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%
David’s note: Sometimes great things can come from our worst moments. You are like a phoenix rising from the ashes with your positive attitude Crissy! Also, thank you for sharing your certification failures too. Welcome to the ultra certification club!
I want to share my success story that turned being laid off during a pandemic into an opportunity to level up my skills and marketability in the Salesforce ecosystem.
I’ve been working as a Salesforce admin for a few years now at a non-profit in Jackson, WY. I had wanted to take the certification exams, but since I already had a job and certifications didn’t matter to my organization, it was on a future to-do list without much urgency.
Then COVID happened and I was laid off mid June. Instead of feeling down, I saw it as a HUGE opportunity. I was going to treat continuing education like it was my full time job. I want to re-enter the job market as someone who employers are seeking!
I saw that Salesforce had a promotion for a New Admin Bootcamp that came with a voucher for a free exam, but you didn’t receive the voucher until week 5. I figured it was worth waiting for and that I could use those few weeks to put my nose to the grindstone and prepare myself for more than just this single certification.
My original goal, which was 3 certifications in the next 6 months, was written on a piece of paper above my monitor. Delighted to say that I crushed it and then some. During those weeks of waiting, I was a sponge for knowledge. I was already a Salesforce Ranger, but mostly with modules that are for the admin path.
I started to branch out and dip my toes into the things that were more interesting to me, like bumbling around in the baby stages of learning Apex, with the ultimate goal of eventually following a developer path. Based on all the advice I was reading on your blog and others, it made sense to achieve the core 5 certs as a wide knowledge base before diving deep into following the developer path.
I plan to use Apex Academy as one of my tools for success but would love to hear any additional advice you or anyone else has on how to get started.
The morning of exam 1, I got a call from a contact tracer that said I needed to quarantine for 14 days. A few hours later after passing my first exam and blowing my own scoring expectations out of the water, I decided that there is no time like the present. Why not try to achieve the core 5 while I’m in quarantine and make the best of a bad situation?
Now that I’ve achieved these, I am so excited to dive into Apex! Thank you for sharing your personal success story and those of countless others. I am grateful, inspired, and optimistic about what I can achieve and where I can go with hard work, dedication, and determination!
Manifesting my will into destiny one email at a time,
Crissy Codi, M.A.
UPDATE: Crissy has since found a great job and her life has dramatically changed for the better!
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Hi Crissy,
Congrats on passing these certs.
Honestly, I’m really impressed by your achievement, and it gives me inspiration as well.
I’m a certified admin, I’ve attempted Sales Cloud consultant exam twice but could not pass. I’m wondering how you prepare for 5 exams at once and was able to pass each day.
Thanks
Congrats! I’m not starting as a Trailhead Ranger, I only have 11 badges. However, I have the same determination and you will see my name on the list of success stories… eventually :)
I am seriously jealous! How did you do that! Great… Congratulations!