1 Inventory Manager. The demand for skilled inventory managers in warehouses and companies post-pandemic has doubled the position’s job share in a year. Note, nearly 65% of the U.S. working population does not have a four-year degree." www.visualcapitalist.com/sought-after-entry-level-jobs-of-2023/ The U.S. supply chain contains 37% of all jobs, employing 44 million people. See: The Harvard Business Review (Delgado & Mills) called this right 5 years ago in 2018 (pre covid), well done. Why are supply chain industries the source of so many high-paying jobs and so much innovation? lnkd.in/grs9FUsw. Degree program fuels supply chain and logistics industry’s workforce of the future: lnkd.in/g65xNd9M. “Its bachelor’s degree gives students the chance to boost their average annual pay in the field to $87,280, compared with $49,689 for a high school graduate.” A Look at the U.S. Supply Chain Economy: lnkd.in/gWuBsbyw. “It’s worth noting that supply chain traded services have the highest wages in the supply chain economy, averaging at $80,800 annually - 3 times higher than traditional “service” jobs.” The supply chain economy: A new industry categorization for understanding innovation in services (Delgado & Mills): lnkd.in/g3XCQvVQ. In 2020-2021, SCM was the 89th most popular major nationwide with 10,986 degrees awarded. lnkd.in/gBA7id7M. Top Degrees in demand, current data (2023) from NACE: lnkd.in/g3kM_sZ6. Great time to be a supply chain student. Deloitte expects U.S. manufacturers to have 2.1M unfilled jobs by 2030, & the BLS is projecting that logistics employment will grow by 7% annually through 2026. lnkd.in/gQ4cTdiy "The number of US job postings for supply chain managers on LinkedIn more than doubled between 2019 & 2022, according to data shared w/ the Financial Times." lnkd.in/gyWH5gxt. Nice SCM salary report summary: lnkd.in/dTneTGgw. #supplychain #jobs #economy

[@simecurkovic]

“Over time, more companies are choosing to draw from their SCM team when they are looking to fill the CFO role. Therefore, a background in SCM is the perfect preparation for a CFO career path-& possibly even the job of CEO.” CFO to CFO: Finance and Supply Chain Management: lnkd.in/gsCibmeT I really push my supply chain students to learn CFO talk. College Accounting to me feels like Supply Chain Finance. The Accounting Minor for our SCM Majors seems like a great fit & has grown on me. Long term in your careers, understanding SCM Finance will be critical. The worlds of Finance & SCM have collided. Your opportunities are endless if you learn how to talk to the CFO…lnkd.in/eJnVHrsM My discussion on why I maybe recommend a Finance graduate degree for SCM students: lnkd.in/ewNBvPf and lnkd.in/ewA2yq7. The good news is that industry will pay more for more strategic skills (i.e., Finance)… Long term in your careers, understanding SCM Finance will be critical. At the end of the day, SCM executives are evaluated on generating shareholder value (bottom line financial kind of stuff, of which has gotten very creative and complicated). Also, more and more SCM VP’s (C-suite types) are reporting directly to the CFO of the company (because SCM is that important to the bottom line). Students often ask me, if they go on to get a graduate degree, what should they get it in. I say get a graduate degree in something you are weak in but will matter in your career (especially long term). You will hit a ceiling professionally if you do not understand SCM Finance. So, I would give that serious consideration in your graduate education. The Monthly Metric: Cash Flow From Operations A great read: lnkd.in/erfZdWk Do you know what this means? 2/10 net 30 (now employers want Supply Chain Managers to be Financiers!!??) lnkd.in/e2TztjY Here it comes: lnkd.in/eNdih2e2 Supplier financing disclosure would be required under proposed accounting rule. The trade payable arrangements, which help companies manage cash, typically aren’t publicly reported even though they pose a liquidity risk. Creative Payment Terms & Buyer-Supplier Financing Industry often sees suppliers complaining about cash-flow issues. But the supplier havoc, for the most part, does not need to happen. The solution might be as simple as robust payment terms & creative buyer-supplier financing. Large OEM buying orgs often try to negotiate not paying suppliers for as long 90-180 days after they actually receive material &/or services. As a function of being the customer & often larger, buying orgs often have this kind of leverage. Many large OEMs currently have cash on the sidelines & appear to be very liquid. Sitting on that cash for several months might not be necessary all the while suppliers in...for rest of story, see... lnkd.in/eJnVHrsM #supplychain #finance #cfo

