Compare Popular Online Supply Chain Management Programs
Steps to Become a Supply Chain Manager
Step 1
Future supply chain managers must both prepare and have the appropriate talents prior to attaining their dream jobs. The first of those steps is found in recognizing a talent for organizing systems. Future supply chain managers might discover that they have a talent for organizing simple things such as their desk or rooms. Later they might find that they are a natural at leading group projects at school.
Future supply chain managers may also find that they have strong math and science skills. Many supply chain managers may excel at accounting and frequently have talent with auditing complex systems. Their analytical abilities can even extend into areas such as statistics and computer science. On top of this cerebral work, supply chain managers often have great interpersonal communication abilities. After all, they must be able to utilize both written and verbal communications to convey their brilliant ideas regarding the supply chain.
Find Your Online Supply Chain Management Program
Step 2
Once it's determined that they want to pursue a career in supply chain management, students need to find the right academic program for them. After all, careers in supply chain management are rarely launched without years of hard work in college courses. While a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management is often the minimum requirement for entry, it is possible to enter the field with an associate degree in the field, often found under the wing of a business administration department or school.
This field is growing, and employers are focusing on improving their supply chains all the time. Thus, colleges and universities are adding new SCM majors or otherwise expanding their focus on supply chain management. This extends to community colleges, which may have general business degrees that feature courses that cover supply chain management or even major degree programs that prepare students to begin a career in the field. Their first jobs may be as procurement specialists, inventory manager, or as warehouse personnel.
Step 3
The third major step along the way to a career as a supply chain manager is to discover a favored industry or other specialization. Since many undergraduate programs will provide more of a general training in SCM, students can focus their skills and their resumes with specific experience. This experience will arise from both classwork and internships that focus on certain industries.
In fact, since supply chain managers engage with firms on such a deep, granular level, they need to have more intimate knowledge of that company’s or industry’s needs. For instance, a supply chain professional who works for a restaurant chain must be able to anticipate where the best prices for produce can be found and even predict customer needs according to the season or prevailing cultural trends. Thus, a student with a degree in SCM who has experience in that industry or coursework that specifically applies will be more likely to land an interview.
Step 4
After working in the field for a few years, most supply chain managers should start looking for a master’s degree program in supply chain management. It's worth noting that there are master’s degree programs that focus their entire program on SCM. Then professionals also have the option of an MBA with a concentration in supply chain.
Either degree will surely enhance the career of any professional, but each has its particular attributes. The MS in Supply Chain Management route is a degree that will focus solely on SCM. In fact, this might be the best choice for students who are fresh out of college. This is because they can enter a SCM job with master’s level skills.
The MBA route is also excellent but may come later in a career. This is because it features general business courses that many hiring managers look for in their C-suite leadership. MBA students can still find programs that offer a concentration in SCM and there are surely dual MBA programs that graduate students with both an MBA and an MS in SCM.
Supply Chain Manager Career & Salary
Where Might You Work?
Supply chain managers work in nearly every industry in every state and town. These professionals are also found throughout government. In fact, many receive their first exposure to supply chain logistics by way of military training. Military training in logistics is top notch, as the armed forces absolutely need airtight logistics to keep troops prepared. In the military, SCM specialists might help facilitate construction projects, healthcare needs, maintain inventories of clothing and other basics, as well as keep large projects on task.
In the civilian world, SCM experts can seek jobs with manufacturing firms that rely on raw materials. They work with database professionals to maintain inventories and can keep large building projects under budget and on time. They might also work with hospitals and thus seek to anticipate patient needs by analyzing epidemiological data. Healthcare systems also need SCM professionals who help with the essential physical plant of the organization. Retail firms in any sector likewise need to anticipate customer needs, negotiate prices, and even ship items all across the nation to customers as well as affiliated stores.
SCM and logistics professionals also work in non-profit organizations. For instance, organizations which send volunteers overseas to help with disasters need SCM professionals to keep everyone fed and outfitted with all the materials they need.