Salesforce coding lessons for the 99%Finally, Apex tutorials for point-and-click admins! Written by a self-taught Google engineer.
Salesforce coding lessons for the 99%
Amsterdam, here we gooooooooo!
I’ll see you in 57 days in Amsterdam for YeurDreamin’, the very first Dreamin’ event in Benelux!
This is going to be an extra special event for me – why? Well, it’s my first time doing any talk in Europe and I would love to get a feel for the community there! Are things different?!
ALSO – I will be going all out and doing THREE talks!
Session: Lessons From a Failed Certified Technical Architect
Session: Admins – You Can Code Too!
Session: Leveraging your Network for Career Development within the Salesforce Ecosystem
(co-presented with the great Steph Herrera!)
You bet I’ll be giving out free t-shirts too! More information on how to snag one soon!
For now, register for YeurDreamin’ and stay tuned for updates!
Special thanks to Kevin Jackson, Jan Vandevelde, and the entire YeurDreamin’ team for organizing this event, giving back to the community, and inviting me! Also, a sentimental thank you to Steph Herrera!, who is one of the most persistent people I’ve ever met.
SEE YOU IN AMSTERDAM!
David
Preface: this post is part of The Definitive Salesforce Careers Guide series.
You can make your resume twice as effective without changing a single word in it!
Fact: Most hiring managers will read less than 10% of your resume.
People skim – it’s human nature. There is nothing you and I can do about that… except…
People skim text in predictable ways. Observe yourself the next time you read a news article that may or may not be worth your time. You’ll probably only read a portion of the first paragraph, the first sentence of each of the next few paragraphs, and, anything in bold.
The more you like, the more you’ll read. The less you like, the more you’ll skim or quit altogether.
Thus, the key to maximizing your resume is this:
Place your best attributes in the areas that hiring managers will read while skimming:
Have you won any important awards? Put that section at the top where people can see it. Did you do something at a job that had extraordinary impact? Make sure that’s the job’s first bullet point.
Here’s a real resume (with personal info changed) with its most important areas highlighted:
Did this candidate maximize his resume by putting his best attributes in the highlighted areas?
Judge for yourself because I didn’t read the rest of it!
Do you see yourself coding up until retirement?
For many of us, coding is the endgame. You’ll certainly make plenty of money and live a comfortable life doing so. Nothing wrong with that.
But for some of us, coding is merely a stepping stone. A stepping stone into the prime phases of our career where it’s difficult to imagine spending 40 hours a week behind a computer.
And that feeling is understandable. Think about the most influential people at your companies. They probably spend very little of their time coding, if any. Don’t get me wrong, they could have spent a majority of their lives coding, but in the current peak of their careers, they’re likely not coding at all.
So what’s next after development? I see four common paths.
Management
This is the most counter-intuitive path to me. I went into coding to work less with people, but as a manager, you primarily work with people. That said, this is the realistic path for most. Every company needs managers, and, you can officially take yourself out of the rat race of keeping up with technology hard skills. For many, our backgrounds and growing maturity will naturally lead us here.
Technical Architect
This is the pinnacle of the individual contributor ladder. It’s the path I hear most up-and-coming developers refer to as their endgame. Make no mistake, it’s the most challenging technical path and it requires you to be world class in a broad range of technical skills. On top of this, you will need to have the soft skills to influence teams without having a formal team of your own to supervise.
Start Your Own Company
Here, you do exactly what you want and forget about what anyone else might say. This is the only position where no one still tells you what to do. It’s perhaps the most fulfilling path of them all, but it’s also the riskiest by far. Few of us have what it takes to be successful here, but the ones who are will probably be the envy of us all.
Switch Careers
I hate to say but this is probably the path of least resistance. Forgo much of your experience, value, and earning potential, then find the next best thing to learn and master. This is not the ideal path to be on, but it’s the path many of us will be forced onto if we do not plan carefully. There’s nothing wrong choosing this path, it’s just a tough pill to swallow hitting the reset button on your career.
In Conclusion
This decision is a difficult and courageous one to make at any phase of your career.
I often wonder for myself what I’ll be doing down the line, and, I often catch myself running away from the question entirely.
One thing I do know – NOT planning my career is the riskiest path of them all.
