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Q. I have been working as a developer-programmer for a highly reputed IT services company in Bangalore, India, for the last four years.
My area of work has been the implementation of a PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) package called eMatrix from Dassault Systems, which is used by companies in the auto and hi-tech sectors. Recently, Oracle acquired Agile PLM, which is another leading PLM product. Oracle is expected to boost Agile PLM's share in the PLM market. Against this backdrop, I am thinking of changing my focus to Agile PLM. My intention is to gain an understanding of the Agile PLM package by working on it for the next three to four years, and then start a career as a PLM consultant, as I would be in a better position to evaluate and compare PLM packages. Is this a good career move?
Career advice from Roger Olofsson, associate director of executive recruitment agency Robert Walters:
I think you have done something very important when it comes to planning your own career, and that is spotting and understanding underlying technology and business trends. Of course, this is not the only aspect you should consider when deciding on your career direction. You also need to take into account your interests, abilities, skills, potential and long-term goals. When it comes identifying technology and business trends you can take advantage of, I believe you might have hit the sweet spot. PLM is likely to have a very bright future with strong growth potential as remote collaboration is becoming increasingly important across most engineering-driven manufacturing sectors.
Furthermore, Oracle should be a strong bet as it will invest heavily in products driving growth, and as Oracle doesn't have a strong presence in this area, Agile PLM will likely be its flagship product in the PLM space. If you build strong expertise in this product, you should have good chances of developing an exciting and rewarding career as an expert PLM consultant, with career options offering strong earning potential either as a permanent or contract consultant. Best of luck in your career, and I would love to hear from you in five years' time!
Yes I do agree. I have used and developed solutions on all mojor platforms from MatrixOne, Windchill to Teamcenter. Each of them have their strengths and areas of challenges. Being able to help companies evaluate the platform for their long term strategy is something that is much needed in the industry. - Philip Hoe
Posted by Philip Hoe on Wednesday, August 08 2007 08:56 AM