A handful of years ago, I just returned from a two year round-the-world backpacking trip. The bank account was empty and there weren’t many options, so I was open to work that didn’t involve Salesforce.
I ended up at an insurance company. Shifting from life on the road to life in an office was rough. The transition from working in shorts remotely, to being in a high rise office building, 5 days a week, wearing a suit, was definitely not fun.
So after a few months of pain, I had enough and decided to find a Salesforce position. I discovered a small local Salesforce agency where everyone worked from home. That lifestyle was much more suited for my nomadic taste.
The day I left the insurance company was the same day that I scheduled my first Salesforce certification test. Note: Keen readers will pick up on the fact that I although worked with Salesforce for 7 years prior to this moment, and didn’t have a single cert.
I remember that day so clearly. It felt like I was running away from the super-corporate job to return to a better lifestyle with Salesforce, and was full of hope. And that hope lasted until the moment I received the results of the Salesforce Admin test; I failed.
My hope was crushed, and I panicked. Where would I go from here?
The takeaway
Looking back, the story is funny to me. But I also hope it’ll inspire you. Certs are not the most important quality of a Salesforce consultant. And failing certs shouldn’t slow you down either. I’m living proof.