David
What’s the magic number of Salesforce certifications needed to impress that special someone?
I remember when three certifications was impressive. That was in 2012.
I remember when five certifications was impressive. That was in 2017.
I believe the magic number of certifications needed to impress in 2019 is… SEVEN!
Yeah, yeah, I know. Seven certifications sounds ridiculous. It’s a big mountain to climb.
…but everyone else is doing it.
It’s no longer rare for me to open up a resume and see five certifications. I almost expect it. In fact, if you have less than five certs, I wonder why you haven’t invested more time into earning more. And if you have zero certs, you might as well draw a big red flag on your resume.
It’s true that certifications aren’t a perfect measure of skill, knowledge, or experience. But just like academic grades, it’s the best objective measure we have. If two people have the exact same resume but one has seven more certs than the other, people will naturally go with Ms. Certified every time.
Certification inflation is real. But don’t fight it. It’s a small cost we pay to participate in the highest paying industry of all. So go study for your certifications, pass, and profit!
I don’t care who you are or what your background is: you can earn seven certifications in the next six months if you put your mind to it.
Yes YOU!!
David’s note: Doubling your salary in only one year and getting six certifications including Platform Developer I?! That’s not a bet I’d normally take but I’ll put my chips on you anytime =) Great job Nick and thank you for inspiring others by sharing your story!
Hi David,
Two years ago I tried to play poker full time and things went a little off the rails for me. I ended up almost completely broke and back at a 9 to 5 job. I felt totally defeated and really down in the dumps. At first, all I could think about was the fastest way to get myself back to playing poker full time. I knew I HAD to escape calling (sometimes angry) people on the phone all day to collect overdue bills.
My law firm uses Salesforce as their CRM solution and lucky for me they had a few one-off problems that needed to be solved. After writing some simple workflow rules for them in my spare time I found out 1) how much value Salesforce skills provide 2) how much fun working on Salesforce was compared to calling people and 3) (after stumbling on to your blog) how much Salesforce skills pay!!
I talked to management and found out that, if I got good enough, they’d be willing to let me work on Salesforce full time! That was just the motivation I needed. I started studying everything I could get my hands on, even working nights and weekends to be ready (anything to escape the phones).
I even was featured in your Mail Bag after asking for series #4 of the Apex Academy. I was so excited to interact with the King of Salesforce that day. It didn’t come close though (so sorry) to how excited I was, after studying for months, to achieve my first Admin certification by using your study tips, because that was exactly what got me promoted to full-time Salesforce work and a 50% raise!!
Now I knew I wanted be all-in. I barely even thought about poker anymore, and promised myself to get to the first major milestone in your certification guide of the five core certifications. I failed my first try at my next test, but refocused intently on “study for understanding, not memorization” and went on the pass all the rest of my certifications on my first shot. A few months later (with more studying) I even got certified as a developer!
I had never written code before the Apex Academy, so to do so much in a year was amazing for me. With so many certifications I got another job offer for 33% more than I was then making. I was able to use that for ANOTHER RAISE at my current company, which brought me up to DOUBLE my starting salary from only 1 year before! Your blog and Salesforce changed my life so incredibly fast and I could not be more grateful :)
By then, I had completed so many fun and valuable projects that my company flew me out to Dreamforce – where I was lucky enough to meet you in person before the Developer Keynote.
You were so gracious despite (I’m guessing) warming up to share your story with everyone, and then you won the Golden Hoodie! It was awesome to be there for that. Congratulations, it is most definitely well-deserved.
I feel like I’m only just getting started on my Salesforce journey but I can honestly say I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am without you and your blog. After reliving this story by typing it out in an email, its way less about that Golden T-shirt and way more about saying THANK YOU!! and telling others that ANYTHING is possible in the Salesforce world.
I appreciate all your hard work and consider myself proof you fulfilled the promise to Mr. Benioff of giving back :)
Hopefully I’ll see you again at Dreamforce!
Best,
Nick Frates
Inspired by this story?
Read more success stories from other SFDC99 students!
Want to tell the world your story too?
Email it to sfdc99.mailbag@gmail.com and your story could be heard around the world!
Both have struck fear into my heart – in the restroom and in my code!
Enjoy life!
David
Is there anyone around Seattle who wants to learn to code?!
