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%
People often say the key to success is to “follow your passion”.
I’ve always felt conflicted about this. The saying almost makes it seem like you don’t have control over your paths to success. What if your passions don’t have realistic ways of supporting yourself?
And how do you even find your passion? Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the time or opportunities to experiment with a buffet of jobs.
Are you just destined to be mediocre?
I believe passion must be developed. You can will yourself to become passionate about something. The first time I drank beer, I hated it. Yet now, I love it!
Did I fall in love the very first time I used Salesforce? Certainly not. Did I loathe it? Definitely not. But I stuck with the platform, found areas of it I especially enjoyed (like coding), and built on that. Over time, my love for Salesforce grew.
But there will be times where your love plateaus or even wanes. Love can be so fickle. These are the times that truly test you. Stick with it. Make a concentrated effort to find ways to fall in love again. Rekindle that relationship with a spicy new date. You could say it’s not that different from supporting a long-term relationship with a friend or loved one. It takes work.
In short, sometimes I believe it’s better to approach work with the philosophy of the “arranged marriage” instead of the western “romantic” marriage =)
Give it a shot!
If you have that passion to pursue your dream to become a Salesforce developer, than only you can make it happen. The top Salesforce app development companies are waiting for talent.
Interesting point of view! Thanks for sharing!
Beautifully said!
Another great post!
In my two years using Salesforce as an admin, there are times when I too tend to wander off and experience a rut. Sometimes, it is perhaps the project I’m working on in which I may not have a good grasp of a skillset.
Before taking the Apex academy and reading Dan Appleman’s book, there were times when I wanted to give up, because I just didn’t know the answer or how to ask the question to problem I faced. The frustration hinged on me, but I knew that somehow there is a way to solve the problem. What’s helped me a lot is all the courses in pluralsight (especially Apex academy) plus taking on projects to grasp how organizations work and to pick up new skills. As Salesforce keeps changing, I feel there is so much more to discover, which is what makes Salesforce fun down the road!
Love these posts!
Thank you Medhanie!
Thanks for this post David. I’ve been finding myself going through the motions lately and being complacent with what I know. Ever since you announced your Apex course on Pluralsight I’ve been excited to take it, but never took the initiative. This post has motivated me to finally take that leap and dedicate myself to finally learning how to code and work towards my goal of being a developer.
Do you have any tips or practices I can do to discipline myself to learning? Or any things you’ve done to get yourself to keep moving forward?
Awesome!!
Here’s a tip I actively use. I force myself to do something everyday, even if it’s only for 5 minutes. You never want to get to a point where you’re in “paralysis”. Train yourself to build good habits!
@David Liu……….hahaha This is perfectly awesome.
I can relate myself to the context you have written.
David, great write-up. Very practical, down-to-earth and so opposite of our market oriented culture – i.e., everything has to be new and exciting always!
Hi David!
I can definitely agree :(
Well, SFDC for me has been a great plus in my career, but it has also started to become stale.
As of late, I have been doing (open source) CRM consulting for small businesses (which I love) but it doesnt pay anywhere near what I used to earn with SFDC.
Ive been somewhat “estranged” from SFDC, partly because, when you work for large corporations, work isnt as exciting as when you things on your own.
Nevertheless, I love this new article of yours :)
Makes me feel like, Im not alone in this up/down roller coaster of a ride with SFDC.
Any advice on how to make things exciting again?
Hey Jose!
I go through these funks too sometimes. What always gets me going is starting a “moonshot” project. This is a ridiculous project that has little chance of success but super high upside. It gets me going again, even if it fails!
Hope the spark comes back for you!
After many years of listening that I should find a passion, a perfect love, a perfect love, etc., I’ve realized exactly what you expressed cristal clear in this post.
Thanks David, no to be, the perfect-gay but instead a real person, even when it gets to Salesforce.
All the best.
=)
I definitely agree. Not all the time the passion is intense, but what matters is you are able to sustain the passion even if it was gloomy. I know that sometimes we have reached to the point where we can think of giving up, but that definitely isn’t the right thing to do. And yeah, there’s no overnight success. So for all the people out there that’s almost giving up, remember that “success comes to those people who persevere and never give up”. If destiny can’t give it, then you must take a step to get what’s rightfully yours. Have a nice day!
This post inspired me a lot… M saving this post of urs David… A much needed push when ur completely lost and dnt know what’s going on around… Thanks a lot.
Hang in there buddy!