One of my favorite things about working with Salesforce is the sense of community. This has been named Salesforce Ohana, and it is far more than just a marketing message. I have found the Salesforce ecosystem to be a close knit community filled with generous and knowledgeable people.
Get Involved
The Salesforce community is an amazing resource to ask questions and connect with people. If you are new to Salesforce, or are not actively involved, take the following steps.
- Join your local user group
- Join the Salesforce Trailblazer community
Your local user group is a great way to connect with fellow administrators, consultants, and developers. The Salesforce community contains a wealth of knowledge. I can’t even count how many times I have found answers to specific questions by searching through the Salesforce community. Whether it is community posts, help topics or technical documentation, there is a huge library of knowledge available.
Mentorship is another beneficial thing to find. I was lucky enough to have several mentors through my Salesforce career. And my experience isn’t unique. I know many organizations have formal or informal mentorship opportunities. If you work for a company that offers this, lean on your mentor to challenge and guide you. If you don’t have that at your company, bring it up to management. If they don’t have a mentorship program, your suggestion may be able to drive them to create one.
If you have Salesforce experience, offer your help to people who are new to the community. I can confirm that being a mentor is every bit as rewarding as having been mentored.
How Does This Help?
Now, what does all this have to do with certifications? Study and resource guides are helpful, and Trailhead is amazing. But if you have a specific question, want to learn a best practice, or need to really understand a tricky concept, reaching out to someone (mentor or the greater Salesforce community) is the absolute best way to get help.
The Salesforce Ohana is a unique ecosystem filled with intelligent, driven and kind people. In a professional atmosphere, it is so common for there to be competition and a lack of camaraderie. But I have found it to be a welcoming place, where people succeed together. If I can help in your Salesforce journey, please reach out.
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