My SAS Certification Journey and Seeking Advice for SAS Job Opportunities

[osmangoktepe]

Hello,

If you don't mind, I create a log here about my own SAS certification journey. Additionally, as of January, my spouse's education is leading us to move to Toronto. I would appreciate any advice you can provide that may help me in finding SAS-based job opportunities in Canada.

My introduction to SAS dates back to 2020. There have been times when I was somewhat distant from it due to working in different roles, but at this point, I am determined to specialize in SAS. After dedicating a significant amount of time to SAS EG and SAS Miner in the early days, I took the SAS Predictive Modeler exam and successfully completed it. Recently, I took the performance-based SAS Base Programming exam with little preparation and passed with a score of 923. Within the next month, I will be taking the Advanced Programming Professional exam. My goal is to successfully complete this as well and strengthen my hand in the job search process. I would greatly appreciate any advice from those willing to share their insights on all these matters.

Thank you

[JosvanderVelden]

The Canadian government has a job search tool called the Job Bank (https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home) for anyone looking for work throughout the country. You can promote yourself via a good profile with a cv and links to your certification badges on linkedin. For other job search websites see: https://www.roberthalf.com/ca/en/insights/research/canadas-10-best-job-search-websites.

[osmangoktepe]

Last week, I took the SAS certification exam as I stated in the first entry, but I struggled a lot while writing because there was no Turkish keyboard support, especially when it came to typing special characters. I frequently had to open an online keyboard and click on it, which resulted in a significant loss of time. Since the exam was easy for me, I didn't make a big deal out of it. However, next week, I'll be taking the Advanced Programming exam, and, I assume, I'll need to use the keyboard even more. Do you have a solution for this situation? Can't I use the Turkish keyboard option during the exam? I noticed that this situation caused stress during the first exam, and I also mentioned it in the feedback after the exam. Right now, I'm not sure how to find a solution to this issue. Please help. 

Thank you

[JosvanderVelden]

If you don't get a reaction please send an email to certification@sas.com. They have the latest information on the keyboard challenges.

[Mark2010]

Just a clarification - there is the "Turkish Q" keyboard available in the exam. We do recognize that some AltGr key sequences can be problematic and we provide some guidance on these keys. Thankfully they are only used infrequently in the coding, such as { } or $ . The on-screen keyboard is the best way to get to these symbols. Also, in lieu of using < > symbols, it is easier to use lt and gt.

[osmangoktepe]

I have successfully completed the Advanced Programming Certification Exam about a month after taking the Base Programming Certification Exam. Of course, I was already familiar with many topics due to my job experiences. The duration may be shorter or longer for you, depending on your circumstances.

During this one-month study period, I worked on exam-related material almost every day, averaging around 2 hours of study per day. As the exam date approached, I frequently reviewed syntax rules that I sometimes forgot and needed to store in short-term memory. From what I observed, the examples in the course materials were much more complex compared to the questions in the exam. Honestly, I had prepared for a much more challenging exam, I completed the exam with a very good score, 973 to be exact. I enjoyed solving the exam, and if any of you are planning to take it, I hope it goes well for you too.

I faced some difficulties with the Turkish keyboard during the exam and had to cancel the first exam from the very first question. However, with Mark's support (as he detailed in my comments), I retook the exam using and, with the help of virtual keyboard overcame the issue. Although this situation caused a minor time loss, it wasn't a significant problem.

Next on my agenda is moving to Toronto with my family and finding a job related to SAS there. I hope my luck continues in this regard as well 🙂

[SASKiwi]

I suggest you check out events organised by the Toronto SAS office and SAS user groups, and arrange an invite to attend. Then be prepared to network with everyone present! I did something similar back in the day and I can assure you Canadians are very welcoming.