[@simecurkovic]

“Companies have been shifting from a “traditional experience-based” hiring approach to a skills-first one…” Keep that in mind w/ your resume & LI profile. I actually have employers tell me they will NOT consider a student if they do NOT have a strong professional LinkedIn presence. Hmm. How to effectively join LinkedIn. lnkd.in/dAwyTUy. I have former students that found new jobs & they were not even looking! Interviewing tools: lnkd.in/gipsXEsK. www.cnbc.com/2023/01/04/linkedins-top-5-soft-skills-you-should-start-building-on-right-now.html Also, most employers will not even look at your resume if it looks like a lazy effort. Aesthetics matter! Yale advice: lnkd.in/gggJFADW lnkd.in/gxkjy3sm Harvard: lnkd.in/ghEYr3Qw lnkd.in/gc4Kd_SE MIT: lnkd.in/g3xqeDyc Personally, I prefer WMU’s Career Services manual. Also, WMU HCOB/SCM has a great ROI (just ask my students starting at 70K & making over six digits by age 30). lnkd.in/gipsXEsK lnkd.in/dn9-BCg Should current students negotiate an INTERNSHIP offer? The avg SCM internship is $44,918/yr, or $21.6/hr. People on the lower end, bottom 10%, make $37K/yr ($17.80/hr), while the top 10% makes $54K ($25.96/hr). lnkd.in/gpBm_m84 Should grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh Virtual career fairs: lnkd.in/evKd-VzQ Business externship? lnkd.in/e9aeewPa Placement success of SCM Program - *Median salary was $60K - $65K (around 10% of grads hired on w/ 1 auto OEM at $78K!). "Supply Chain"+"Degree"=jobs & $$. lnkd.in/gV4x6GWE Will technology replace SCM jobs? lnkd.in/gX8vcRNa Global Negotiation: Fastest growing class. lnkd.in/guTUcvdu A Top School: lnkd.in/dVdMRXP Sample Lectures: lnkd.in/e9j33EQ Power BI or Tableau? Do not be a victim of technology. lnkd.in/eKEaPGq lnkd.in/e5zG6sZ Here is a read on how SCM 4.0 does not have to be super expensive: lnkd.in/eyebnSct How much Python do I need to know in order to excel in SCM? lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw STAR job interviews & online robots… lnkd.in/ePzz3NG lnkd.in/eZgTxWc lnkd.in/eyCv4x5 lnkd.in/eaxVjpK Myers-Briggs. lnkd.in/ehj3ysR For details on how to build your brand: lnkd.in/dSAA6wF Similar to MBTI: lnkd.in/ey4TEUY lnkd.in/exNDhSv Help with online interviews...lnkd.in/eKBDsMq Practice before it really matters...lnkd.in/ekaBK5Q Resume advice... lnkd.in/eWen96qj lnkd.in/e7utipBi lnkd.in/eVEHgvk6 Internships, salary data, etc. lnkd.in/eNfUzksJ Covid job market… lnkd.in/ed-ZfanD Delay graduation for experience? lnkd.in/ewKu7b_X Right time for grad school? lnkd.in/eTk-PXPv Predictive Data Analytics (Excel)…lnkd.in/dQABdsXc Problem solving #1 skill set! Elon's resume - lnkd.in/eWaJ8q2 #jobhunting #networking #interviewing

[@simecurkovic]

When is the right time for grad school? The average age is 33. lnkd.in/eTk-PXPv I find this stat to not be too meaningful. For anyone

[@simecurkovic]

Should You Give Up Your Salary and Go to Grad School? Well, that darn MBA degree still has a great ROI...“Over their lifetime, an MBA grad can expect to earn $3M more than someone w/ only a bachelor’s.” Great ROI!?...At about 98% of universities that offer MBAs, grads typically made more money 2 years out of school than they had borrowed. That stands in contrast to law schools, where roughly 6% of programs had grads w/ higher median earnings than debt in the same time frame. From WSJ: lnkd.in/gKhXe8tM lnkd.in/gMd2vC2T lnkd.in/gkN-ecch (lots of data & links) Interesting salary & job placement data for USC MS grads. lnkd.in/gBm2cSx9. MIT MS SCM grads can be found at: lnkd.in/gYimnUkP. When is the right time for grad school? Hottest MBA Degree Now? SCM Forget Finance. SCM Is the Pandemic Era’s Must-Have MBA Degree. lnkd.in/g8VqgK_5 Note, I think the MBA route requires careful thought. lnkd.in/eW_F27BN lnkd.in/eTk-PXPv lnkd.in/e3EYjtsE lnkd.in/eQvfFMc lnkd.in/eX-2GgPp lnkd.in/ejRNPgfq Great read by Mr. Daniel Stanton: lnkd.in/g54Q6j9j See comments section at: lnkd.in/gNU7ct2N

