While I am very interested in the field of supply chain management, I do not know as much about the field as I would like. My former manager at a restaurant I used to work at was in the field for ten years, however, and i learned a lot from him about the pros and cons of the field. From what I could gather, it seems as though there are a lot of rules I need to learn in order to do the job efficiently. For example, I would need to know the specific laws regarding shipping products not only in the US, but to other countries as well. There are a ton of rules that effect what you can ship, how much of that product you can actually move, and where you are allowed to send it to. It also seems like there is a high demand for qualified people looking for the position. My former boss said he had multiple jobs right out of college, and since he went to MSU and got a degree in supply chain from here, the demand for him was even higher. It seems like a job where success is dependent on how smart you are, how well you know the rules and how willing you are to work hard and find the most efficient way to do something.
After reading "The Essentials of Supply Chain Management" by Michael H. Hugos, I was able to confirm some of my suspicions about the career, and learn some new things. He first explains that there are multiple supply chains, each with their own differences and needs. These different chains are all pretty similar, however, and all companies need to make important decisions based on five areas: production, inventory, location, transportation, and information. Like I had thought, there are various rules that apply to these areas and must be followed in order for the company to efficiently move products. Unfortunately, the book did not specify the demand for the job right now, and considering that it was published ten years ago, it comes to no surprise. Despite not having this information, the book was a great resource and did an excellent job describing the basics of the field. After checking various online articles instead, research shows that the demand for the job is very high, and students fresh out of college are recieving more than one job offer with an average salary of $70.000. This confirms another one of my suspicions, and only makes me more excited to get into this career field myself.
Hugos, Michael H. Essentials of Supply Chain Management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. Print
Taylor, Victoria. "Supply Chain Management: The Next Big Thing?"Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg, 12 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
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