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%
Wooohoooooo!! Did you go to India Dreamin’, the largest Salesforce community conference EVER?
Well I traveled 16 hours on an airplane to go there and it was worth every minute!
This event will always hold a special place in my heart. There is something about the Indian Salesforce community that you won’t find anywhere else. Here are my highlights:
HIGHLIGHT: India is HUNGRY to learn Salesforce!
This was one of the biggest shocks for me. Everyone in India had a HUGE desire to learn Salesforce!
There were over 1,500 attendees. Students, freshers, professionals, and yes even young children too!
I spot Salesforce kid doing #trailhead #IndiaDreamin17 @shivanathd @Sharif_Shaalan @hollygfirestone @ericakuhl pic.twitter.com/iv8uM1O4nr
— Paarth Jolly (@JollyPaarth) September 30, 2017
People really appreciated the opportunity to learn and considered it a privilege. Sometimes, I (and many other Americans) can take learning for granted and get complacent.
Hundreds of students and volunteers, in fact, the entire GL Bajaj faculty and student population, helped organize the event. Many of them literally didn’t sleep for days to make sure the event was a success. Their hard work paid off – everything went smoothly so we could focus on the learning!
India, you inspired me to #AlwaysBeLearning! I will always remember this.
See .. People want to attend @dvdkliu session… even couldn't find a place for me .. #IndiaDreamin #SalesforceOhana pic.twitter.com/0z6jee0Yj6
— Naval Sharma (@SalesforceNaval) September 30, 2017
HIGHLIGHT: Indian hospitality is legendary!
HUGE shoutout to the entire India Dreamin’ staff, volunteers, and sponsors for really making us feel like royalty in India. I know I speak on behalf of all the international guests!
I am going to miss having a full-time driver, a personal escort everywhere, and people constantly making sure I am hydrated and fed. Everyone really wanted to make sure we enjoyed India!
And we sure did! Back to reality now in the states =)
Special thanks to Shivanath Devinarayanan and the Dazeworks team for helping me get to India! Give them a shout-out for me if you see them!
LEARNING: USA prices are too high!
After converting INR to USD, prices for Salesforce resources are insane. I’m talking about things like certifications and even the Apex Academy. I spent three hours talking to a local in my car about this.
I assumed that companies charged lower prices to different countries based on their currency. This turns out to NOT be the case. A $200 certification (the cheapest cert possible) is still $200 in India.
After the conversion, the price ends up being a big part of someone’s salary:
As it turns out, the same is true for the Apex Academy prices. I wanted to create this so it was as accessible as possible to everyone, but, I now realize that is not the case. In fact, very few people in India had taken the Apex Academy, despite a good amount of people who used SFDC99. Poop!
I don’t have a solution to this yet, but I am brainstorming. I can’t control the price unfortunately!
HIGHLIGHT: Indians are incredible dancers!
Jeez, you all sure are talented when it comes to song and dance!
We were treated to a special cultural song and dance performance to end the event, and my were those performers talented!
And at the epic after party, I learned it wasn’t just the performers who are talented – it was everyone in India! In case you’re wondering, I drank plenty of alcohol and had a blast dancing with you all too. Thank goodness I have not seen a video on Twitter of this =)
you are dance really well @dvdkliu we got to know :) https://t.co/kIWGa2oLcS
— Surbhi Narula (@NarulaSurbhi) October 1, 2017
…my wife would laugh out loud if she read that!
LOWLIGHT: I ran out of SFDC99 t-shirts!
I stuffed my check-in baggage with t-shirts but still ran out!
If you were one of the lucky ones, CONGRATS! If not, well, I’ll be giving out the rest of my stash at Dreamforce. Hope to see you there too!
The good news? I have a plan to get a ton more shirts. And if you know a way to print a bunch of cheap t-shirts in India (but still comfy to wear), contact me!
@dvdkliu Was privileged to meet you in person. I was expecting a #SFDC99 t-shirt but wasn't lucky enough. #indiadream17 pic.twitter.com/HNnSCw7Z9U
— Naval Sharma (@SalesforceNaval) September 30, 2017
Why shouldn't I feel proud now? I have the most expensive T-shirt. @dvdkliu #sf99 @salesforce pic.twitter.com/6vQq2old4h
— Dheeraj Verma (@Dheeraj_Vrma) October 2, 2017
Fun fact: I buy each t-shirt I give out for $15. I like to buy more expensive shirts because they are more comfortable. Golden rule: give unto others what you would have them give unto you!
So how can you get your hands on an SFDC99 t-shirt in India? Well…
HIGHLIGHT: See you at India Dreamin’ 2018!
This event was so good that I’m definitely going next year. Yup, it’s pretty much a done deal.
India is a dream and I hope to visit there many times in my lifetime. Plus, I miss you all dearly!
And this time, I’m going to buy a TON more shirts to give out!
I LOVE YOU INDIA!! THANK YOU, I WILL NEVER FORGET!!!
