Empowering Dreams Through Digital Skills: A Glimpse Into Karla's Tech Journey with SAP

[Anne_Lenhardt]

As a child, Karla would secretly venture into the computer room of her school to follow her curiosity. She simply wanted to explore the computer and learn how it works, the 34-year-old from Portugal explains. “I have always nurtured the dream of working in the field of computer science.” And when she finally saw an opportunity to do so, she couldn’t let it pass. And that opportunity was SAP’s digital skills initiative, where SAP sponsors 10,000 free vouchers to get certified in SAP solutions.  

“When we do what we love, it’s not work, it’s fun!” 

Of course, Karla still remembers the time she first encountered SAP. It was May 2022, and she was still finishing her postgrad studies in software development, when she joined an SAP ABAP Academy with her current employer Softinsa, a Lisbon-based company specialized in management services and application and development. “It was at that moment that I discovered exactly my professional passion.” Karla was hired as an SAP consultant for SAP Fiori and couldn’t be happier about it: “I don't call it work. When we do what we love, it's not work, it's fun!” And fun for her is working with people, serving people, she says. “Life is about how positively we impact wherever we go, how much we help others. That is what is important!” 

Never gave up on her dream: Karla Lima from Portugal.However, to reach her goals, Karla knew that she had to invest in her training. “I realized that investing in my career in this area was crucial. Even coming from a humble background, I never gave up on my dream.” Her wish to continuously evolve and develop, paired with her curiosity helped her a lot in advancing, Karla explains. And this was when she came across the opportunity she couldn’t let pass: SAP’s digital skills initiative. “I enrolled and started learning for free on the SAP Learning site and achieved the certification I aimed for.” In fact, Karla is the only digital skills candidate from Portugal who achieved a certification.  

Digital skills initiative helped her triumph 

But what sounds so simple doesn’t always of course have to be simple. “Learning something new is challenging, uncomfortable because we step out of our comfort zone,” Karla knows. “There are always difficulties, but after each step, seeing each application being built, step by step, it is extremely satisfying and pleasurable to see everything working, rewarding.” And when Karla means rewarding, she knows what she’s talking about.  

The change she saw in upskilling and getting certified via the digital skills initiative was significant, she says. “I could have given up in the face of all difficulties, but I chose to triumph. Overcoming obstacles, I achieved not only recognition in my work but also from clients. Today, I can serve them with excellence and total confidence. I believe all the efforts were worthwhile, and recognition is what makes us believe that. I love what I do!” 

Start your own success story or hire go-getters like Karla 

Did you feel inspired by Karla’s story? Then kick-start your own success story with SAP today. Benefit from tailored and self-paced learning opportunities that meet you when and where you learn best on SAP Learning site. Get certified to demonstrate your expertise and boost your career. We are looking forward to many more great success stories! 

Are you looking to hire people like Karla? Reach out to the digital skills initiative for information on how to get in contact with her and other people like her who are entering the SAP ecosystem with a fresh cloud-first mindset. We are happy to connect any partner or customer with our candidates to provide a mutual growth opportunity for new talent and the organizations supporting our ecosystem.