[@simecurkovic]

Hmmm. The Street: “For all you parents out there: want your kids to get filthy rich? One path to great wealth is going to a first-class university. That’s what a study from global research firm Altrata shows. Here is its ranking of the top 10 U.S. universities in terms of the number of graduates enjoying a net worth of at least $30 million. Altrata calls that “ultra-wealthy” (seems like a fair definition, right?).” www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_the-path-to-achieving-high-wealth-leads-through-activity-7011393706373120000-DGQ2? Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession w/ them...lnkd.in/gv_vZ4k9. I have been talking to high schoolers & the parents also appear to be too focused on rankings. Pay attention to what matters most- not rankings!...especially at the undergrad level. (Yes, I still wish my school was ranked higher than #285). UM & MSU & Michigan Tech ranked very well, congrats to them. lnkd.in/gc27Ne9p "Students who are able to build strong relationships with professors are far more likely to find engaging work after graduation." lnkd.in/gSuzhcjP -those who believe a professor cared about them as a person, made them excited about learning, & encouraged them to pursue their dreams had more than double the odds of being engaged at work & experiencing a higher degree of well being overall, these studies find. lnkd.in/g-v3-iTk …only 3% of grads reported having the kind of positive experiences in school that these studies find to be valuable. At WMU, we do better than 3%. Why? My answer: faculty are obsessed with student success (that’s what you should be looking for as a student). lnkd.in/gK_PQdYh From me: if you are a student majoring in something, but your school is not on some list, do not worry about it! I am 99.9% certain that you are still getting a world class education that is extremely comparable to the schools on the list. In fact, in some ways, you might be getting a better education (i.e., smaller classes, closer mentors, better ROI maybe, etc.). Note also, all rankings are somewhat dubious and suspect. At the undergraduate level, pay less attention to the brand of the school, & pay attention to your major (i.e., does demand exceed supply which means you will have multiple job offers upon graduation) and make great decisions while you are in school (i.e., work experience, networking, grades, passing a drug test, build your brand, etc.). FYI: “The majority of ultra-wealthy individuals already reside in the U.S., but 2021 saw a staggering increase of 30,470 people bring added to this exclusive ultra-wealthy category in the country.” lnkd.in/gU84FAHG In 2021, America’s top 10% of income earners made at least $129,181 a year-more than 2x the U.S. avg. America’s top 10% works 4.4 hrs more each week than those in the bottom 10%. Globally, the top 10% in 27 countries surveyed are actually working around 1 hr less each week than the bottom 10%. lnkd.in/gBDnqMse #supplychain #collegesanduniversities #careerguide

[@simecurkovic]

