Brandon Van Galder’s Journey In Salesforce With Trailhead And saasguru

My Journey In Salesforce With Trailhead And saasguru

I am Brandon Van Galder. I have my roots in the field of education, from where I transitioned myself to the world of Salesforce out of sheer curiosity and passion. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education/Coaching and a Master’s degree in Sports Administration. I was a Physical Education teacher for 12 years before transitioning into the Salesforce ecosystem.

The Great Beginning

It was totally unplanned when once in March 2019, I listened to the Choose FI podcast (episode 117), and the guest, Bradley Rice, talked about making a 6 figure income working part-time in the Salesforce ecosystem. I had never heard of Salesforce and didn’t even know what a CRM was. And at that time, I was already starting to burn out at my teaching job and was considering making a change. The podcast turned out to be a signal of luck that motivated me to know more about Salesforce. That was worth a try, and I got deeply passionate about Salesforce and decided to give it a good try.

My Salesforce Journey and Top Tips to Ace Your Cert Prep

1. I believe that certifications give us confidence, and it’s purely a validation of our knowledge and skills. If you are planning to steer your career in the direction of Salesforce, I would recommend clearing the Salesforce certification since it enhances your knowledge of the Salesforce platform to a great extent.

I value certifications because they give me confidence in my knowledge of the Salesforce platform and prove to others that my knowledge and skills are above a certain level. 

2. I completed a few trails and completed a few modules that I found interesting on Trailhead at the beginning of my learning journey. I initially thought that learning through Trailhead would be enough to pass the certification exam. I quickly realised that was not the case when I took a practice exam and tried hard to answer questions about topics I hadn’t even heard of. Finding a comprehensive path of what to learn on Trailhead was the challenge at that time. Once you get hold of a reliable learning strategy, you can make sure that you are on the right track.

3. One of the top tips that I could suggest to ace your certification exam is to fix a convenient time of your choice (morning, mid-day, or evening) that works best for you to study and prepare. For me, I am better at taking exams in the morning after I have coffee and before I eat my first meal of the day. Another important tip is to learn the material and then practice it. Going through the badges in Trailhead is one thing, but putting it to use without the step-by-step instructions really enhances the understanding of the concepts. And most crucially, don’t be afraid to change your exam date. I knew I was not ready for my Platform App Builder exam and pushed it back multiple times. I also felt confident in myself for the User Experience Designer exam, pushed it up 3 weeks, and ended up passing.

Why am I Passionate about Salesforce?

I am constantly challenged with the work and enjoy the feeling of getting better at my current skills. Moreover, I love to learn and acquire new skills.

My Heartfelt Gratitude

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to some of my confidantes who have helped me in this journey.

Vanessa Grant – she created a trailmix for the User Experience Design certification that was very helpful in my learning. 

Bradley Rice – For introducing me to Salesforce through his appearance on the Choose FI podcast and for creating the Talent Stacker Career Development Program.