…or does anyone just want to go snowboarding at Stevens Pass?
If so, hope to see you in person at this user group meeting!
This session’s topic will be: Admins – You Can Code Too!
Everyone can benefit from knowing a little code! Join us as David Liu, Technical Architect at Google, teaches us why it’s more important than ever to know how to code in the “Lightning” era, how to write your first Apex trigger, and your specific steps to continue learning Apex to grow your career.
Special thanks to Roz Burton-Torres, Maya Peterson, and Slalom Consulting for hosting me!
… Are you looking for practice completing a real-world Salesforce project?
… Do you wonder if you’re ready to apply for Salesforce developer jobs?
… Are you close to completing the 15 Week Salesforce Development curriculum?!
Well, this coding challenge is for you: FINAL PROJECT – Salesforce Development Curriculum!
I developed this coding project so you can see what a Salesforce development project in the real world is like. I’ve actually had to code similar projects multiple times in my career!
I like this project because:
I had so much fun coming up with it that I coded it myself right after – it’s tough!
More info here: FINAL PROJECT – Salesforce Development Curriculum
Good luck everyone!
I’ll be speaking to your wonderful user group next week!
I also hear your user group will be discussing the results of Seattle’s Salesforce salary survey!
Topic: Salesforce Career Path Strategies
Which Salesforce career path is right for you? In this session, we evaluate the pros and cons of the core Salesforce career paths: admin, developer, and architect. Every aspect is examined including pay, short and long term job prospects, end games, and more. Then, we’ll give you the best resources for starting down your chosen path!
I’ll be joining via webcam, but I’ll see you in person at the Seattle user group meeting next March!
Special thanks to Roz Burton-Torres, the Seattle Salesforce user group leader for inviting me!
Thank you everyone for participating in the SFDC99 Golden T-Shirt Giveaway!!!
My wife and I read every single career and parenting tip submitted and chose our favorites! If your tip was chosen, you’ve got a Golden T-Shirt coming your way soon!
We hope you enjoy these nuggets of advice as much as we do =)
| Top 10 Career Tips | Submitted By | |
| 1 | “Fear kills more dreams than failure. In other words, don’t be afraid to fail. The fear keeps you from potentially doing something great!” | Nicole Henry |
| 2 | “The key to happiness is resiliency, perseverance and being grateful for the people and opportunities that have come into your life. These qualities will help you to be confident in yourself every day and to push yourself to become more than you were yesterday.
Before you know it, you will look back at your life and see how far you have come. Then the impossible all the sudden doesn’t seem so impossible anymore. This is the place where dreams come true.” |
Liz Adams |
| 3 | “You don’t have to work 16 hours a day. To achieve great results it’s enough to do focused work for 5 to 6 hours a day.
Playing and enjoying life is as important for your professional development as the quality time spent on working and, ultimately, workaholism could be as bad as chronic procrastination.” |
Tsezarii |
| 4 | “Be humble. Use every experience as a learning opportunity. Don’t take things personally. Always strive to be the best version of yourself.” | Nicole Smith |
| 5 | “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. When everyone else is sleeping, I keep learning Salesforce everyday.” |
Joseph Thomas |
| 6 | “A little bit of consistent effort can result in bigger and better gains than a erratic massive push.” | Muneer Algazzali |
| 7 | “Without the right ATTITUDE ability and motivation won’t get you very far.” | Suzie Dusek |
| 8 | “Everyone makes mistakes, no one is infallible. Know that you can be wrong, accept it, learn from it, teach others the error in your ways.
This also helps in being less defensive when something does inevitably goes wrong. Treat those moments as learning experiences and try not to make the same mistake twice (that one is hard).” |
Gustavo |
| 9 | “My career tip would be this: work hard, be nice to people even when sometimes you don’t want to be, and use failures as a learning tool.” | Jeanette Jett |
| 10 | “Never underestimate yourself. It doesn’t make sense to talk yourself small (it’s a German proverb “kleinreden”), because if you do so, your surroundings will see you as the person you present yourself as and therefore you will see yourself as smaller than you really are.
