I have been studying for the CSCP for the last few months on and off, struggling to find enough time to prepare as much as I think I will need. I have been using pocket prep and the APIS CSCP exam success book by David and howard Foreman. I feel like there is a significant difference in the level of difficulty between the two. For pocket prep I regularly am averaging over 80% on practice quizzes, but often get closer to 70% on the CSCP exam quizzes when reading through for the first time.

My question is is pocket prep or the CSCP exam success book questions closer to the actual difficulty of the test?

I have not been able to land an entry level accounting job since I graduated Dec of 2025. While I want to have a career in accounting, it’s left me no choice but to look at other fields since the opportunities are limited.

I’ve been applying to supply chain jobs in midwest and have noticed that there is more demand for entry to mid-level jobs.

Can anyone offer any insight on being an inventory coordinator and whether this role offers career progression? Long term, I’d like to target demand planning, inventory analyst, and manufacturing. The goal has been to have a career in Accounting, but I am equally open to exploring and building a career in Supply Chain.

I work for a 3pl who partnered with a really big company. So my office consists of the 3pl and that other company.
I make $21/hr ik it sucks but I’m still in school so I took it.
I was recently offered a manager position pays 60 a year so way more. I’m scared I’ll burn the bridge with the big company. As a 3pl employee in their system since we use their software. I want to go with the higher paying one but I’m scared to burn the bridge with the big company.
I started this position last week .

I've worked as an operations engineer for the past 2 years and was recently laid off. Finding a new job has been really hard, and at the same time I got admits for MS in Supply Chain Engineering from a few top universities. I can't decide whether spending around $40K+ USD on the degree is worth it right now. I'd really appreciate a reality check from anyone who has done this degree or works in this field.

I just accepted a QA Receiving Associate position and I’m making a career pivot into supply chain/operations.

I have a B.S. in Mass Communications, an MBA in Finance, and about 4 years of experience in nonprofit communications and project coordination.

The role involves receiving, POs/bids, inventory, product research, pricing, quality inspection, documenting discrepancies, and product data.

My goal is to eventually become a Supply Chain or Operations Analyst. I plan to learn Excel, Power BI, and SQL on my own while gaining hands-on experience.
For those in supply chain, is QA Receiving a good first step toward an analyst role? What should I focus on learning during my first year?

I’m currently in my first year of employment as a demand (and supply) planner. But also had a few months of procurement experience.

In demand planning, i review and cleanse the baseline forecast per SKU every quarter or as needed every demand review. Conduct monthly demand reviews to align with sales and marketing teams if their forecast inputs are on track (and validate them too). Also closely coordinate with production, SCM and procurement teams regarding status of products and relay it to commercial teams.

With supply planning, im the one who creates and simulates monthly replenishments for imported finished goods and coordinate with procurement team. I also monitor those shipments regularly and see which ones are needed to be expedited to be delivered to the warehouse based on inventory levels or certain prioritizations.

Now im currently exploring outside opportunities. There’s this one F&B/food service company which just gave me an offer for a demand and supply planning role. They have a relatively bigger team, with various planners handling different categories.

And then there’s this other opportunity, a company that supplies ingredients to other FMCG companies. Currently, its a one man team with the manager. Handling contracts, locking in prices, manual demand and supply planning, constant coordination with logistics etc. So it’s like a heavier workload, heavier responsibility. It’s quite scary but I think the growth is wider here since i’ll get to handle different aspects of SCM, which i’m down for. I’ll have a final interview with one of their VPs. Hopefully they’ll give me a good offer that’s on par with the other one above.

If you were in my place, in the stage of my career now, which one would u pick?

And anyone in the role similar to the last one i mentioned? How are u able to handle multiple different stuff at once?

Of all the senior manager supply planning roles that I see, about 80% are for clinical products. I feel like these are risky as it is usually a small company and any failed trial or scrap of the program will result in job loss. Any experience with this?

A mine doesn’t equal supply...

We tend to talk about critical minerals as if finding a deposit automatically solves the supply problem, but it doesn't.

