Starting a career in Salesforce can be an excellent choice if you are interested in technology (in particular in CRM, sales, marketing, or services) and wish to continue your career path in a fast-evolving cloud environment of data processing. It’s a very popular and comprehensive platform with a wide ecosystem of applications and integrations. Salesforce experience is nowadays a valuable skill in the job market. Today we are going to discuss where to start to pursue a career in Salesforce.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce has become one of the most commonly used CRM systems worldwide, having over 150.000 clients and millions of users. The system has gained its popularity due to simplicity of use, flexibility, scalability, and a variety of functions it offers. Moreover, Salesforce has a large and active community of developers, administrators and users, who are contributing to its continued development and improvement.
Saleforce is a cloud-based software platform. It provides a wide spectrum of enterprise-level solutions for managing customer relationships (CRM) for sales, marketing, services and analysis, among others. It enables companies of any size to manage their interactions with the customers and the data in a centralized location. It also gives a full insight into Customers, helping companies to make informed decisions based on the data. As the demand for cloud solutions continues to increase, so does the need for skilled and experienced Salesforce professionals.
Where do you start if you want to work in Salesforce?
These several steps will help you start a career in Salesforce:
Get familiar with Salesforce products: Begin with learning about Salesforce and its products. Read the history of the company, its mission and products. Sign up to benefit from a free demo version and learn how the platform works in practice.
Advance your skills to work with Salesforce: There are many skills needed to work with Salesforce, including proficient knowledge of the programming language such as Apex, and knowledge of Salesforce products, such as Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. Consider doing online courses or participating in a boot camp to learn these skills.
Get certified: Salesforce offers various certificates for different roles and products. Getting certified can help demonstrate the knowledge and credibility in this area. Start by getting the Salesforce Certified Administrator qualification, which is a basic certificate that covers the foundations of Salesforce.
Gain experience: look for the opportunities to gain practical experience in working with Salesforce. Consider an internship in the organization that uses Salesforce or take part in ongoing projects related to Salesforce.
Build your own network of Salesforce specialists: participate in Salesforce events, join online communities and groups, and make connections with Saleforce on LinkedIn. Building a contact network can help you learn more about this sector, job opportunities and reach the potential employers.
Self-development: complete online courses, workshops or bootcamps, or read documentation and watch the tutorials provided by Salesforce. You may also practice your skills and develop sample applications.
Apply for jobs: Browse jobs related to Salesforce, for example in NewDataLabS, and apply for jobs corresponding to your skills and experience. Remember to customize your CV and a cover letter to highlight your skills and experience in Salesforce.
What do you need to know to start programming in Salesforce?
To learn programming in Salesforce, you need to understand several key terms and technologies. Here are some of the things you should know:
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Salesforce uses the object-oriented model of programming. Therefore, it’s important to be able to understand OOP terms such as classes, objects, succession, and polymorphism.
Apex programming language: Apex is the registered programming language used by Salesforce, and you need to learn its syntax and functions. Some of the Apex functions are types of data, control structures, collections, and handling exceptions.
Visualforce: Visualforce is a framework for developing web sites used by Saleforce to create user interfaces. It uses a combination of HTML, CSS and Apex, so you need to know all three of them.
API Salesforce interfaces: Salesforce provides a variety of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that enable the developers to interact with Saleforce data and functions. You should know REST, SOAP and Bulk, but also other APIs such as Metadata, Tooling and Apex.
Salesforce data model: Salesforce has a unique data model composed of objects, fields and relationships. You must understand how these components interact with each other in order to manage and store data.
Lightning components: Lightning components are re-usable user interface elements that can be used to develop responsive, advanced user interfaces in Salesforce. You should get familiar with the Lightning Component Framework and its key terms.
What career path can you expect in Salesforce?
There are various jobs available in Salesforce, from very basic roles to senior management positions. Below you will find the most common roles in the organizations as well as tasks and responsibilities associated with these roles:
Salesforce Administrator: managing daily operations in Salesforce, including managing users, maintaining databases and handling system configurations. Salesforce Administrators usually have a good understanding of Salesforce platform and its capabilities.
Salesforce Developer: creating customized applications on the Salesforce platform by using Apex, Visualforce, Lightning Components, and other development tools designed for Salesforce. Salesforce developers usually have extensive experience in creating software, and good knowledge of the programming languages and the Salesforce tool.
Salesforce Consultant: liaising with customers to find out their business requirements and design tailored solutions on the Salesforce platform. Salesforce consultants usually have a good understanding of the business processes and can demonstrate technical skills in such areas as Salesforce configuration, customization and integration.
Salesforce Project Manager: managing Salesforce implementation projects from start to finish, including planning, budgeting, resource management, and risk management. Salesforce Project Managers usually can demonstrate experience in managing software development projects and have a good understanding of the Salesforce platform.
Salesforce Architect: designing complex Salesforce solutions that satisfy the needs of large organizations. Salesforce architects usually have extensive technical knowledge in the area of Salesforce development as well as are experienced in designing large-scale systems.
How long does it take to learn Salesforce?
The time needed to learn Salesforce depends on a number of factors. First of all, on your previous experience in working with the technology, your learning style, the level of dedication and the complexity of the Salesforce skills you wish to acquire. Here are the estimated time frames for learning various aspects of Salesforce:
Salesforce Administration: Have you worked with the technology before, and you continue your learning? In this case, you will need 3 to 6 months to achieve proficiency in administering Salesforce. This includes learning how to configurate the users, manage the data, configurate the system, and create reports and dashboards.
Salesforce Development: Do you have experience in programming, and you work on improving your skills? Achieving proficiency in developing Salesforce products may take approximately 6 to 12 months. This includes learning how to create customized applications using components of Apex, Visualforce and Lightning, and how to integrate Salesforce with other systems.
Salesforce Consultancy: Do you have prior experience in designing business processes combined with specific technical knowledge? Gaining proficiency in Salesforce consultancy may take 6-12 months and includes learning to understand customer requirements, designing customized solutions on the Salesforce platform and providing the ongoing support.
Salesforce Architecture: Gaining proficiency in Salesforce architecture usually requires several years of experience in developing Salesforce and in consultancy. It involves learning how to design complex large-scale Salesforce solutions that will satisfy the needs of large organizations.
Remember that these are only the estimated time frames. They are just an indication, and the actual time needed to learn Salesforce will depend on your personal circumstances. With commitment, effort and appropriate resources you will be able to learn and achieve proficiency in Salesforce.
Why is it worth learning Salesforce?
There are several reasons why learning Salesforce can be a good career move:
High demand for Salesforce skills: Salesforce is one of the fastest-growing cloud processing platforms. There is a high demand for Salesforce skills in the job market. As you master the Salesforce skills, you can access new career opportunities and increase your income potential.
Comprehensiveness: Salesforce is a comprehensive platform that can be used for a variety of business needs. From sales and marketing to customer service and analysis. By learning how Salesforce works, you can acquire the skills that can be useful in many industries and job roles.
Community support: Salesforce community is one of the largest and most active technology communities. It offers a wide range of resources and support to help you learn and develop. By joining Salesforce community, you can benefit from this network of experts and enthusiasts to foster your learning and career.
Innovations: Salesforce regularly introduces innovations as well as launches new functions and capabilities to enable continuous learning and professional growth. As you master Salesforce skills, you can be at the leading edge of technology and maintain a competitive advantage in the job market.
In summary, learning Salesforce can be a valuable investment in your career, provide the opportunities for career growth, mastering new skills, and innovation. A high demand for Salesforce skills in the job market and a supporting community of experts makes it a perfect time to learn Salesforce.
