Explore the Value of SAS Certification
SAS Certification
Suppose you have not studied a mathematical or statistical, or similar course at SAS. In that case, it is doubtful you will have heard of SAS until you have a job in which SAS is needed as a tool for that particular role. Whether you have earlier worked with SAS at university or were introduced to it in your job, you will probably not be directly informed of SAS’s vast scope across many industries and the exciting and different work performed across these industries.
However, you will soon realize that it is straightforward to become passionate about and absorbs your interest once you start working with SAS. From a very top-level aspect, you might easily assume that once you understand how to program in SAS, that it is just a matter of education programming in any of the key industries: life sciences/pharmaceutical, finance, and retail. There are many different elements for each sector. It is not only about being able to program in SAS.
Suppose you seek a SAS career after graduation, such as the competition for graduate positions. In that case, it is not always possible to be selective for the industry you want to work in. Maybe you need to do in the life science sector, but there are only roles available in finance when you are applying. Rather than risk passing by the moment, you determine to take that position in the financial sector. Alternatively, maybe you become added to SAS as part of your current job.
As you grow into the position, increasing your knowledge and awareness, you begin to examine what other opportunities exist. You become very involved in what SAS can allow you as a career. Once you have that all-important experience as a SAS programmer, you choose to target a particular industry or company that particularly interests your interests and matches your career goals.
SAS Certified Professional: Working As A SAS Statistical / Clinical Trials Programmer
Without working as a statistical/clinical trials programmer, it is difficult to see from an employer’s point of view why they are unwilling to hire SAS programmers without the industry knowledge required to work efficiently from day one. Now that I have been working as a statistical programmer, I can retrospectively examine what would have helped me search for a position and what employers would look for on a CV.
Working in a highly controlled environment is a new experience, and there are a lot of things to get used to, such as working with CDISC models, quality control, validation, double programming, careful code comments, keeping informative documentation, and practical and diligent organization of your work to maintain acceptable clinical practices (GCP). This takes time to become comfortable with and work productively.
It is also instrumental in gaining as much background knowledge as possible about clinical trials, why they are required, and what they aim to achieve. In particular, paying attention to the diversity between pre-clinical, Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III trials and understanding some of the different types of problems, for example, identity trials, crossover trials, or superiority trials. It is also essential to get a grasp of the day to day work of a clinical trials programmer.
Another critical aspect in clinical trial programming is the rapid rise of CDISC data standards for controlling all data stages during a clinical trial, from study design to final delivery to the FDA. In particular, it is essential to understand data management’s role and use the Study Data Tabulation Model (SDTM) to produce all data domains used in a clinical trial. Indeed saving a programmer has used data domains such as lab data, adverse events, demographics, visits, etc., then getting into the industry without knowing how to handle this type of data is a significant hindrance to effectiveness.
It should also be noted the value of statistics in the work of a clinical programmer. Usually, a programmer will work closely with a statistician. However, the programmer needs to understand statistics and the type of SAS procedures used in clinical trials. It is also very worthwhile to understand statistician methods, e.g., hypothesis testing, randomization, sample size, and power calculation.
Average Salary for Certified SAS Professional
The salary, on average, for a SAS Programmer is $124645 per year in the United States. This salary is calculated every year. It has been observed that most SAS programmers switch to other, mainly more senior, and positions after ten years in this particular career path. This field has a strong accent on experience, which is shown in the salary as well. For a higher paying position, associated skills like MS Excel, UNIX, and SQL/PL are highly valued.
Summary
Earning a SAS certification will help you stay refreshed on the latest courses in the industry. Learning something new every day is the key to increase your knowledge base. If you are a working professional, you would not have time to learn from multiple sources. As such, it is best to enroll in online practice exams that give you SAS professional certification. This will even make you an asset to your employer in the future.
