From Scout to Mountaineer
When I started at CloudKettle I realized 2 things pretty quickly:
1) It was a welcoming and warm environment
2) If I wanted to succeed, I needed to learn about Salesforce. Fast.
As an applied computer science student, I figured this should be a piece of cake.
Now, where do I start writing the code? Oh… I don’t have to write any code? But, I can if I want to?
Ok, hold up maybe I should slow down and ask the experts on what to do.
Here are a few things I learned in my first 30 days that should help any newbie just starting out on the Salesforce platform.
Tip #1: Trailheads are your friend.
Trailheads are a great way for a Salesforce beginner to get introduced to the Salesforce ecosystem. Designed by Salesforce to teach and train new users, Trailheads are online modules that help make learning easy and fun with hands-on activities that help you put your newfound knowledge to use. You can connect with others on the same journey as yourself, and even earn badges that show the skills that you picked up.
Tip #2: Don’t try to learn everything at once.
Salesforce is a giant CRM and has many different offerings. Trying to learn everything in a short amount of time is simply not possible and will definitely drain you. Start by taking it slow and learning the basics, then get into the weeds on the topics most relevant/interesting to you. This will be more beneficial than trying to learn it all and overwhelming yourself from the beginning. For example, I was working with the Business Intelligence team, so learning about reports and dashboards was important for my role. I spent time with my mentor and BI Lead, Kyle Cruickshanks, to identify the important topics within this practice area. The BI team at CloudKettle are pros with CRM Analytics, so gaining exposure to that tool and tailoring my learning plan accordingly was a major benefit.
Tip #3: Have fun!
Learning Salesforce should be exciting – not stressful! Learning about this giant ecosystem and diving in is actually a lot of fun. As someone with a tech background who enjoys learning about new software and other technical tools, the whole experience of learning Salesforce has been awesome. Initially, I didn’t realize its limitless applications and use cases, and the sheer volume of companies around the globe that have Salesforce as a key part of their corporate infrastructure. Beyond that, there are amazing career opportunities that exist within the ecosystem. People from all backgrounds – whether they view themselves as technical or not – should give it a try and see what you can learn!
