What is your hot take on last mile delivery drones - companies like Zipline and Flytrex?

seems to me there are some big barriers to adoption - payload cost, regulatory considerations, consumer perception (noise! Privacy!) etc….

Do you agree? What would need to change to make them more mainstream? 👀

I grew up in the food industry, working with my dad in our pizza business. We owned 3 retail outlets and a small wholesale facility where we made dough, sauce, and cheese for several licensed locations. I personally owned and ran one of the retail stores for 10 years and was mainly responsible for the other businesses for about 5-6 years. We sold everything in 2022, and I took an accounting manager position at a 3PL company.

The 3PL company I currently work for has 4 warehouses spread out along the East Coast, plus a trucking company. Most of our trucking is for draying containers from the ports to store in our warehouses. I also help manage a new sugar import business alongside one of the C-suite officers. We import sugar from overseas and resell it by the metric ton in the U.S. My role is mainly focused on costing and accounting.

While I'm good at accounting, I don’t really enjoy it and don’t see much of a future at the small company I’m at now. I’ve been hearing a lot about SC being a good field to get into, and that my accounting, operations management, and procurement skills would transfer well. But I haven’t had much luck with my applications over the past few months.

Recently, I landed an interview for a buyer position at a major food distributor here in the Philly area. I’m looking for advice on how to frame my experience for this role. I feel like I might be a bit overqualified, but it's a large company, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to grow there. Does anyone have any advice or warnings? The Glassdoor salary range for a buyer at this company is $55k-90k. I’m aiming for $75-80k—does that sound realistic?

I’m a senior buyer at an aerospace company, and I am burned out as hell.

Survived multiple layoffs, but it left us with so few people in our dept.
I dread logging in every day, and that has been reflecting in the amount of work I get done. Then even on days when I am productive, there’s so much work that I only break even.

Are there other similarly paying (80-90k) jobs in supply chain that I am qualified for that are a bit more chill? Been a buyer for 4 years and Sr buyer for 1, and have my green belt.

Hi Reddit,

I am a Buyer for a large retail corporation and am looking to advance my development by learning about Supply Chain. I have gotten to a stage in my career where it has become evident that I need a better understanding of inventory management, specifically, understanding how much to buy of certain items year after year after generating sales data.

The specific predicament I’m in is I am ill-equipped to do. We have a large planning team in charge of establishing Open-To-Buys/Forecasts, but when it comes to me determining optimal inventory levels of specific products, I am at a loss.

Can someone point me in the direction of a good online course to learn more and figure this out? Free or paid, either works.

Thanks!

If so when you signed your tax form info was is a W-9 or W-4?

I just started a new job in a new field as Customs Brokerage Agent and received my welcome packet that said I will be signing an W9, is that normal ?? I do get paid hourly and get benifits if that helps with my questions.

Also what is the starting salary for most “New” Customs Brokerage Agent ?

For some context I just transferred to Michigan State University for an accounting bachelor's this semester but I learned that MSU is supposedly "the highest rated" Supply Chain program in the U.S. which has me researching this career a little. I am having trouble deciding which would be better in the long run.

My main concerns with accounting is it is being outsourced and automated, as well as the peeps on r/accounting saying pay has stagnated. If anyone could could tell me if any of these will be an issue in this career, as well as give me your top pros and cons for this career I won't appreciate it alot.

I would also like to know what I can expect for my first full time job pay wise if I were to get into this career, as well as progression after a few years so I can compare it to accounting and see which would be most beneficial to my future.

Hi, does anyone work in strategic sourcing? Maybe specifically in aerospace? What’s a typical day for you like? What challenges do you face/ how do you like the field?

I was wondering if anyone else in the oil and gas field has the same problem with ExxonMobil as we do. We never know what we are going to be picking up when we order. It's always a guess and they send the shortage notification after the truck is already picked up, sometimes after it already delivered. It is almost every load and we are a huge distributor for them. Is anyone else's industry like this?

