From Dream to Reality — My Journey of Salesforce Career☁️

6 min readOct 19, 2023

Salesforce provides an all-encompassing solution for businesses looking to simplify the application development process. Their cloud-based software is specifically designed to eliminate the challenges associated with legacy systems, rendering them obsolete. With Salesforce, developing and deploying software applications to the cloud is a breeze, making it easy for end-users to access them with just a single click. As a result, the possibilities for creating and sharing applications are endless, allowing businesses to explore new horizons and take their offerings to the next level🎉☁️

Introduction
The Internship that Rewrote My Destiny
Claiming the NBQSA Merit Award
Starting a new career as a Software Engineer
The Art of Certification
Advice for Salesforce Beginners
Conclusion

Introduction🙌

Salesforce is a popular cloud-based CRM platform that assists businesses in managing customer interactions, sales pipelines, and marketing campaigns. With over 150,000 customers in 170 countries, Salesforce offers vital customer relationship management, automation, and customization features. Its scalable nature allows it to be easily scaled to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, making it ideal for remote employees or global operations.

Salesforce’s security measures ensure customer data protection, and it is regularly audited by third-party firms to meet the highest security standards. There are various paths to a Salesforce career, including being a Salesforce Administrator, a Salesforce Developer, or a Salesforce Consultant. Administrators set up and manage Salesforce instances, provide training and support to users, build and customize Salesforce applications, and help businesses implement and use Salesforce effectively.

For those interested in a career in Salesforce, numerous resources are available, including training courses, certifications, online communities, and forums for connecting with other professionals. Explore the world of Salesforce and discover the many opportunities available.

The Internship That Rewrote My Destiny😇

My journey into the world of Salesforce began with the internship program. They offered me a two-month training program on Salesforce that helped me learn the platform from scratch. Trailhead is Salesforce’s free online learning platform. It’s a gamified experience that makes learning fun and engaging. I quickly immersed myself in the Salesforce world, eager to learn everything I could.

During my Internship, I had the opportunity to work on an internal application development project using Salesforce in-built technologies as well as LWC, Apex, and SOQL also able to learn. This was my first real-world experience with the platform and an invaluable learning opportunity.

I could apply everything I had learned in Trailhead to the project. I worked with a team of interns and experienced Consultants, Tech Leads, Architects, and Managers. It was an exciting and challenging experience, and I was proud of the results. The application development project was a success and helped solidify my interest in a career in Salesforce. After my Internship, I was offered a position as an Associate Engineer.

Claiming the NBQSA Merit Award🥳

The National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) is Sri Lanka’s most prestigious IT awards ceremony. It is organized by the Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM), the national trade body for the IT industry in Sri Lanka. The NBQSA awards recognize and celebrate the best and brightest in the Sri Lankan IT industry. The awards are judged by a panel of industry experts, and winners are selected based on various criteria, including innovation, quality, and impact.

We are honored to have won a merit award in the IT category at the NBQSA awards. This award is a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication, and it is a shining star on our Salesforce map. We are grateful to the NBQSA for recognizing our achievements, and we are committed to continuing to deliver high-quality Salesforce solutions that help our customers succeed.

Starting a new career as a Software Engineer💻

After completing my Salesforce internship, I set sail on a new voyage to become a Software Engineer. One of my biggest challenges was learning new programming languages and technologies. As a Salesforce intern, I focused on understanding the platform and its specific programming languages. However, as a Software Engineer, I needed to learn the best practices of code bulkifying and vulnerability analysis.

Another challenge was adjusting to the new work environment. As an intern, my mentor closely supervised and guided me. However, as a Software Engineer, I was expected to be more independent and to take ownership of my work. Despite the challenges, I also had many opportunities to harness my Salesforce expertise. I used my Salesforce knowledge to develop new features for our company’s products and improve our workflow efficiency. I am grateful for the opportunity to have made the transition to Salesforce Software Engineer. It has been a challenging but rewarding journey, and I am excited to see what the future holds.

The Art of Certification📜

Salesforce certifications are a great way to validate your skills and knowledge of the Salesforce platform. They are also a valuable asset in your job search and career development.

To prepare for Salesforce certifications, I recommend the following steps

Identify the certification you want to earn. There are many different Salesforce certifications available, so choosing one aligned with your career goals and interests is essential.
Review the exam objectives. Once you have chosen a certification, review the exam objectives to ensure you are familiar with the topics covered.
Use Trailhead. Trailhead is Salesforce’s free online learning platform. It offers a variety of courses and trails that can help you prepare for Salesforce certifications.
Join a study group. Joining a study group is a great way to stay motivated and learn from others.
Take practice exams. There are many practice exams available online. Taking practice exams can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and it can also help you get used to the format of the real exam.

I am pursuing Salesforce Associate Certification and hope to complete Developer I and Admin certifications at the end of this year. I am using Trailhead to prepare for these exams, a beneficial resource.

Here are some additional tips for preparing for Salesforce certifications:

Start early. Don’t try to cram everything in at the last minute. Give yourself plenty of time to study and to take practice exams.
Be consistent. Set aside some time each day to study. It will make a difference, even if it’s just for 30 minutes.
Ask for help. If you’re struggling with a particular concept, feel free to ask for help from a friend, colleague, or mentor.

With hard work and dedication, anyone can earn Salesforce certifications. I wish you the best of luck in your studies👏

Advice for Salesforce Beginners🙂

My journey in Salesforce has been an epic adventure, rich with lessons. The most important lesson I’ve learned is the importance of continuous learning. Salesforce is a constantly evolving platform, so staying up to date on the latest features and technologies is essential. Trailhead is a great way to do this. Salesforce’s Trailhead is a treasure trove of resources for those eager to carve their own Salesforce legacy. Additionally, Salesforce certifications are a valuable way to demonstrate your skills and knowledge to potential employers. They also open up new career opportunities.

I encourage you to embrace continuous learning and to pursue Salesforce certifications. It’s an investment in your future that will pay off well🎉

Conclusion😎

My journey from intern to Software Engineer in the Salesforce domain is an epic story that shows how learning, gaining opportunities, and believing in Salesforce can lead to success. Here are some resources that I found helpful when I was starting my Salesforce career.

Trailhead
Salesforce Community
Salesforce Certifications

I hope these resources help you on your Salesforce journey! I will provide the resources below that will be beneficial for the start your Salesforce career.