How Career Changers can Leverage Transferrable Skills and Community Resources to Enter the Salesforce Ecosystem

With a changing job market and economy, many people are looking to up-skill and enter the Salesforce ecosystem. You may be wondering if your skills are transferrable and which resources to align yourself with. Three of our team members have powerful testimonies about their experience leveraging transferrable skills to gain the confidence to land their dream job.

We asked Max Bradley, Theron Troxel, and Teresa Suan three powerful questions that could help guide you in your transition into the Salesforce ecosystem:

Why did you decide to transition to a career in Salesforce?

Max: “In my previous careers, I was a police officer and warehouse worker. At the end of my tenure with the police department, I realized that this was not a career wanted for the rest of my working years. I decided to find a way into the technology field, so I went back to school in 2019 where I pursued a degree in Computer Information Systems. When I started my degree program, I was introduced to the world of Salesforce. Of all the crazy places I could have learned what Salesforce is, I learned about it from a friend in one of my fantasy football leagues. After he showed me Trailhead and all of the possibilities within a Salesforce career I was hooked. From there I began my journey of obtaining my Salesforce Certified Administrator certification.”

Theron: “A year ago, I had just resigned from teaching high school math and computer programming, and I was looking for something different. I heard about Salesforce through the ChooseFI Podcast and was intrigued. I was ready to try something new while doing things I enjoyed such as teaching, formulas, spreadsheets, and coding, which led to me researching more about Salesforce.”

Teresa: “I graduated from the University of Michigan with a mechanical engineering degree and worked in the automotive industry for several years. Once I started a family, I decided to “switch gears” and pursue a fulfilling career in education. I earned my master’s degree in secondary education and taught high school technology classes for some time. My career was focused on preparing students for a rewarding STEM career. After 13 years as a high school Computer Science and Engineering educator, I was ready for a change and discovered Salesforce and Talent Stacker program through the ChooseFI podcast. This career field was appealing to me because of my background in Technology Education. I started the Talent Stacker program in June 2021, and the network is really what helped me to attain my Salesforce Administrator Certification and gain experience with Salesforce so quickly.“

What do you feel you bring from your past experiences into your role here at CT?

Max: “Starting out as a full-fledged rookie was certainly intimidating at first but I knew I had the support of my peers to push me into success. There were also a lot of soft skills that correlated with my role here at Cloudtegic. My previous roles taught me all about organization, time management, helpfulness, empathy, intrinsic motivation, and compassion.”

Theron: “As a teacher and coach, I have helped students and teams achieve lofty goals. I enjoy teaching, training, strategizing, and game-day execution. All of these skills transfer well into the Salesforce ecosystem. My math background and coding skills also help tremendously with the day-to-day work.”

Teresa: “My skill sets and experiences transferred over easily from engineer, to teacher, to Salesforce & Pardot Specialist. Now, I spend my time building on all of those skills. I am always hungry to learn more and not a day goes by that I’m not growing in some aspect of my career. When I first interviewed here, I knew nothing about the world of marketing, let alone “B2B” vs “B2C”. There was, and still is, so much to learn. I learned that Salesforce’s B2B marketing tool, also known as Pardot, has an “automations” component. That’s what really caught my attention. I love Salesforce Flows, and I realized that Marketing Automations are kind of like another version of flows. My skills transferred over easily, and not a day goes by that I’m not learning something new.”

What advice would you give to someone wanting to transition into the Salesforce ecosystem?

Max: “It does not matter where you came from. What matters is that you do not give up on yourself and believe that you can do it and you will do it! I was once told that the harder you work now the luckier you are later. I guess it is safe to say that it is true for me, but I continue to keep this mindset so I can keep myself working hard and seeing what the future brings.“

Theron: “Just dive in. There are so many resources, both free and paid, and people are willing to help along your journey. It can be a tough learning curve especially in the beginning, but gets better with time. Find reasons to build anything in Salesforce. I created a Girl Scout cookie tracker when I was first learning and had so much fun with that build. Be creative and enjoy the process!“

Teresa: “The soft skills you already possess are half the battle. If you are new to Salesforce, the technical skills can be learned in training or on the job, but it’s your life experiences that will make you successful in a Salesforce role. If you have ever had to use creativity to solve a problem, take responsibility for someone or something, demonstrate character to resolve a conflict, you can be confident as you approach your transition to Salesforce. You will need these skills just as much as the technical stuff! I also recommend joining a program or community of people that are on the same journey. I joined Talent Stacker, and I wouldn’t be here without it. Getting certified is CHALLENGING, to say the least. Getting a job can be another hurdle. It truly helps to have a community of like-minded people to rally around you and build you up when the going gets tough. Finally, don’t give up! There’s a reason you’re doing this, and there’s a place for everyone in this ecosystem. Even if your first gig is not as glamorous as you expected, take advantage of any opportunity to build skills and experience. Just keep swimming in the right direction and, someday, you’ll find that you’ve accomplished more than you ever imagined.”

Get prepped to become a Salesforce pro:

Here are some of our favorite resources for career changers.

• Talent Stacker
• Salesforce for Everyone Podcast
• Salesforce Admin Skills Kit
• David Nava’s Youtube Channel
• Trailblazer Community

We can’t wait for you to start your journey on the road to success. If you are working towards the transition into the Salesforce ecosystem, be sure to share your story with us via LinkedIn or Twitter!