An example, I went to go pick up a FTL that had 20 pallets around 40,000 lbs. By the time my truck got there and was heading back to me, we find out they shorted us 10 pallets and about 22,000 lbs. Of product. We have an LTL shipper that stays at the plant for us so it could have just been loaded on there for a way cheaper rate.

I am a shipper for an ExxonMobil distributor.

Hello!

I am currently in ASU's SCM Certificate Program in which I will finish next month. I planned from there to start the MBA program at ASU, in which they offer general business or SC focused. However, I wanted opinions on if it's worth to get the masters? (Considering it is $40k...)

Background:

I am 27 years old, living in Phoenix, AZ (would like to move at some point)

I have an associates degree in Business (MCC, 2019) and a bachelor's degree in Finance (ASU, 2021) with 3 years experience at a lead investing firm in a non-licensed role.

I plan to do research in the next few weeks of what area of SC interest me. I took a basic SC class my senior year at ASU and enjoyed it, but mow that I'm doing the courses - I am unsure if it was simply an interesting class in 2021 or something I'd want to do as a career but I jumped into the certificate course so I'm highly considering it.

Future Goals:

Ideally, I would like to have a comfortable (above average ) salary and as much as I don't want to sit at a desk, I don't think I have an option based off my skillset/background. I also don't like the idea of going back to college for the MBA, but if it's worth it to reach my goals and she'll out the 40k, I will do it!!

I also hope to work remotely or some way that allows me to travel, even if it takes a few years to get into that position- that is an ultimate goal.

ASU is also adding another certificate program for SCM Procurement, in which I could do as well (a little under $2k) to up my credentials as well without the MBA if I don't do the MBA program as well.

**both certificate courses count as tike toward MBA credits.

I have also thought about getting the certificates and then maybe look into getting some experience and/or finding a company to help pay for MBA, if that's possible?

I make about $54k right now and I can NOT afford a payout so that is a big consideration in terms of an entry level job for experience.

Advice? Recommendations?

I actually have some passion in supply chain, more specifically planning aspects of it.

But in reality, how many of you are actually happy with the career paths you’ve chosen? Do you feel like you get internal recognition for your work, or at least are financially compensated enough for it?

I’d love to know your roles and if you feel you’ve taken the right path, especially if you feel you are or aren’t paid enough for the work you do.

Thanks!

Has anyone else purchased any of the new Certificate learning programs from ASCM? These are separate from the CSCP, CPIM, etc Certifications.

I purchased the Certificate course but none of the content seems to appear on the site.

Hi, I’m a woman in my 30s. I worked in the shipping container industry for 8 years—4 years in administration and 4 years in sales and marketing. I recently moved to Switzerland, which doesn’t have any shipping ports, but I’d still love to work in a similar field. I’m currently learning the language to help with job opportunities here cause most of the jobs are in German language. I’m also considering going to school or taking a course. If anyone has advice or tips on courses, I’d really appreciate it!

Happy Wednesday everyone,

Please use this thread to post related news articles and discuss them, ask questions pertaining to your managed categories within your industry, and/or discuss any other industry news. Rule 3 still applies here, do not advertise your business or service.

I recently interviewed for a Supply Chain Technician role with the Government of Nova Scotia, Department of Public Works. I think I’m through to the final stages since I was asked to consent to reference checks, and my references were indeed contacted last week. However, I haven’t heard back from the recruiter yet. How long does it usually take after a reference check to receive an official offer?

Also, this position is a 2-year term role. I’m an international student set to graduate this December, and I need a full-time permanent position to qualify for Canadian PR. This job aligns with my 5 years of procurement experience back in India, so it would be an excellent career step, but I’m concerned about the term status. Does anyone have advice on using this kind of position as a stepping stone towards PR and career growth in Canada? Are there often internal opportunities within government positions to transition into a permanent role?