spcea.org/understanding-the-preferred-degrees-for-cost-engineering-positions/ Understanding the Preferred Degrees for Cost Engineering Positions As the demand for cost engineers continues to grow, understanding the academic backgrounds that hiring managers seek has become increasingly important. In a recent survey conducted by SPCEA, we explored the educational qualifications preferred by employers when hiring cost engineers. The results offer valuable insights into the qualifications that are most valued in this profession. Engineering Degrees: The Dominant Choice The survey revealed that the vast majority of hiring managers prefer candidates with engineering degrees for cost engineering positions. Specifically, 71% of respondents indicated that an engineering degree is their top choice. This preference underscores the importance of a strong technical foundation in the field of cost engineering. While cost engineering itself is a specialized discipline, it is rare to find degree programs specifically tailored to this niche. As a result, candidates with degrees in electrical, mechanical, industrial, or other engineering disciplines - especially when combined with manufacturing experience - are highly sought after. These degrees provide a solid understanding of the technical aspects of projects, which is crucial for accurate cost estimation and management. A Multifaceted Approach: “All of the Above” Coming in second, with 20% of the vote, was the option “All of the Above.” This category likely represents a more diversified skill set, combining technical engineering knowledge with business acumen. Although the limitations of LinkedIn prevented us from exploring this category in greater detail, it is reasonable to assume that many respondents in this group hold engineering degrees alongside advanced business qualifications, such as an MBA. This combination is particularly powerful in the cost engineering field, where understanding both the technical and financial aspects of a project is essential for effective cost control and decision-making. Finance and Business Degrees Interestingly, degrees in finance and business (by themselves) were less preferred by hiring managers, with only 8% and 2% of the vote, respectively. While these degrees provide valuable skills in financial analysis and business management, they may lack the technical depth that is often required in cost engineering roles. However, candidates with these qualifications could still be highly competitive, particularly if they possess additional certifications (such as the CPCE®) or experience that complement their financial expertise with technical knowledge. The Need for Multifaceted Skills The survey results highlight the need for a multifaceted skill set in the cost engineering profession. While a strong technical background in engineering is clearly valued, there is also recognition of the importance of business and financial skills. As projects become more complex and interdisciplinary, the ability to bridge the gap between technical and financial considerations will likely become increasingly important for cost engineers. In conclusion, while engineering degrees remain the dominant choice for cost engineering positions, there is growing recognition of the value of combining technical expertise with business acumen. As the field of cost engineering continues to evolve, professionals who can blend these skills will be well-positioned to succeed. SPCEA will continue to explore these trends and share insights to help guide both aspiring cost engineers and hiring managers in this dynamic field. Written by Jeff Miller, President and Co-Founder of SPCEA Copyright © 2024 - Society of Product Cost Engineering & Analytics. All rights reserved.

[@midoali3403]

I am 36yrs and i have bachelor in commerce, is it easy to get master in SCM and shift my carrier.

[@simecurkovic]

Hello Mido Ali, actually, most graduate degrees in SCM are geared towards people like you. Meaning, you do not have a previous formal education in SCM. This might be helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnenYoVmecqSsLM kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYTXaaGkgdNrgcU

[@simecurkovic]

Hi Mido, see below if you find this helpful for teaching purposes (some of the material on the website is free). simecurkovic.com I hope all is well. FYI, I just created a website with a subscription service ($25/year). It gives you access to hundreds of my blogs, job postings, hours of lecture videos, and class/research material. Also, there is a Q & A and contact section. You can contact me for any purpose any time and I will get back to you quickly. You are under no obligation to join, but I think the investment would pay for itself. Also, even if you do not join, you can of course still reach out any time. I would be grateful if you considered joining. My goal is to create an endowed scholarship fund for future supply chain students so I can retire on a very high note. Free sample view of one blog (see Elon’s resume and get resume ideas): www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/does-your-resume-make-it-obvious-that-you-know-how-to-solve-problems/ Please join at: www.simecurkovic.com/membership/ Thank you again! Sime

[@simecurkovic]

