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%
Hi David,
I have been following you and how you went on to become a great SFDC developer. I want to ask for some guidance from you. I have 5+ years of experience in Salesforce and currently hold 4 certifications. I have been around some time in Salesforce and have done many projects. The doubt that I have is whenever it comes to coding I tend to freeze sometimes. I don’t know why.
Let me share you an experience. My current company wanted to send me overseas for an on-site project assignment. I was very excited at first but this changed when I came to know the task would involve a very high level of advanced coding. I was very scared and was simply not able to go through with it. I gave up and had to ask my manager to relieve me from this project which didn’t go very well, and, I had to switch my job.
I am not sure how to handle this kind of situation and I feel very stressed out and not sure how will I be able to handle this kind of situations in future. Please advice what I need to do in order to make me a good developer.
Sincerely,
Need a Boost
————–
Dear Need a Boost,
First off, thank you for reaching out with this question – I know it’s not an easy thing to ask. The best part is you’ve already taken the first steps to improving yourself for next time.
I want you to realize that your manager wouldn’t have put you on this project if he/she didn’t believe you could do it – that would be foolish. So you have at least one person who believes in you. Do you believe your company could be so wrong in their decision to choose you? If so, then it’s probably a good thing that you switched jobs!
There’s nothing wrong with being afraid. For me, fear is a bigger motivator than success. My fear of failure is actually my primary motivator. I don’t want to be successful – I just don’t want to fail. Ultimately it’s not the fear that defines me, it’s how I react to it.
So here are my tips for you on how to deal with fear:
Always think long term.
Whatever fear you’re experiencing in any work scenario will one day pass. You will look back at it years from now and it really won’t matter, you might even laugh thinking about it. What will stay with you though is what you learned and what you regret. Even though making the right choice (going for it) will be painful for you in the short run, you will maximize your learnings and minimize your regrets.
Realize that trying and failing is better than not trying at all.
Michael Jordan says this often. Everyone fails. Some people fail 99% of the time. It is OK to fail as long as you try your hardest. Anything is better than nothing, and the worst case scenario is to make it a habit to not try at all. There is no shame in working your hardest and I am sure your manager would agree that your best shot is better than no shot at all.
As the great Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take!”
Take small steps to improve each time.
People like you and I are not going to wake up one day and suddenly have the courage to tackle any project in the world. It happens over time and in small steps. All we can do is keep doing our best, learn from our mistakes, and in each scenario be 1% better than the last. Over time, these small percentages add up and you might one day surprise yourself with the confidence you’ve built over time!
Fake it till you make it.
I do this all the time and believe me, everyone else, including your manager, does this too. Oftentimes the attitude you approach your projects and clients with is more important than what you actually deliver.
So maybe you failed this one time around. I guarantee you’re going to have countless other decision points throughout your career just like this. And I hope my advice can help make you 1% better next time!
David
Join the discussion in the comments section below! Got a question? Send it to the mailbag: sfdc99.mailbag@gmail.com
Really nice and motivating post. Actually I am going through the same fear in mind. I have 4+ years of experience working as SFDS administrator. But now I am sure I will overcome this fear.
Love this post, David. What “Need a Boost” is feeling is nothing more than the “impostor syndrome”. It’s something that most developers and tech people (and even the experts) experience. It’s the feeling that you’re not good enough or smart enough for the job you have when compared to others. The key is to realize it’s common and okay to feel this way. The steps you outline are a great approach to overcoming it.
If you Google ‘developer impostor syndrome”, you’ll finds lots of great blog articles talking about this very thing.
Great post David, There are many who are in this situation .. including myself. Though I am certified following mostly SFDC99 and other MVP blogs.
I still lack the confidence to take on big projects, may be that is because I am not exposed to the real time projects. Looking forward to take on more challenges which I guess should help me.
I just remind myself of this quote “Success is never ending, failure is never final” and move on … :)
Dear ‘Need a Boost’ ,
Firstly remember, you are not the only one who has fear of failure. Majority of the people experience fear of failure. However, when it starts to affect negatively, it’s good to ask for suggestions and advice to overcome it, which you have. Good on you!
As David has already mentioned, it’s ok to fail, but it’s not really ok to not try. By not trying you will restrict your career growth, and as a result your confidence. If you let go of opportunities, it may lead into feeling of resentment and anger, thus creating another problem to deal with.
My suggestion is, try to assess the causes of your fear, and find ways to overcome it.
When I was in a similar situation, one day I said to myself, heck! So what if i fail. Let people think and say whatever they have to. They will say, they will forget. I will keep trying, not for others but for myself.
Sending positive and best wishes to you!
Great post David !!
Need a Boost,
As david rightly said, you’ve taken the initial steps in the right direction.
Good students always turn their negatives into positives through listening, absorbing and adapting
Communicate more, read more to overcone your challenges.
Regards,
Rupesh bhatia
This happens to me sometimes with code. I’m starting to get over it by realizing that I am where I am today because I worked hard at the things I thought I couldn’t do. So why is code different in my head? It shouldn’t be! Need A Boost, we’re in this together!!! You’ve got this!!! Think of how amazing it will feel to say “I wrote that code!”
Great post David. For me it’s about finding the time. A 5 month old baby means little free time and the time that is free, i’m so damn tired! Posts like this keep me motivated. Keep up the great work
Amen! I am in the same boat. I work full time, and have a 3-year-old and a 5-month-old at home, so most days if I can squeeze in 30 solid minutes of this stuff (or anything else productive) I consider it a success! It is very hard for me to stay motivated on my own, so when something like this post comes up, or the many other success stories on this blog, I always try to take the time to read it to re-energize myself.
Dear “Need a Boost”,
I agree with David and yes my advice is also – please don’t be afraid to fail and have the courage to dare..!!
There is a very beautiful and inspiring line that Will Smith says to his kid (in his movie – ‘Pursuit of Happiness’) – Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. I just would like to add one more thing here — “Not even yourself” :)
Regards,
SK