Salesforce has become more and more popular all over the world, and there are many new opportunities in the ecosystem. I see a lot of people interested in the industry but stuck with how to get started, so I rewrote this article I published last year, and hopefully, it will help someone.
Los Tres Amigos for Learning (Trailhead, Blogs and Google)
I have no technical background, which is actually quite common for newcomers. But that doesn't stop me from becoming a Salesforce consultant.
Trailhead is a good starting point, which is official and free. The gamification also makes it fun. Some badges are really hard, for example, Lightning Experience Rollout Specialist took me quite a few weeks to eventually complete. But most of them can be done in a couple of hours or even minutes. If you are really stuck with some challenges, you can always take a break and come back later with a better understanding of that topic. The point is not the number, but the actual knowledge and skills. One thing I find particularly useful is the resources at the end of each unit, which offers deeper and wider information about the topic. I also go back to the badges I completed from time to time and refresh my related understanding.
Thanks to the popularity of Salesforce and the sharing spirit of trailblazers, there are a lot of blogs or Youtube channels to help you have a better idea of some specific features or good practices. Whether you prefer reading or watching videos, there are tons of content, which leads to the question: which one should I pick. After all, we have limited time and energy. Plus Salesforce platform is huge and keeps growing, it is impossible to know everything.
My top advice is to choose based on your interest. and pick the popular ones, which are recognized by the audience. You can always start with the official ones: https://admin.salesforce.com/blog and https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs are highly recommended. Also, the famous https://www.sfdc99.com/, if you are interested in code like me.
Google is your friend. Indeed, after a while working as an admin or developer, you will realize that a lot of issues you face, others have them as well. The best part is they have already figured out the solution. Unless you have a very specific situation to some unique requirements of your org, start searching instead of scratching your head over the problem. This will save you a lot of time and open your eyes especially when you still have little knowledge about the area. Tip: http://findsf.info/ is a one-stop search site for Salesforce related resources, and sometimes works better than Google (at least saving you type the keyword Salesforce).
Support of Community
I still remember vividly the first community event I went to, without knowing anyone in the room or barely anything about Salesforce. I felt a bit nervous but soon that feeling was gone. The environment was welcoming and everyone was so friendly and willing to share. I had a chat with a couple of different people including experienced professionals and newcomers like myself. After that I have become a regular for the community event, knowing people, and learning from others. The COVID-19 actually breaks the physical boundary of communities, so events hosted all over the world are available to everyone. And you can find all kinds of topics, build connections while learning.
Master Sauce: Passion
I have experience working in different industries and countries, and I think the most important thing for the career is passion. If you really love the things you do, you will be proud of your job and happy to spend extra time and energy on upskilling. That is the motivation for me to learn and use Salesforce every day. It is a great technology to help organizations by having a 360 view of their clients and automating their processes. But at the end of the day, it has to be implemented properly to release the power. And that is what the trailblazers do, to make a difference.
In the end, the most important tip:
Start doing it now.
No comments:
Post a Comment