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%
David’s note: This is what I live for buddy. Congrats!
In 2016 I turned 50, lost my house, job, business, and marriage. I earned $17,000 that year and was homeless for the next 18 months, couch hopping for most of that time. A friend told me about Vetforce, and after Vetforce I found SFDC99.com and David Liu.
Today, I’m one test away from being a double architect, and I have multiplied my 2016 salary by 12. I now have a consulting business and a main gig as a Principal System Analyst at a pharmaceutical company.
At one point, David comped my access to his class series. His guidance on certifications was the blueprint for the 14 certs I’ve rolled up in the last four plus years. Without David’s encouragement, his blueprint, and ALL OF THE ADJUSTMENTS to that blueprint as the admin/BA/architect space has changed in the last five years, I do not know where I might be today: thoroughly debt free, new business, great career, and each and every day I get to help cure cancer with a CRM system. No wasted days.
Can’t thank you enough.
Anonymous
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Email it to sfdc99.mailbag@gmail.com and your story could be heard around the world!
David’s note: You did it bro! And you proved the dream is still alive and kicking! It brings me joy that I could play a small role in your family dreams. I also love when someone dreams about writing a success story, then one day accomplishes it. Cheers!
Hi David!
Ever since we first met, I’ve been dreaming of writing my own success story to you. With a degree in CS but landing in a Salesforce developer role, it took some growing to appreciate the power of the platform and its low-code aspects.
Early on, you gave me words of encouragement and were always a motivating force in the back of my mind. I was lucky enough to meet you again at a Dreamforce and you continued to reinforce that encouragement and support. Not in record pace but I have attained Trailhead Ranger and 3 certs in my few years on the platform. But the biggest success came recently when I landed what feels like a unicorn opportunity.
It is a hybrid salesforce developer with general software engineering on their internal tech stack. This marriage of both of my backgrounds is the perfect role for me. Not only that but my total compensation has doubled since I started in working in Salesforce three years ago. Best of all, it’s a fully remote opportunity so my family and I can relocate back to our hometown and with the goal of buying a house close to extended family.
I just wanted to say thanks again for being so generous with your time and encouraging to me and so many others. Keep up the great work! You’re a wonderful person and a shining example of the Salesforce Ohana.
Best,
Michael
Twitter: https://twitter.com/macappuccio
Trailhead: https://trailblazer.me/id/michaelcappuccio
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Email it to sfdc99.mailbag@gmail.com and your story could be heard around the world!
I work on one of the most interesting Salesforce implementations on the planet, at one of the best companies on the planet to work for. I really believe it – I’m a lucky guy.
Well, you could be lucky too because we’re hiring four Salesforce architects to join the team!
God have mercy on you because these positions will work closely with me. See the video for details.
Apply directly to any of the roles below. There are four positions open across all three roles:
Good luck!
David
Yes folks my entire Apex Academy is FREE all April 2021!
What else could you possibly do this month that would change the trajectory of your career more than taking my FREE coding course?! Not even four certifications could beat this!
Step 1: Register here
Step 2: Fill out the form (no credit card required)
Step 3: Access all my Apex Academy courses for free this entire month of April.
Want extra projects and homework? Check out my supplementary guide (also free).
Need more inspiration? Read the success stories from men and women of all backgrounds!
Enjoy!
David
P.S. this is not an April fool’s joke!
This was a good webinar.
If you’re wondering what’s going on in the Salesforce job market these days you should watch it.
00:00 – Introduction by Computer Futures
02:00 – Panelist Bio: Angela Mahoney
02:36 – Panelist Bio: Sheldon Simmons
03:06 – Panelist Bio: David Liu
03:37 – Panelist Bio: Stephanie Herrera
05:28 – How would you summarize the state of the Salesforce job market right now?
06:41 – How will Salesforce job opportunities evolve over the next few years?
10:22 – How can you use non-Salesforce experience to stand out in your job search?
12:18 – What advice do you have for people trying to get into the Salesforce job ecosystem?
17:16 – How relevant are Salesforce certifications in the job search?
20:26 – Is there a good age to start a Salesforce career?
21:20 – What’s the best advice you received early in your career?
25:00 – Which Salesforce career path is best for you?
30:15 – Should you work with a Salesforce recruiter?
39:30 – Q&A: What soft skills do you recommend for people to build a role in management?
42:20 – Q&A: How are leadership skills different in the post COVID world?
45:17 – Q&A: How much of what you learned in the military is valuable in your Salesforce career?
50:32 – Q&A: What’s the single most in demand Salesforce job right now?
52:32 – Final thoughts: what’s your best 15 second piece of advice?
Thank you to Computer Futures for hosting this webinar and inviting me as a panelist!
Love it or hate it, certifications are an inevitable part of your Salesforce career.
And for 2021, here’s my analysis of how many certs you need these days to stand out.
