People Behind the Certs – Sreekanth Peringeth

SG: Let’s get started. Why don’t we start from the beginning? Please tell us about your education/ career before entering the Salesforce ecosystem.

SP: I started my IT journey with Infosys in 2009. I was working for Infosys’ core banking solution called Finacle. It was mainly on the support & maintenance side, and I was actually thinking about switching to new technologies where I can learn and grow quickly. One evening, when we had our usual tea break, one of my friends told me that he was going to work on Salesforce and pushed me to join Salesforce projects. Then everything happened so fast. I got a release from my current project, underwent training in SFDC, and started my SFDC journey.

SG: That’s awesome. Now we would love to know what was the tipping point when you said, “I want to make this change,” and what was the trigger for that?

SP: Career ambitions. I had been anxiously thinking about where I stand in the IT ecosystem after a couple of years. That was the triggering point to take a decision to move to a SaaS ecosystem.

SG: You achieved many certs along the way. Can you share three things with us?

1. Why do you value certificates?

2. What are the challenges associated with the process?

3. What are your top tips for being successful in cert exams?

SP: Ya sure.

1. I value the knowledge we gain while preparing for the certification, which will undoubtedly help us face challenging tasks in different situations in our professional life. Also, a certification is a testimony of our gained knowledge that will reward us in different ways(in the form of career growth/promotion, etc.) 

2. I would like to consider myself a hardworking person. I prepare notes (offline notes) and try to recollect all the points I learned. So it is a time-consuming process behind each certification preparation. It is pertinent to point out that understanding the core concept is the key to clearing the exams because most questions would be scenario based. You will be able to solve the questions only if you have enough idea of the core concepts. 

3. I used to follow key Salesforce blogs/vlogs to understand the concepts. I utilize all the different ways, such as partner channels, trailheads, communities, etc.

SG: What do you enjoy most about your work as a certified Salesforce professional?

SP: I have been working as a Senior Technical Architect at HCL. Whenever I talk with customers, I would be able to handle questions and concerns raised by customers. I firmly believe that the knowledge I gained from each certification gives me confidence, and I am able to pass the same confidence to customers too. That’s the best part I enjoy the most.

SG: Time for gratitude!! Finally, is there anyone (individual or company) that 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?

SP: I would like to thank my current employer at HCL and its SaaS leadership team for encouraging and supporting me throughout my tenure to take challenges (challenges like assigning to learn new areas in Salesforce, trying complex POCs, executing challenging customer requirements, etc.)