Hello! I'm a 21 year old man from south Asia, as I've said in the title I'm currently doing business administration in logistics, this year i have started to do my internship as its required for the degree (2 year study,1 year internship). Now i have a health condition that i recently got just before i decided to pursue my interests so i wasn't aware of the impact that it would have on my health and productivity. As it turns out I'm unable to physically do the work that is required for the base level jobs and i fear that my body can't take physical stress that will be upon me in the future, and i don't want to quit what I've started and continue doing what i have wanted that is to have a career in the SCM. Someone here said that the right experience is more important than a degree so i wanted to ask the people working in supply chain, where should i go within this field, that wont take physical toll on my body and a role that i can get into as a fresher?. I'm not good at math but I'm willing to learn or do a course if needed. i don't know if its relevant but i would have a certified intermediate proficiency in Japanese language before i graduate. The reason i posted this, is because i don't want to be lost when i graduate, i just want to focus on a goal that would get me to a role within this field.

Thanks!, I would appreciate everyone's opinion on this.

Here we go again. Collective bargaining ended abruptly on technology discussions. Jan 15 not looking good. Negotiations paused.

Hi, here’s a quick summary about me:

I worked for a major railroad in the United States for 17 years. I started in a warehouse for 2 years before moving into transportation. I was a train dispatcher for 10 years, handling the movement of freight and passenger trains, and then transitioned into management, where I worked for another 5 years. As a manager, I handled large-scale projects, such as the East Side Access project in New York. I was responsible for freight train crews, equipment, and materials for these projects. I also coordinated meetings between different departments—transportation, track, signal, and outside contractors—to ensure everything was organized and on schedule.

Additionally, I maintained and tracked records of equipment and materials on a smaller scale across the country.

I hope this provides a good overview. Now, I’m looking for a remote position, and it seems that supply chain management has a lot of opportunities in this area. From what I understand, supply chain roles require knowledge of different types of loads, containers, restrictions, managing drivers, and working with diverse teams. There are also buyer positions and other roles that I may not be familiar with yet.

I’d appreciate any advice on how I can bridge the gap between my experience in the railroad industry and a career in the global or U.S. supply chain sector. Are there any courses you’d recommend? Certifications? Should I consider an entry-level position to learn the industry? Since leaving the railroad, I’ve been focusing on web development (I also have a degree in Computer Science), but I miss working with people, managing projects, and resolving conflicts. I’d like to use my 17 years of experience in transportation and project management and move into something similar if possible.

Thank you so much for your time and any advice you can provide.

As above.

Just finished a graduate diploma in data science. Cant say I remembered much and I hate python and R. My undergraduate degree was in exercise science and finished 10 years ago so very different to what I do now.

Been working in Sales for about 6 years now , half of which have been in sales operations. So alot of analysis, reporting, sales support etc. I have hit a point where I want to move up but sales operations manager roles look to be rare and I dont want to pigeon hole myself to just sales.

I have been considering something in supply chain or in finance and do an MBA in finance or supply chain management. And perhaps work my way up to a leadership role.

Would getting a specialization in supply chain be useful or would finance be more helpful?

I recently started a role (June 2024) working as an area supervisor in a dc after graduation. In this role I’m working overnights 4 days a week. I took this role because I was desperate for a job straight out of college and my parents forced me to. Recently, my dad’s health has gotten worse. I have two brothers, which all of them are out of the house, one working away from home, the other starting college this semester, and I also work away from home (2 hrs away from my parents). This has put immense pressure on my immigrant parents to care for themselves alone and it sucks to see that I can’t be there for them as much bc of my role. I noticed there are a couple remote/hybrid positions open in our corporate side that I would love to apply to but due to the short of time I’ve been with the company, I feel like it is a bad look to transfer out already. Would it be a good idea to talk to my direct supervisor and HR about my home situation?

I'm about to graduate with a bachelor's in liberal studies with a minor in general management. I was a Unit Supply Specialist in the Army for 3.5 years, then worked for a military contractor coordinating new equipment fieldings, and have held various warehousing positions since, but nothing management or analyst level.

Will my experience and a general studies degree be enough to land me an analyst/coordinator (entry) job? Or should immediately pursue CPIM upon graduation to bolster my resume?