@dvdkliu is that you ?? #IndiaDreamin17 made my dream to meet in person and chit chat about everything!! twin towers meets him! pic.twitter.com/57KY2mOKLr
— Vipul Goel ☁ (@vipulgoel19) October 1, 2017
It is Dream come true. Met to @dvdkliu #salesforce #cloudanalogy pic.twitter.com/3XW4Mv5aF8
— Karuna _tayal (@tayal_karuna) October 1, 2017
Finally got a chance to meet @dvdkliu #Inspiration @sfindiadreamin #dreamin17 @SalesforceAmy @SalesforceDevs @SalesforceU pic.twitter.com/OBNki17QNK
— Amit Singh (@iamamitji) October 1, 2017
So finally my dream comes true. I GOT SFDC99 tshirt and amazing selfies with my mentor. Thanks a ton 😍 @dvdkliu. Waiting to C U again.☺️ pic.twitter.com/G8RMQN74uj
— moNika Pandey (@monika_sfdc) October 1, 2017
Who would want to miss a selfie with @dvdkliu…here we go @NamitaPai1 pic.twitter.com/6qFOAs2tb6
— Deepali Gokhru (@DeepaliGokhru) September 30, 2017
Its our honour to interact with you and thank you so much for your guidance…..😊😊 @dvdkliu pic.twitter.com/N4jO2I5Eee
— kirti varshney (@kirtivarshney) September 30, 2017
Awesome event
Salesforce MVPs
Cool sessions
Salesforce swags
Met my dream hero @dvdkliu #id17#IndiaDreamin17 pic.twitter.com/1BuH9CQcxW— SUCHARITA (@sucharita222) September 30, 2017
When you get a chance to meet the man who changed your life. Thank you David. @dvdkliu @Google @sfindiadreamin pic.twitter.com/dR7SkV8gIk
— Vishnu J Menon (@vishnu_j_menon) September 30, 2017
Hands on training session 2 'Click vs code' by @dvdkliu #IndiaDreamin17 pic.twitter.com/8y7KaOzGH4
— Paarth Jolly (@JollyPaarth) September 30, 2017
OMG….I met the legend, still feel like a dream, thanks @dvdkliu #IndiaDreamin17 pic.twitter.com/e9crsVwEQD
— Biprajit Sharma (@JitBiprajit) September 30, 2017
Can't tell you how I felt when @dvdkliu said "I remembers you" pic.twitter.com/N14u8Fyag8
— Lav Singh (@LavSingh30Dec) September 30, 2017
"Be persistent if you wanna win" very inspiring and humble human @dvdkliu @sfindiadreamin #IndiaDreamin17 #salesforce #Google pic.twitter.com/5IbdQgJE6h
— Jayesh Tejwani (@jayeshtej) September 30, 2017
@dvdkliu OWNING the room at #indiadreamin17 🇮🇳 Always love watching him speak!! #Ohana ❤️#AlwaysBeLearning 😊 pic.twitter.com/SlgRxQD2cU
— Stephanie Herrera (@steph_herrera_) September 30, 2017
@sfindiadreamin MetMyHero#MyInpsirationtoexcelatSalesforce @dvdkliu pic.twitter.com/p3eM12kR7q
— Mary Joyce Joseph (@mjoycejo) September 30, 2017
With my coding mentor @dvdkliu #Pluralsightlive pic.twitter.com/t4p14nbwGB
— Maurya (@MauryaSF46) September 30, 2017
Omg you cant be kidding me… Its @dvdkliu…This is how you feel when you meet the #sfdc99 guy #Indiadreamin17 #makepositive pic.twitter.com/7n4I75v3DF
— Mehraj (@Reincarnated_MS) September 29, 2017
Most inspirational quote: "No one has rejected me for 11 times in my life except #Google " @dvdkliu #IndiaDreamin17 !! pic.twitter.com/GDOMPeY7bR
— Nikhil Chowdhury (@nikhil_trekker) September 30, 2017
See you there next year!
David
Wow! The number of Salesforce professionals in India is overwhelming!
I was shocked to say the least! Even student knew about Salesforce!
Here in the states, most students have no idea what Salesforce is =)
Very well written David. True to heart, loved it !!!
Bangalore, India & I are waiting for your next visit…david
I’d love to be there!
Seeing you in person and knowing you was a one of the things I would count as best takeaways of IndiaDreamin. Thanks buddy for taking a chance to come over India.
hahaha thanks!
Its pleasure to have you and everyone else here in India, hope you liked it and I assure you next time the gathering would be tripled with best hospitality and much smoother coordination. Your presence is what signify succesful us as one #SalesforceOhana
Our Indian Community love you guys like anything, we all admire all your great work.
Great. I always had an admiration for India and its people i guess next time i will go.
It’s an honour to take you in every session of yours on time. Felt special to know you in person. Had a great talk to become YOU.
Will meet next year for sure.
Hello David, It was a great pleasure to meet you and greet you at IndiaDreamin G L Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management, You really inspired and motivated our students.
Every GLBian is talking about you, your session, your passion and your dance too.
privileged to meet you,
GL Bajaj is waiting to see you soon
Hello David,
It was amazing to meet you as in person and be part of Hands-on-training sessions.
I got my #SFDC99 t-shirt :)
Next time i’ll make sure no one goes without getting that.
We missed out a selfie but that’s okhay.
Hope to see you soon !
Hi David,
Really it was amazing to meet with you.
I also missed the selfie and your SFDC99 T-shirt :(
We will make sure next time, every one will get the SFDC99 T-shirt.
Hope to see you soon in India !!!
But You got more selfie with Amy.. hehe
Sure.. Really felt amazing to meet you in person.
Hell yeah..!! you don’t seems to be a Salesforce Architect as you do enjoy with everyone , everywhere no matter the situation it would be.
You dance crazy buddy.. !!! At last Indians forced you to pull your shoes and Dance like hell.
Keep Rocking and Hope you’ll join next year too.