The U.S. supply chain accounts for 37% of all domestic jobs. “The last time the U.S. labor market was this strong was in 1969…Although mfg hasn’t seen the highest gains, the sector has one of the lowest unemployment rates across job sectors, at 2.4%. Yet the industry faces an acute labor shortage-if every skilled unemployed worker were to fill open job vacancies, a third of jobs in durable mfg would remain open.” www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_visualized-the-state-of-the-us-labor-market-activity-7042865244666286080-zkZf? _ WMU supply chain grads from 2022 have a median wage range of $65-$75K. lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. Good ROI, right? Recently, a student asked if they could earn a great salary in mid-career. I asked what is mid-career & he said by age 30. I smiled, but also told him many of my students are six digits or above by that age. SCM is very opportunistic. lnkd.in/gwfAHdkW lnkd.in/gyRiv9_x Entry-Level Supply Chain Positions | Avg Salary: $69,000 Mid-Level Supply Chain Positions | Avg: $115,000 Senior-Level Supply Chain Positions | Avg: $260,000 Also: Entry Level Mfg Jobs | Salary Range: $66,000 - $78,000 Mid-Level Mfg Jobs | Range: $110,000 - $143,000 Senior-Level Mfg Jobs | Range: $239,000 - $338,000 Source: lnkd.in/ga8Azij7. Students/Parents: Which college majors pay off? Is graduate school a golden goose or a money pit? Are Ivy League degrees usually worth it? From WSJ: lnkd.in/gMy3nwS2. lnkd.in/gH3jSWKt Again, the U.S. supply chain accounts for 37% of all domestic jobs, according to the Harvard Business Review. From me: it is actually higher if you loosely define SCM since every product and/or service comes from & has a supply chain. Note, this is all pre-covid data (so add more to the dollar signs)…Source: lnkd.in/gPqvNwG5 Logistician, $74,750 Logistics analyst, $58,713 Supply chain planner, $64,844 Purchasing agent, $69,600 Purchasing manager, $121,110 Logistics manager, $114,670 Distribution manager, $94,775 Operations manager, $100,780 Business & SCM competencies make up 80% of the fastest-growing skills in this industry; basic technical skills make up the remaining 20%. Top two: Microsoft Office/productivity tools Advanced Microsoft Excel Technical skills Among the top & fastest-growing technical skills: Data science SCM knowledge SCM Project Mgmt Our SCM students get an Analytics minor: lnkd.in/gxRayD3j Salaries per "ASCM/APICS" $: 2022 lnkd.in/gtYC5Cnw vs 2021 lnkd.in/gpMvehY5 vs 2020 lnkd.in/gcsrX6tr. Salaries per "DC Velocity": 2021 lnkd.in/gESQFNZa vs 2020 lnkd.in/gW-U-KHK vs 2019 lnkd.in/gJquYyT4. From "ISM": 2018 $: lnkd.in/gV53aggX. 2020 $ (right before covid): lnkd.in/gz8WQEhr. 2021 $ (deep into covid): lnkd.in/g-SfG93A & lnkd.in/gn5jM9xt. More $: lnkd.in/gSYKjixY. CIPS reveals a 7.4% avg increase & the avg for all SCM pros in N.A. was $111,278. Global: lnkd.in/gxbTMSyx. #supplychain #datascience #dataanalytics #college #bigdata #careeradvice

[@simecurkovic]

I actually have employers tell me they will NOT consider a student if they do NOT have a strong professional LinkedIn presence. Hmm. How to effectively join LinkedIn. lnkd.in/dAwyTUy. I have former students that found new jobs & they were not even looking! Interviewing tools: lnkd.in/gipsXEsK. www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_does-your-resume-look-like-a-lazy-effort-activity-7010575035400687616-y6lS? Also, most employers will not even look at your resume if it looks like a lazy effort. Aesthetics matter! Yale advice: lnkd.in/gggJFADW lnkd.in/gxkjy3sm Harvard: lnkd.in/ghEYr3Qw lnkd.in/gc4Kd_SE MIT: lnkd.in/g3xqeDyc Personally, I prefer WMU’s Career Services manual. Also, WMU HCOB/ISM has a great ROI (just ask my students starting at 70K & making over six digits by age 30). Keep in mind that many schools such as Harvard ($54K/yr tuition), Yale ($58K/yr), & Stanford ($57K/yr) don't offer undergrad business degrees. WMU ($13K/yr) - A Top Business School (take a look at the list): lnkd.in/dn9-BCg Should current students negotiate an INTERNSHIP offer? The avg SCM internship is $44,918/yr, or $21.6/hr. People on the lower end, bottom 10%, make $37K/yr ($17.80/hr), while the top 10% makes $54K ($25.96/hr). lnkd.in/gpBm_m84 Should grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh Virtual career fairs: lnkd.in/evKd-VzQ Business externship? lnkd.in/e9aeewPa Placement success of ISM Program - *Median salary was $60K - $65K (around 10% of grads hired on w/ 1 auto OEM at $78K!). "Supply Chain"+"Degree"=jobs & $$. lnkd.in/gV4x6GWE Will technology replace SCM jobs? lnkd.in/gX8vcRNa Global Negotiation: Fastest growing class. lnkd.in/guTUcvdu A Top School: lnkd.in/dVdMRXP Sample Lectures: lnkd.in/e9j33EQ Power BI or Tableau? Do not be a victim of technology. lnkd.in/eKEaPGq lnkd.in/e5zG6sZ Here is a read on how SCM 4.0 does not have to be super expensive: lnkd.in/eyebnSct How much Python do I need to know in order to excel in SCM? lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw STAR job interviews & online robots… lnkd.in/ePzz3NG lnkd.in/eZgTxWc lnkd.in/eyCv4x5 lnkd.in/eaxVjpK Myers-Briggs. lnkd.in/ehj3ysR For details on how to build your brand: lnkd.in/dSAA6wF Similar to MBTI: lnkd.in/ey4TEUY lnkd.in/exNDhSv Help with online interviews...lnkd.in/eKBDsMq Practice before it really matters...lnkd.in/ekaBK5Q Resume advice... lnkd.in/eWen96qj lnkd.in/e7utipBi lnkd.in/eVEHgvk6 Internships, salary data, etc. lnkd.in/eNfUzksJ Covid job market… lnkd.in/ed-ZfanD Delay graduation for experience? lnkd.in/ewKu7b_X Right time for grad school? lnkd.in/eTk-PXPv Predictive Data Analytics (Excel)…lnkd.in/dQABdsXc Problem solving #1 skill set! Elon's resume - lnkd.in/eWaJ8q2 #jobhunting #networking #interviewing