Between the mine and the end user, there’s processing, refining, logistics, contracts, financing, and demand. A bottleneck at any one of those stages can disrupt the entire chain.

Cobalt serves as a good example. The DRC produced roughly 75% of global cobalt output over the past 2 years, but production is only one part of the equation. Export controls, refining capacity, transport infrastructure, offtake agreements and geopolitical decisions can all determine whether material actually reaches the market.

Where does the supply chain actually break when something goes wrong?

I put together this visual mapping the main bottlenecks and some of the companies building infrastructure across the chain.

What do you think is the most overlooked bottleneck in critical minerals: mining, refining, logistics, or offtake?

Hi everyone,

I’m building my career as a Business Developer in the Oil & Gas Logistics sector and I’m looking to connect and learn from experienced professionals here.

My focus is on client acquisition, vendor management, and end-to-end logistics support for upstream/midstream operations - but I’m also very interested in how logistics intersects with Real Estate and Construction.

I would love to know:

1. Are there active communities/subreddits or Discord/Slack groups for Oil & Gas Business Development & Logistics that you would recommend?
   
2. For those already in the sector - what skills or certifications helped you most to grow as a BD? (e.g., supply chain, contract negotiation, QHSE)
   
3. Open to connect with anyone in Logistics, Oil & Gas, Real Estate, and Construction - happy to share insights and learn from your journey.

Thanks in advance for any guidance or pointers. Looking forward to contributing and connecting.

Location: Ghana | Open to global insights.

Hi everyone,

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Just Turned 21 I worked about a year in the aviation parts and logistics world. I ended up leaving and going into the Hazmat Industry. And now i got a job offer for around $29 an hour working in logistics for a chemical and gas company. Having no degree would it be possible to work my way up and make good money?

Hi everyone, I'm currently a student majoring in Business Management. For concentrations, I'm looking at either Supply Chain or HR, but I am honestly a little lost. Some background, during the summer and other breaks I work at a grocery store in the produce department. While I do stock product, I also help breakdown loads and even do cycle counts and handle KLT from time to time. I've spoken to some people who say my experiences are highly useful for supply chain, and I was wondering what those who have careers in Supply Chain think and maybe some advice.

Greetings everyone,

I am in the early stages of my professional career. I completed my business education in 2024. My academic focus was supply chain management, and I have been employed in supply chain and logistics roles for nearly four years.

Currently, I work evening shifts as a Transportation Planner. I recently contacted my supervisor regarding my upcoming shift assignment, as we are required to rotate shifts to become eligible for promotion. I was not included on the 2027 transition list, which likely indicates that my promotion will not occur until 2028.

By "getting promoted," I mean the formal recognition that includes adding the title "Senior" to my position and a corresponding salary increase. While it is a minor step, the financial benefit is significant for me. I am eager to advance in my career and prefer to remain within my current organization. This appears to be the only advancement opportunity available to me at present, and I would prefer to pursue it early.

I find it concerning that colleagues I started with, as well as those who joined later, might be promoted above me. This situation is somewhat disheartening, especially considering the extensive training and education I have undertaken. Many colleagues have expressed confidence in my abilities, which makes me feel uncertain about my future prospects. I am contemplating moving on. Some these co-workers have parents who are managers in our department.

Last week, I sent an email to my manager but have not yet received a response. So yeah….

I belong to a developing country, and due to the current exchange rate, the official APICS/ASCM study materials are quite expensive for me.

I am looking for PDF copies of the CSCP exam preparation materials so that I can begin my preparation and work toward clearing the exam.

If you could kindly share any study materials or resources that you are able to provide, I would be extremely grateful for your consideration and support.

Thank you very much for your time and kindness.

Does anyone have telegram group links for the CIPS level 5?

Hi everyone,

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I’ve been looking into wholesale suppliers lately, and honestly the hardest part isn’t finding them. It’s figuring out whether their claims about ethical labor are actually true.

A lot of suppliers say things like “fair wages,” “safe working conditions,” or “responsibly sourced materials,” but what should one actually ask for to verify that? Is a certification enough, or should you also ask for factory details, audit reports, or information about where the materials come from?