Thanks for your take.

Hi everyone,

Please utilize this weekly thread for any student survey's, academic questions, or general insight you may be seeking. Any other survey's posted outside of this weekly thread will be removed, no exceptions.

Thank you very much

Hi everyone - I’m looking for beta testers to try out an app I developed to make RFQ creation and receiving offers from suppliers and analyzing them much easier.

If you’re a buyer who’s tired of sending Excel sheets back and forth and managing all the responses manually, this might be for you!

Testing will start at the end of this year or early 2025. Just send me a message or comment below if you’re interested, and I’ll reach out.

Hey everyone!

I’m a current master's student in supply chain management, actively looking for internships to start my career in the field. I have a background that includes the MITx MicroMasters in Supply Chain and a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma, along with coursework in operations management and global supply chain.

For those who’ve successfully landed internships or have experience hiring, I’d love to hear your tips!

Thanks so much for any insights you can share!

I've been in the civilian sector for 1.5 yrs as an SCMA so I'm not familiar.

25% travel for example...is that usually out of state? Travel for one week straight out of a month?

Looking at aerospace/self defense companies.

Hi I recently got a year round internship at UP in supply chain. Does anyone have experience or worked for this company? Any tips or advice being an intern? Thanks!!

Sharing as this type of post was helpful to me leading up to the exam, if only to somewhat alleviate some of the nervousness. I'll try to stick to info specific to my experience.

Exam

IRL, was allowed to bring in water and my own calculator, though the on-screen calculator was a full scientific calculator. I didn't need either of them as the few questions requiring math I was basically able to do in my head, and I'm not great at that. Had to put all other electronics in my bag in a locker and bathroom breaks were, well, as the kid proctoring it said: "You don't need to raise your hand; I'm not a monster." Took me about three hours.

Questions were actually fairly similar to the CSCP practice tests offered on Udemy minus the typos. (Tbh I wasn't a fan of the Udemy tests even if I was scoring 80-90%, but for $12 they were probably worth it) They were mostly one liners, and I'd say 60% were "easy" - after drilling the APICS quizzes some of them almost seemed too easy. Maybe 10% were total curveballs, the rest were moderately difficult but I felt confident in my answers. Mostly. In either case training myself to pay attention to every word in each question was helpful. I noticed that in many cases with the quizzes an practice test the root-cause of my answering a question incorrectly was simply reading it quickly and missing one key word.

The run-up.

I scheduled the test early October, developed a study plan, and promptly got bacterial pink eye which took me out of the "reading stuff with my eyes" game for 2 weeks. Went hard for the last week or two hoping it'd be enough. Vision's still a little wonky.

Initial practice test score was 57%, sulked a bit as that was barely higher than the pre-test, but it was motivating so I revisited every single question using GPT to explain anything I wasn't getting before moving on, re-took and got 94% - though it's the same questions so it should've been 100%.

Avg chapter/module quiz score was probably around 75%. I went through all 28 and took notes on things I was getting wrong, then went through an did all 28 again, each time asking GPT for clarification on things I was consistently getting wrong. After going through them all twice I had 4 where I was still scoring below 70% and focused on those.

FunFact: I started CSCP last year when I was a purchasing manager at a hotel, and ended up getting the job I thought I'd need the cert for in June. If you're on the fence about the ROI of the cert, the new job was a 20% raise and I got it in part due to what I was learning.

Further, FWIW, this is part of my transition from chef to SCM.

I was able to score a supply chain internship at PepsiCo for this upcoming summer of 2025 and I’m really excited to start.

(This is my first internship but I graduate December 2025, not ideal but at least it’s something 🤷‍♂️)

I really want to work in planning or procurement out of college and although this is a more general supply chain internship, I’m just trying to gain any experience I can as of now.

Anyone here work for the company or have experience with them? I really want to know more about anyone’s personal experiences or journey throughout the company. Especially if you got a full time offer afterwards I’d love to know about that experience.

Thanks!