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%
Dear David,
I am a 50-year-old man, highly qualified (like an MBA and engineer from premier institutes in India) but now without a job. I have been struggling for last three years on what to do next.
Someone advised me recently to change gears and do a Salesforce certification course. I have found your website very useful and I think I can spend time learning whatever you have expressed. I am a marketer, no technical skills but would like to do all the 5 certifications as suggested by your site.
Can I do it and will I get a job in the USA. I am a hard worker and don’t mind learning at this stage. Your kind words and advice will help me and my family come out this state of affairs.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
God bless,
Hard Worker
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Dear Hard Worker,
First off, thank you for writing to me!
I’m a firm believer that hard work will take you all the way to the top, especially in the Salesforce industry! An open-minded person like you will have no trouble adapting to and picking up the platform.
Unlike other industries, there are a TON of resources on every topic imaginable in Salesforce. With hard work you really can learn anything. Experience will be a different story however.
You’re on the right path though because the best way for you to get that first job (and the experience from it!) is to get certified. The more the better – five would be awesome!
Combine that with all the industry knowledge you already have and you’ll be a shoe-in. Many marketing teams rely on Salesforce so your past experience will help you get a job.
I don’t think your age will be a factor too. Plenty of older people attending Dreamforce… plenty!
One thing you may have trouble with though is getting a job specifically in the USA if you’re not already here. In my experience this is much more difficult to pull off if you don’t have at least some development knowledge. Not impossible, but rare.
Fortunately, you can learn to code too. And you know where to do it!
Cheers!
David
Join the discussion in the comments section below! Got a question? Send it to the mailbag: sfdc99.mailbag@gmail.com
Dear Hard Worker,
I’ll add to what David has said, your expertise in the marketing field will prove valuable as you start working on Salesforce. I would recommend looking at Salesforce Marketing Cloud in addition to the certifications mentioned. The certifications would give you an entry to the Salesforce area, but if you combine knowledge of Marketing Cloud along with your experience in the marketing field, that would be a killer skillset.
Good luck in your journey.
Dear hard worker,
I echo David’s response, if you first concentrate on getting your concepts cleared, do trailheads and get to those 5 certs that would help your case to get your 1st Salesforce job.
After that it would purely depend on how much you absorb and scale with on job experience and apply your previous experience as well.
Approach Salesforce with a fresher’s mind as if you are just kick-starting your career like you did 25-30 yrs back.
Once you spend 1-2 yrs working on this platform then you can really apply your previous experience and look out for on-site opportunities or atleast client facing role which should maximise your on-site chances.
Having consulting mindset would help you in this cause.
Having said that there is no guarantee or commitment that you will get to US but Salesforce community is such a vibrant place that you will always be connected to awesome folks across globe.
Keep Learning, Keep Sharing !!
Wishing you all the best for your future.
Regards,
Rupesh Bhatia