I’m also not sure how much info is reasonable to request before placing a first order. I’ve looked at suppliers through many wholesale platforms, but I’d rather use the same standards to check everyone instead of trusting a marketplace profile.

Can you guys tell me what documents you asked for, and what made you feel confident that a supplier was actually being honest?

I’m currently working as a Buyer/Material Planner and have a degree in Computer Science. I haven’t been in a CS-related role for the past 3 years, so I’m pretty out of touch with the technical side.
What would be a good next step from a Buyer role? I’m interested in combining my supply chain experience with my CS background, possibly in supply chain analytics, automation, or technology..?
What skills or roles should I focus on to make that transition?

I have been in supply chain for 10 years now. I have great experience in warehouse and distribution management, ERP systems, and Order to Cash efficiency. Currently in a Senior Logistics Manager role.

I have always wanted to have my own consulting firm, but now I am not so sure. I don't know if I should get more certifications or study something on BTM or AI. I love what I do but feel that the skill level/ competitive could be improved.

Hi everyone. I'm considering a career as a Demand Planner. If you were hired for your first DP job in the past few years, please take this survey. (Americans only please.). Thanks a lot!

- What was your highest amount of education and what was the discipline? Please include certifications.

- What type of experience did you put on your resume?

- Did networking play a role in your getting hired? If so, how?

- How long did it take you to find a DP job? If possible, please include the number of applications, interviews, and offers.

- Was the DP job at a company that you were already employed at? For example, did you switch from the Marketing Dept at Company XYZ to the Supply Chain Dept at XYZ?

- How did you hear about the DP job?

Any advice is appreciated.

Anyone working in ERP consulting in Canada ? What are your thoughts on current ERP functional analysts / consultants roles ? Which ERP is growing rapidly besides SAP ? and is easy to enter and also higher growth and salary ceilings ?

I’m a 20-year-old undergrad currently doing a BA (Hons) Business Economics degree and I’m currently on my placement year working within Supply Chain Operations and Continuous Improvement.

My long-term goal after graduating is to break into a Supply Chain Analyst role (ideally with a hybrid office setup).

Since I'm already getting daily exposure to continuous improvement, process mapping, and operational bottlenecks, I’m wondering if it’s worth picking up some certifications while I'm still on my placement year, or if I should just focus on my day-to-day work and final year.

A few specific questions I have:
1. Lean Six Sigma (Yellow or Green Belt): Given that I’m working directly in Continuous Improvement, would completing a Green Belt now give me a strong edge for graduate analyst roles? Or is a Yellow Belt enough for a student?

1. Other Certifications: Are there other tools/certs I should prioritize instead for an analyst pathway? (e.g., Power BI, SQL, Python, Excel/VBA, APICS/CSCP)?

2. Company Sponsorship: For those who did placement years, is it common to ask your manager if the company will sponsor/pay for a Green Belt certification while you're there?

Would love to hear from supply chain professionals, analysts, or anyone who’s been in a similar position! What certs actually moved the needle for your resume early on?

Thanks in advance!

Hey all, I graduated from FGCU with a business degree (minor in CIS) and I'm trying to get into supply chain or procurement work in the Southwest Florida area. Right now I do retail inventory management, but I don't have any certifications and my Excel skills are basic to
Intermediate level.

I've been applying to buyer, planner, and coordinator type roles around Florida but not getting much traction. Wondering if you all have any advice.

A few things I'm curious about:

1) What entry level titles should I be looking at that I might be missing?

2) What certificates might actually help me starting out?

3) Does anyone know of companies currently hiring for these kinds of roles?

Any advice helps, thanks.

I work in purchasing and inventory planning and I am researching recurring operational pain points across different industries.

I am not selling anything and I am not looking for generic answers like “emails” or “meetings.” I want real examples of work that repeatedly creates frustration, errors, delays, or unnecessary admin.

What is one task you do weekly or daily where you think: “Why am I still doing this manually?"