A new student of mine is breaking his way into the Salesforce world. He is tired of his current occupation and wants to pivot to something more interesting.
I talk often about starting a career in Salesforce with friends and strangers alike, and recently I’ve been mentoring a relative and a close friend of mine. So it was a pleasure to introduce this new student to the ecosystem.
I explained the various typical roles: Admin, Dev, Consultant, Solution Architect, Technical Architect, Business Analyst and Project Manager, and the basic skills required to succeed in each. Then I shifted the conversation to discuss niching down to a particular industry.
His response to all this information was to ask, “What does the current market need most?”. This indicated he didn’t have a strong preference for anything and was prepared to mold himself into what others want.
My reply was, “This is the wrong question to ask. Instead, align yourself with what you love to do and which industry you already know. While it’s technically possible to completely flip your career, it’s more fun and easier for you to carry forward the skills and knowledge you already have. So let’s figure out which of these roles you resonate with most, and then let’s figure out your next steps.”
The takeaway
Whether you’re just starting your Salesforce career or whether you’ve been in the game for several years, it’s important to have fun on a regular basis. The market demand may fluctuate over time, so rather than focus on today’s trends, be sure to spend your time doing something you actually enjoy.
Just as the common expression says, “when you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.”