[@simecurkovic]

walton.uark.edu/insights/advanced-supply-chain-degree.php Who Needs an Advanced Degree in Supply Chain, Anyway? May 29, 2020 | By Stephen CaldwellShare this via: My niece graduated with honors recently from a prestigious business college on the East Coast, so naturally I asked about her plans for the future when I was on a call with my sister. “Not sure,” my sister said. “She’s thinking about grad school.” Because I’m the helpful sort, I immediately started pushing information about a master’s degree in supply chain management. After sending my sister three or four follow-up emails, however, I realized I was smothering her with advice that might be totally irrelevant to my niece’s situation. I’ve been following the supply chain industry for several years as part of the work I’ve done for the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, so my first instinct was to focus on the opportunities I know exist within this discipline. Even before the coronavirus raised awareness about the importance of well-managed supply chains, this has been growing field in the modern, global economy. Marketplace research like the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the 2019 Supply Chain Salary and Career Survey Report by the Association for Supply Chain Management consistently find that there are far more jobs than qualified applicants, that people who work in supply chain management enjoy their jobs, and that the starting pay and opportunities for advancement are very good. The median salary for a supply chain professional in 2018, for instance, was around $80,000 a year, and it shot up to more than $100,000 per year for those with a graduate degree or higher. A school like Arkansas offers great connections to internships and placement after graduation because it’s in a region rich in companies that focus heavily on building value in their supply chains (J.B. Hunt Transport, ArcBest, Tyson Foods, Walmart and a variety of vendors connected to those companies). None of that, however, means that a master’s degree and a subsequent career in supply chain management is right for my niece - or anyone else. So, I dug into it a little more and came up with two main reasons someone might pursue a master’s degree in supply chain management. They can overlap, but they should be helpful to anyone who is weighing their options for an advanced business degree. Modern supply chains are your jam. People with all types of personalities end up in supply chain management, and there are all sorts of roles to fit all sorts of passions. Plus, you can work in supply chain management in just about any industry - retail, food, manufacturing and technology, just to name a few. The key is that you should enjoy doing the things that supply chain managers actually do. Christa Terry, writing for the education search website noodle.com, pointed out that supply chain professionals typically enjoy taking a big-picture, total systems approach to managing the complex, interrelated parts of the supply chain. “Modern supply chain management involves data science, global politics, and a lot of moving parts,” Terry wrote. “If you have a passion for logistics, you'll probably really enjoy working in supply chain management - really enjoy it.” Supply chain managers are connect-the-dots sort of people, so they tend to understand just about every aspect of a business and how they fit together. They have at least a basic knowledge of finance, for instance, even if they aren’t accountants. Some of them start out with an undergraduate degree in supply chain management and keep rolling to get their master’s. But some start with a different degree, in a different business discipline or some other field, and then realize managing supply chains is interesting and rewarding. If you’re into job titles, a master’s in supply chain management likely will land you a spot as a commodities manager, a demand planner, an inventory planning analyst, a logistics manager, a materials manager or planner, a production planner or scheduler, a purchasing or procurement manager, a transportation manager or planner, or a warehouse operations manager. You are learning supply chain management on the job. If you already have one of those jobs or some other similar role that involves supply chain management but you lack a formal education in the discipline, then you might consider getting a master’s degree. One of the biggest pain points for employers, I discovered, is a lack of supply chain expertise among mid-level managers. Because of the talent gap, many companies have filled supply chain middle-management roles by moving people into them from other business functions. Someone with a biology degree, for instance, finds herself in procurement. These managers are hard-working and smart, so they learn as they go, but they often are limited to that function and that particular company’s approach to supply chain. A master’s degree in supply chain management can help these professionals improve in their current role and prepare for advancement opportunities by adding depth and breadth to their knowledge. Programs like the one offered by the Walton College don’t involve a full-time commitment, so managers can pursue the degree without giving up their day jobs. And because companies benefit from managers who have a better understanding of managing supply chains, they have an incentive to support employees who want a master’s degree. The reality is, you don’t have to have a master’s degree to succeed in supply chain management. But spending a couple of years to get a deeper understanding of the field typically is worth the investment for anyone who sees this as a career path. One reason this is a particularly good time to pursue a master’s degree is because some universities, including the University of Arkansas, are waiving normal standardized test (GMAT/GRE) requirements for admission in fall 2020 in response to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

