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SG – Let’s get started. Why don’t we begin at the beginning? Please tell us about your education/ career before coming into the Salesforce ecosystem response.
AN – I achieved my Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Sciences from Mumbai University. My first role was as a Software Engineer in Test at @PersistentSystems in India. I worked in a few test-oriented positions throughout India and Australia before moving into a hybrid role at McGrath; this was my first opportunity to work on Salesforce.
SG – That’s awesome. We’d love to know the tipping point, that moment when you said ‘I want to make this change’ and what was the trigger?
AN – After the launch of Salesforce at McGrath, I took up a role in their Hyper Care Team; essentially, we resolved technical issues reported by the users and coached users to help them get the best from the platform. I knew the basics of Salesforce Admin but wanted to learn more. I spent, probably, hundreds of hours reading help articles and other online resources to sharpen my skills and add value to my team. @Nisar Khan, the Salesforce Administrator at the time, saw what I was doing and urged me to do the Salesforce Administrator Certification and convinced me I was ready. @RyanDean, my manager then, saw me debugging and maintaining code (a throwback from my testing days) and gave me my first Salesforce Developer task, which started me pursuing, and achieving, the Salesforce Developer I and Salesforce Developer II certifications.
SG – You achieved many certs along the way. Can you share three things with us,
1 – why you value certs
2 – challenges associated with the process and,
3 – your top tips for being successful in cert exams?
AN – I value my certs because they were hard-earned; I did not use dumps to achieve them. I only attempted certifications when I was confident that I completely understood the concepts covered in that specific certification. The biggest challenge is knowing when/if you are ready to sit the certification exam.
My tips for prepping for a cert exam are:
– Don’t use Dumps. They might help you clear the certification exam but won’t help you land a job, and if they do, they won’t help you do the job. Genuine knowledge is best.
– Practise, practise, practise and then revise. It is easy to start forgetting concepts you encountered when you first started your cert journey; revisiting old concepts is essential.
– Make your own notes. For me, writing things down helped commit them to memory.
– Read the questions t h o r o u g h l y. It is easy to miss one word and completely misunderstand the question.
– Leave 10 minutes at the end, if you can, to have one last look over your responses to catch any mistakes.
SG – What do you enjoy most about your work as a certified Salesforce professional?
AN – Every day I get to work with very talented certified Salesforce professionals; I constantly learn from our interactions – sharing is a massive part of the Salesforce community. The Trailhead platform makes it easy to keep yourself updated with the newest Salesforce features and clouds. The Admin and Dev communities are active and genuinely helpful; I highly recommend joining. @Salesforce’s IdeaExchange is a great place to identify and discuss the platform’s shortcomings and give suggestions (they do read them and develop the most popular ones). Salesforce is a more niche technical talent, and the remuneration reflects that :).
SG – Time for gratitude!! Finally, is there anyone (individual or company) you would like to take this opportunity to thank for their role in helping you along your journey? If Yes, what was their role in your success?
AN – Nisar Khan, for pushing me down the path initially. Ryan Dean, for recognising my potential and challenging me to grow professionally. Anna Hua and Adrian Camua, for literally years of support and guidance. Ramalingaiah Kolli, for moulding me as a Lightning Component Developer. Syed Shah, for helping me understand the difference between a Salesforce Developer and a good Salesforce Developer.
SG – That’s awesome. We’d love to know the tipping point, that moment when you said ‘I want to make this change’ and what was the trigger?
AN – After the launch of Salesforce at McGrath, I took up a role in their Hyper Care Team; essentially, we resolved technical issues reported by the users and coached users to help them get the best from the platform. I knew the basics of Salesforce Admin but wanted to learn more. I spent, probably, hundreds of hours reading help articles and other online resources to sharpen my skills and add value to my team. @Nisar Khan, the Salesforce Administrator at the time, saw what I was doing and urged me to do the Salesforce Administrator Certification and convinced me I was ready. @RyanDean, my manager then, saw me debugging and maintaining code (a throwback from my testing days) and gave me my first Salesforce Developer task, which started me pursuing, and achieving, the Salesforce Developer I and Salesforce Developer II certifications.
SG – You achieved many certs along the way. Can you share three things with us,
1 – why you value certs
2 – challenges associated with the process and,
3 – your top tips for being successful in cert exams?
AN – I value my certs because they were hard-earned; I did not use dumps to achieve them. I only attempted certifications when I was confident that I completely understood the concepts covered in that specific certification. The biggest challenge is knowing when/if you are ready to sit the certification exam.
My tips for prepping for a cert exam are:
– Don’t use Dumps. They might help you clear the certification exam but won’t help you land a job, and if they do, they won’t help you do the job. Genuine knowledge is best.
– Practise, practise, practise and then revise. It is easy to start forgetting concepts you encountered when you first started your cert journey; revisiting old concepts is essential.
– Make your own notes. For me, writing things down helped commit them to memory.
– Read the questions t h o r o u g h l y. It is easy to miss one word and completely misunderstand the question.
– Leave 10 minutes at the end, if you can, to have one last look over your responses to catch any mistakes.
SG – What do you enjoy most about your work as a certified Salesforce professional?
AN – Every day I get to work with very talented certified Salesforce professionals; I constantly learn from our interactions – sharing is a massive part of the Salesforce community. The Trailhead platform makes it easy to keep yourself updated with the newest Salesforce features and clouds. The Admin and Dev communities are active and genuinely helpful; I highly recommend joining. @Salesforce’s IdeaExchange is a great place to identify and discuss the platform’s shortcomings and give suggestions (they do read them and develop the most popular ones). Salesforce is a more niche technical talent, and the remuneration reflects that :).
SG – Time for gratitude!! Finally, is there anyone (individual or company) you would like to take this opportunity to thank for their role in helping you along your journey? If Yes, what was their role in your success?
AN – Nisar Khan, for pushing me down the path initially. Ryan Dean, for recognising my potential and challenging me to grow professionally. Anna Hua and Adrian Camua, for literally years of support and guidance. Ramalingaiah Kolli, for moulding me as a Lightning Component Developer. Syed Shah, for helping me understand the difference between a Salesforce Developer and a good Salesforce Developer. Want to stay in touch with us?
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