You might be quite new to the world of Salesforce, or a veteran who has been working in the ecosystem for years, either way, at some point in your Salesforce career you might consider taking the leap to eventually becoming a Salesforce Developer. It might seem like a daunting prospect and a big change, but the route to becoming a developer isn’t as complex as it may seem.
We reveal our top tips and actions you can employ right away, in order to help you advance your career and start making the journey to becoming a successful Salesforce Developer.
Developer mindset
If you’ve already been looking into taking the steps to becoming a developer, you’re likely familiar with what it is that they do, however, just as a bit of clarification, Salesforce’s description of a developer is: “A Salesforce Developer uses their programmatic and declarative skills to extend and customise applications on the Salesforce platform.” – essentially there is a lot of coding involved. Developers use their knowledge and expertise of code, to build innovative solutions to issues.
You may be wondering why we have outlined what it is that developers do… well it’s because, before starting any certifications, training and/or taking on extra work to gain hands-on experience, it’s important to start with altering your mindset. If you are serious about becoming a developer, it’s crucial to learn how they think and start putting this into practice right away.
By understanding what it is that a developer does, you can start to understand how they think. Ultimately, it’s all about code. So, a great way to start making the changes needed to become a successful developer, is to change your mindset into thinking about how you could perform your current admin responsibilities by employing code.
Hands-on experience
Once you have started to think like a developer and began asking questions like a developer, it’s important to start getting some hands-on experience. As important as mindset is to the transformation from admin to developer, it’s incredibly unlikely you’ll ever reach your goal of becoming a developer without learning to code.
When learning code, it’s important not to overwhelm yourself initially, but definitely don’t shy away from getting your hands dirty. You can start small by simply looking into the existing code that the developers at your current company use. Read the code and try to understand how it works. Think about how it could relate to your admin tasks, could specific daily tasks be automated using code?
Another great thing about learning on the job, is having access to the developers in your company. It would be incredibly beneficial to sit down with them and ask for their help with understanding and deconstructing code. Find out whether there are any projects you can sit in with them on. This will give you a deeper understanding of how they work.
Remember – you don’t need to understand everything when you’re starting out. Take things one step at a time and eventually, you’ll start to understand the code, and recognise the concepts and the patterns.
Certifications
To become a credible and recognised Salesforce developer, it’s important to take the time to become certified. As well as being a great way to advance your learning and test your expertise, employers recognise the certification, which ultimately will help you when looking to secure your first developer role.
As mentioned in our blog How can Salesforce Certifications Boost your Career? we are big believers in certifications and how they can help, not only with career advancement, but also with helping you to stand out in a competitive market. There are a number of certifications available for developers at a range of levels, so once you become certified, you have the opportunity to get more certifications and keep advancing your developer knowledge.
Networking
As always, keeping connected with your peers is crucial to career development. Attending events, meetups and joining local Trailblazer communities will enable you to learn from expert developers who have already taken the steps you are taking. It’s a great way to become known in the community, learn from others and share ideas. If you are interested in joining a meetup group in London, SF Republic provide some incredibly insightful monthly meetups for a range of Salesforce professionals to enjoy.
So, there you have it, our top tips to start making the journey towards becoming a successful Salesforce Developer. Just one final point, it you are looking to start taking the steps toward becoming a developer, it would be beneficial to let your current company know of your plans. Usually, they will encourage and support your decision and provide you with opportunities to learn.
For more advice on becoming a Salesforce Developer, check out our Q&A with experienced Salesforce Developer, Kane Holbrook. He offers his expert advice for those looking to become a developer, what a day in the life is like and how to stand out from the crowd.
If you are looking for your next dream Salesforce role, contact our specialist recruiters today for a confidential chat about your opportunities.