[@simecurkovic]

I actually have employers tell me they will NOT consider a student if they do NOT have a strong professional LinkedIn presence. Hmm. How to effectively join LinkedIn. lnkd.in/dAwyTUy I have former students that found new jobs & they were not even looking! Yes, aggressive orgs found them via LI. Some firms w/ a market cap of > $1T do this often. Interviewing tools: lnkd.in/gipsXEsK. Thank you WMU for 112 pages of ideas. www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_employers-expect-a-strong-li-profile-activity-6997976884756041728-xqiA? Yale advice: lnkd.in/gggJFADW lnkd.in/gxkjy3sm Harvard: lnkd.in/ghEYr3Qw lnkd.in/gc4Kd_SE MIT: lnkd.in/g3xqeDyc Personally, I prefer WMU’s Career Services manual. Also, WMU HCOB/ISM has a great ROI (just ask my students starting at 70K & making over six digits by age 30). Keep in mind that many schools such as Harvard ($54K/yr tuition), Yale ($58K/yr), & Stanford ($57K/yr) don't offer undergrad business degrees. WMU ($13K/yr) - A Top Business School (take a look at the list): lnkd.in/dn9-BCg Should current students negotiate an INTERNSHIP offer? The avg SCM internship is $44,918/yr, or $21.6/hr. People on the lower end, bottom 10%, make $37K/yr ($17.80/hr), while the top 10% makes $54K ($25.96/hr). lnkd.in/gpBm_m84 Should grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)? lnkd.in/gMJYNJkh Virtual career fairs: lnkd.in/evKd-VzQ Business externship? lnkd.in/e9aeewPa Placement success of ISM Program - *Median salary was $60K - $65K (around 10% of grads hired on w/ 1 auto OEM at $78K!). "Supply Chain"+"Degree"=jobs & $$. lnkd.in/gV4x6GWE Will technology replace SCM jobs? lnkd.in/gX8vcRNa Global Negotiation: Fastest growing class. lnkd.in/guTUcvdu A Top School: lnkd.in/dVdMRXP Sample Lectures: lnkd.in/e9j33EQ Power BI or Tableau? Do not be a victim of technology. lnkd.in/eKEaPGq lnkd.in/e5zG6sZ Here is a good read on how SCM 4.0 does not have to be super expensive: lnkd.in/eyebnSct How much Python do I need to know in order to excel in SCM? lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw STAR job interviews & online robots… lnkd.in/ePzz3NG lnkd.in/eZgTxWc lnkd.in/eyCv4x5 lnkd.in/eaxVjpK Myers-Briggs. lnkd.in/ehj3ysR For details on how to build your brand: lnkd.in/dSAA6wF Similar to MBTI: lnkd.in/ey4TEUY lnkd.in/exNDhSv Help with online interviews...lnkd.in/eKBDsMq Practice before it really matters...lnkd.in/ekaBK5Q Resume advice... lnkd.in/eWen96qj lnkd.in/e7utipBi lnkd.in/eVEHgvk6 Internships, salary data, etc. lnkd.in/eNfUzksJ Covid job market… lnkd.in/ed-ZfanD Delay graduation for experience? lnkd.in/ewKu7b_X Right time for grad school? lnkd.in/eTk-PXPv Predictive Data Analytics (Excel)…lnkd.in/dQABdsXc Problem solving #1 skill set! Elon's resume - lnkd.in/eWaJ8q2 #jobhunting #networking #interviewing