Certification: How to get started with Salesforce

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Introduction

There is a lot of ambiguity and definitions out there when trying to understand what the proper definition of a modern world Solution Architect is. In a world where cloud adoption is universally accepted (mostly), we have multiple cloud providers and platform specialists, SAAS Product specialists/SMEs (Subject Matter Experts). I am purposefully deferring from using terminology like Cloud Architect, AWS Architect, Salesforce Architect, MS Dynamics Architect, etc. The focus of this blog is not to demystify Architectural roles and types that have come into being in the last decade(discussion topic for another blog). What I intend to share in this blog is my experience of learning salesforce and getting salesforce administrator certified in the process.

Why Upskill in Salesforce?

Its been long discussed the importance of T-shaped developers in the modern world of the separate front-end, backend, and platform stack and technologies. On a similar topic, I believe being a good architect in the modern technological era requires one to be a “T-shaped Architect.”

T-Shaped Architect — Jack of all trades, master of few

I am a Solution Architect in modern times and having worked across many projects, I have realized solving an end-to-end problem for an organization has some common concerns and building blocks required for a solution. Quite often, it’s a combination of A public cloud provider like AWS/Azure, A CRM Solution like Salesforce/Dynamics, an ERP solution like SAP S/4HANA, a CMS solution, etc. Whether custom or using COTS products possessing knowledge across these domains/products is essential and something an architect will benefit from. I am not suggesting being an Architect means you need to be an SME for every domain and product. But coming from an engineering background and not knowing details bother me. As part of my continuous learning lifestyle, I wanted to understand one of the CRM solutions in more depth and understand lower-level details by being more hands-on. The concepts and processes learned are mostly consistent across most CRM platforms. So skills are transferrable.

To summarise why I decided to upskill in Salesforce:

1. Continue my Personal Development
2. Enhance my digital and technical skills;
3. Enhance my CV;
4. Help me understand some of the challenges organizations face in the digital world and help me to communicate and connect better with an increasing set of clients who are setting out on their Salesforce journey.

Why get Certified?

Upskilling and learning by doing hands-on exercises make sense, but why get certified? Personally, for me, I have realized if I have a defined and measurable objective, I tend to progress better as I am driven more toward successfully achieving my target. The preparation process tends to cement concepts more clearly that stick longer with me. Also, once you have done the hard work of learning the skill, it’s a few more steps to get certified, and It adds value to your CV.

After researching a bit, I understood the best way to get hands-on and understand salesforce was to get started on the learning pathway of being a Salesforce Administrator, and my preparation started.

The Preparation

Following was what I did and what worked for me:

1. I Registered for a salesforce account.
2. I Completed the Admin Super Set on Trailhead. Trailhead is a free learning platform from Salesforce, where you can learn different aspects of the platform. Every module includes quizzes/hands-on lab assignments. It took me 6–8 weeks to achieve the super badge, spending an average of 30–60 mins every day.
3. To self-assess, I took a sample mock https://developer.salesforce.com/files/ti/thi/THI-000393/administratorpracticetest.html. At this point, I knew I needed something to revise and summarise my last 6 weeks of learning.
4. After researching, I found that David Massey’s course on Udemy was a good fit for my situation. Took me less than 2 weeks to go through the course.
5. Following the course, I needed some mock questions to practice, so I completed the 3 mock exams from Mike Wheeler on Udemy https://www.udemy.com/course/salesforce-administrator-practice-tests/
6. Now I was ready to sit the exam.

The Exam

So I booked the exam opting for the comfort (or the idea) of giving it online from home. Unfortunately, the software had an error launching on exam day. I went on chat with customer support, and after a few failed attempts I decided not to waste more time and requested the support team to book me into a test center closer to my home address. The earliest appointment I got was after 2 days.
Sitting for an exam in a test center is more relaxing, minus the travel. At least you don’t have to worry about technical issues and constantly being aware of not covering your face. It took me 1.5 hours to attempt all 65 questions and submit them. The result was displayed immediately on the screen that I successfully passed the exam including a section-wise breakdown of how I scored in each section.

Overall I found the difficulty level of the exam between easy to moderate.

Summary

I really enjoyed the modules and hands-on approach of the trailhead learning platform. I know more than I did 2 months back about some low-level details of a CRM solution like salesforce. For me, that is progress and part of the learning journey of an IT Professional. Am I progressing toward being a better T-shaped Architect? Maybe. Regardless, learning is a contagious habit that I believe everyone should be addicted to. The more you learn, you realize there is so much more out there.

When it comes to learning, Stay Hungry, Always!!!