Be confident in what you can do and also be confident in what you can not do, so don’t make yourself bigger than you are, because in the long run, people around will see through that as well and will think lesser of you.” |
Jörn |
My wife and I especially enjoyed these next tips, as we just welcomed our second baby to the family!
| Top 10 Parenting Tips | Submitted By | |
| 1 | “1. Every child is different. Pay attention.
2. Advice is great, but always consider your feelings and the feelings of your child(ren) / spouse. 3. Establish a relationship with your child(ren) from birth. They will remember the littlest way that you have made them smile. 4. Date nights aren’t only for you and your spouse. As the mother of 3 (15, 12, 2), I have a date night with my children together and separately. 5. Be intentional. Just as you should have a personal mission statement, you should consider writing one for your marriage and for parenting with your spouse; and share it with your children.” |
Ianthe Hernandez |
| 2 | “We always motivate children to push themselves, compete and win when they start playing various games. Child learns from us that winning is a happy moment and losing is sad moment. Rather we should convince them 2 things: Losing is not a sad moment but an opportunity to be happy in winners happy moments And also to stand up again positively, understand mistakes and win the next time. |
Namita Pai |
| 3 | “Treat your kid like a human who can make choices, but when they are young make those choices have insular options, not infinite options.
Example: When my kid doesn’t want to eat what I’ve given them I offer them choices about what is possible with what is already there to work with, not ask them open-ended questions about what would prefer other than what has been presented. Doing this helps them be in line with the idea that they do not dictate the terms of their needs, but instead helps them collaborate on the terms already presented. This idea has been really helpful in my parenting in many areas, not just food. – Dad of two super controlling alpha boys under 5” |
Dan Walker |
| 4 | “Our children are mirror reflections of ourselves. When you find yourself frustrated or overwhelmed by their behavior, take a pause and reflect on whether you may exhibit that same behavior in another form.
For example: Does your child constantly interrupt you while you are speaking to them? Hmmmm… take pause and be honest with yourself. can you think back to conversations earlier that day or in the week and recall if you interrupted others. Taking a minute to be thoughtful about their actions and be a manifestation of your own will lead you to offer them more grace and less frustration. It may also offer you an opportunity to giggle at yourself and offload some stress.” |
Shae Walker |
| 5 | “PUT THE PHONE DOWN!
I know it’s a very difficult thing to do, especially when you’re a techie and work in the industry, but I cannot stress enough how much this takes away from your relationship with your child(ren). I have 4 fantastic kids (ages 10 months – 6 years old). I was once glued to my iPhone 24/7 without noticing how little attention I was giving them. About a year and a half ago, I was on my phone and my 5 year old (at the time) said ‘Dad, get off your phone. Geez!’. Fortunately, it kind of slapped me in the face and gave me a wake up. Since then, when I get home from work, my phone is put on silent on my nightstand and I don’t read articles or check emails until I lay down for bed. I’ve seen a real positive impact to our relationship and couldn’t be happier for making this change.” |
Justin Tortorich |
| 6 | “I’ve been taught throughout my life and will also teach my children not to grow or indulge in the following activities or do something like that:
Wealth without work. |
Samir Sayyad |
| 7 | “My parenting tip is that it is okay to apologize to your children.
We can get caught up with always needing to be right as the parent. We may not want to admit that we made a mistake because we think it will compromise our parental authority. It won’t. Your children will respect that you have the integrity to admit it when you are wrong. And most importantly, you will be teaching them an invaluable lesson about humility and accountability.” |
David Nava |
| 8 | “Take a moment to stop and listen to your kids. When they are talking, remove all distractions, kneel down to their level and genuinely engage in a thoughtful conversation. Your time together is precious and they long for your attention and to be heard.” | Ben Robertson |
| 9 | “You cannot steer your kids right all the time or they will never learn for themselves. They can only learn by getting their fingers burnt, your job is to stand by with the Elastoplast and antiseptic and a kiss to make it better.” | Jeremiah Kofi |
| 10 | trigger goodParent on child (after insert){
for (child raiseChild : trigger.new) {
child happyChild = new child(id=raiseChild.id);
happyChild.owie = ‘Hugs and kisses’; update happychild; // with a limit of 100 I think it’s unlikely you’ll need this outside the loop } } |
Roan |
Congratulations to all the winners and Happy Holidays to all!
P.S. Please forgive us in advance for delays as I’m spending extra time with baby =)
