You’ve decided to pursue a career working with Salesforce – congratulations! As you start gearing up for this journey, you might want to know what a typical year will look like, and set goals to help pace yourself towards success.
This includes registering for a Trailhead account to discover and hone your learning style, finding communities to join, and learning the benefits of earning new credentials throughout your Salesforce journey. All right, let’s get you started on your way to becoming a Trailblazer!
The first place you’ll navigate to is Trailhead; this is where you’ll learn in-demand Salesforce skills, connect with other trailblazers, and complete hands-on projects to help implement your learning.
So let’s run through what your first day on Trailhead will actually look like. This will include exploring helpful trails to work on so you can navigate the platform successfully.
As you come to the end of your first week, set some realistic study goals. Consistently completing 1-2 modules a day, along with hands-on training, is a great pace. This allows you time to retain the information and directly apply it. Think of a self-project you could create and develop over time to start implementing your learnings. I recommend creating a free developer org to build your knowledge outside of Trailhead. Remember, learning is an active process; we learn by doing.
READ MORE: 11 Training Resources for Entry-Level Salesforce ProfessionalsNow that you’ve established a self-study timeline for yourself, you can start meeting other Trailblazers. There is a global Trailblazer community of Salesforce experts out there, so it’s well worth taking some time to explore. It’s a great way to meet and learn from others with similar interests, but also broadens your own knowledge. It also helps to support each other along the way.
The vibrant Trailblazer community is a great resource in its own right, so be sure to make the most of it.
Now that you’ve been learning for a while, joined a group or two, and met some awesome new people, it’s time to start thinking about which path you want to take. There’s a lot to learn in the Salesforce ecosystem, and when you don’t set a learning goal based on your interests, it’s easy to start pivoting in an area you may not enjoy.
By identifying interest areas you can create a visible path to follow. Perhaps you will want to explore other niches such as Pardot, Non-Profit Cloud, or Field Service Lightning, for example. The hands-on experience will help you become more of an expert on certain topics, client work, and projects.
READ MORE: Ultimate Guide to EVERY Salesforce Product in 2022Now is a great time to continue advancing by adding more Salesforce certifications and broadening your credentials. This will help open up doors as you progress through your Salesforce journey. It will also help your clients recognize your skills with cross-cloud knowledge and expertise. Click here to read more about the importance and benefits of pursuing additional certifications.
As you start becoming certified in other areas, it’s important to remember that there are certification updates that happen three times a year. Keep up to date with these to make sure you aren’t missing out on any opportunities to learn and progress.
READ MORE: Why Get Salesforce Certified? How Certifications Benefit Your CareerThere you have it, Trailblazer! This one-year outline gives you a glimpse of what your Salesforce journey will look like. It should also help you to see the importance of time management, community building, and understanding your learning habits, as well as encourage you to explore other Salesforce niches.
Try to treat this timeline as a navigational compass to help motivate and encourage you to be as successful as possible in your new career in the tech industry. Good luck!
Megan is currently working as a Senior Business Analyst at Accenture Federal Services, and also works part-time as a content creator and Salesforce-focused Youtuber to help navigate, guide, and inspire others through their journeys.
