The man who inspired me, and what he taught me at the Salesforce MVP Summit!

Last week at the Salesforce MVP Summit I caught up with the guy who inspired me to code!

Who he is:
Jason Venable, the first Apex dreamer.

What he does:
Director of Application Development at Arrowpointe.

Where you can find him:
http://www.tehnrd.com/

Why he’s my inspiration:
This site wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Jason. I still remember dreaming of becoming a developer. I would have given anything to do so, but deep down I just didn’t believe it was possible for someone with a non-technical background. Everything changed when I heard Jason’s story and attended his Dreamforce session on Visualforce programming. Here was a guy with no training who taught himself how to code so proficiently that he was qualified to speak at Dreamforce in front of the industry’s best. I remember that day so clearly that I still remember where I sat. I’m still following in Jason’s footsteps and I only hope to inspire a few developers, just as he inspired me.

What he taught me when I met him in person:
The first thing Jason taught me is that anyone can code. Jason opened the floodgates for Apex dreamers all over the world. He risked so much in his career learning to code on his own, but he proved to the world that it was possible. And he taught me that it doesn’t matter how smart you are or how prestigious your school or background is – anyone can do it as long as they are dedicated!

Jason also taught me that you should never consider yourself a lesser developer because you don’t have formal training. In fact, you can still become one of the best in the industry! Jason is living proof of this! Hard work and passion are Jason’s best traits, and they are your formula for success too.

Finally, Jason taught me to always follow your dreams. Follow your dreams even if it means hundreds of extra hours of work over the weekends. Follow your dreams even if it means you have to take a 50% pay cut (I’ve done it)! Follow your dreams even if you’re not sure you’ll make it. Otherwise, you’re going to look back one day and regret it. Jason took these leaps of faith multiple times in his career to get to where he is, and to my surprise, he’s still taking risks to do what he enjoys, even though he doesn’t have to!

Jason, thank you for inspiring me to achieve my dreams. I hope to pass on the lessons you’ve so generously given to me – and maybe inspire the next generation of Salesforce developers!