I’ll cover this topic for each experience category – entry, mid, and senior level professionals. I’ll also cover what order to take your certifications in for admin, developer, and architect job paths.
Enjoy!
Sponsored by Focus on Force, helping you prepare successfully for your certification exams for the cost of a lunch. For a limited time, get 25% off using code sfdc2021 when you purchase 2 or more exams or study guides.
David’s note: At a total loss for words. This is an incredible achievement. In just a single year you cemented your career legacy and essentially guaranteed success for the rest of your very long career. Brilliant, simply brilliant! Bravo!
Hello David!
I want to thank you for your site and all of the materials you have put out. I have a success story to share with you and want you to know that reading your site helped me to realize something like this was even possible. I enjoy your blog and YouTube channel, keep up the good work!
I went from 0 to 20 certs in 2020.
I started working in Salesforce in 2016 and quickly found your site. It amazed me reading the success stories and seeing the number of people getting so many certs. I would debate whether or not I should go for them, I like to learn and always want to get better at my job but wondered if getting certs was really the best use of my time. So I’d hit up Trailhead, do some studying for maybe a day or two and then not do it for a while and not really feel like I was making any progress. I wasn’t committed to it and sort of winged it, which got me nowhere. I knew that if I was going to do it I’d need to commit to it and that a good goal would probably be something like 12 in 12 months.
In February this year I changed jobs to work for a Salesforce consulting partner, who as you know loves for their employees to get certs. I soon realized that basically all of my coworkers had certs (I had none), many with 10+. I instantly felt like I needed to get at least a couple so I wouldn’t be the only one without any certs. I figured that I should at least get Administrator and Platform Developer I since after all I am a developer. I started studying like crazy and at the end of February I finally got my Administrator cert. It was a huge sigh of relief and I also realized that it wasn’t so bad. I scheduled Platform Developer I for the following week and passed that as well. My success was motivating me to keep going and by the end of March I had picked up four certs, adding Platform App Builder and Community Cloud Consultant.
It felt like it would be difficult to keep up that sort of pace so I decided that I at least needed to get 12 in 12 months and set that as my goal. By the end of August I had hit my goal and had 12 certs including Application Architect. Even though I had hit my goal I still wanted to go for Platform Developer II and System Architect, which I could probably get by the 12 month mark if I kept it up. I kept studying daily and ended up with System Architect by the end of November. At that point I was pretty much done but getting 20 in 2020 sounded nice, and even if it really doesn’t mean anything I wanted to try and hit it.
I had a voucher for Marketing Cloud Administrator so I decided to try for that one next. I failed it twice and wouldn’t be able to sign up again until the very end of December. Even if I was able to pass it then I didn’t know if there would be an open slot to schedule it. (Side note, Salesforce makes it really hard to get a demo org for Marketing Cloud which seems un-Salesforce like compared to all of their other offerings.) I was a little deflated despite everything I had done since I really wanted to hit 20. So I turned to the only cert I had a realistic chance of getting before the year was up, JavaScript Developer I. I spent all of my available free time (including some PTO) studying and doing the super badge and managed to get it just in time.
In case you post this here would be advice I have for others:
Thank you!
-Edwin Zacharski
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!
Join this live webinar if you’re curious to hear about what I think of the Salesforce job industry!
I’m partnering with Computer Futures, a Salesforce recruiting company, to discuss the latest trends in this job market and how you can best prepare yourself.
When: 10AM PT on Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Register for the webinar
I’ll be joined by two panelist I personally look up to, Angela Mahoney (RADWomen founder) and Sheldon Simmons (Dreamforce keynote speaker), so you won’t be flooded with my biased opinions.
Webinar: Salesforce Job Outlook 2021
What are the most in-demand Salesforce job opportunities? Salesforce saw a 38% rise in its jobs listings from 2020-2021 and 4.2M jobs will be created in the Salesforce ecosystem by 2024. Join our panel of experts as we discuss the current state of the Salesforce job market and the best opportunities to pursue right now.
See you there!
I say it all the time, you can’t go far in Salesforce without participating in the community.
That said, I realize how scary “networking” can be, especially for really introverted people.
Don’t fret. I’m a massive introvert too. And if you ever met me in person you’d see that I’m actually a really quiet and shy guy. And so are so many other very influential people in the Salesforce industry!
I’ve learned that being an introvert is NOT a weakness when it comes to networking – it’s actually a great strength. You just have to learn how to channel your “weaknesses” into community areas where they are actually super effective. Don’t ever change!
Here are some online Salesforce communities to get involved in:
Good luck!
Free stuff is the best =)
Conquer your fear of coding this weekend, or fail miserably. There is no shame in trying. At best, you change your life forever. At worst, you learn that coding is not the right career path for you.
Free access starts on Friday February 5, 2021 at 8AM PT. Here’s how to join:
STEP 1: Register here (no credit card required). You’ll get an email when free access begins.
STEP 2: Watch the Apex Academy:
Enjoy the class!