People Behind the Certs – Sagar Arora – saasguru

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.

Sagar Arora: I am Sagar Arora, and I am from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Before getting into the Salesforce ecosystem, I was working with UBS on a ServiceNow project. After graduating in 2014, I was interested in getting into Salesforce but couldn’t get any opportunity. At the peak of my career, I got an opportunity from ServiceNow, and then as time passed, in 2016, I got an opportunity internally to work with Salesforce on a real-time project. I was really excited to start my career on Salesforce as a Developer and now working as a Salesforce Application Architect. This was briefly how I transitioned my career from a System Engineer to a Salesforce Developer. Now, I am working as an Application Architect with 13x certification expertise.

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?

Sagar Arora: I have been a career-oriented person from the beginning of my career, and I grab any opportunity that comes my way. That’s exactly the tipping point. So, when I got an opportunity to start with Salesforce, I immediately snatched it. 

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?

Sagar Arora: From my point of view, certifications add value to what you have learned. It’s not just getting certified, but the learning path, how you become experts in the modules we learn, work on hands-on projects to get a deeper understanding, and then go for attempting the certification. 

I don’t believe in depending on exam dumps to pass the certification exam. You will encounter multiple challenges during the preparation; sometimes, you will get stuck in a few modules. But, we should accept it as a learning stage through which we will try to get a deeper understanding of where we got stuck, gradually getting a grip of it. 

My tips would be to read the articles shared by top Salesforce evangelists, then go to Trailhead and understand the basics. Once you have the basic knowledge, join some certification preparation platforms, like Udemy. Only once you become confident, go for the exam. 

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

Sagar Arora: It feels comfortable when you are more familiar with the functionalities offered by Salesforce. I am totally at ease with Salesforce, and I am enjoying what I am doing. 

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?

Sagar Arora: I feel very grateful to work with Cognizant, who gave me the opportunity to work and start my career in the Salesforce ecosystem. And I would also like to thank DXC, which is giving me more opportunities to get my hands dirty and get more into Salesforce.