One of my favorite things about being in the Salesforce ecosystem is the sense of community. The people I meet are typically genuine, kind, inclusive and intelligent. I get to talk to people from all parts of the world, very diverse backgrounds, career paths and more.
One of the ways that Salesforce promotes this idea of community is by providing resources and funding to a variety of groups. One of these groups that is underutilized are Salesforce Student Groups.
What Are Salesforce Student Groups?
Salesforce Student Groups are groups of students who gather once a semester to learn Salesforce and general business skills. These groups are run by students, with support from Salesforce. These groups get connected with Salesforce professionals who volunteer their time. These volunteers provide assistance, guidance, and support to help student groups gain skills and get career opportunities.
These groups are similar to Salesforce User Groups, but are student run. This allows the meetings to be focused on gaining valuable Salesforce skills, understanding business concepts, and working with Salesforce professionals to plan career paths.
Benefits
Salesforce is growing rapidly, and the Salesforce ecosystem of consulting partners, software vendors, and end users is growing at a similar rate. This massive growth means that some of the top tech careers are Salesforce focused. According to Mason Frank’s Annual Salary Survey, Salesforce Administrators and Salesforce Developers make well over the national average. And because of the high-demand job market, employers offer great benefits in order to retain employees.
Because of all of this growth, acquiring Salesforce skills could be a factor in a graduating student’s job placement and earning potential. That is where Student Groups can prove valuable. Connecting to learn new skills and get mentoring from Salesforce professionals is a powerful benefit.
Salesforce offers several things to help these Student Groups. First, they connect student leaders with Salesforce employees and local user group leaders to help launch the group. Second, they provide funding, swag, and content to host the meetings.
Getting Involved
Wondering how to get involved? There are several ways:
- Are you a student interested in Salesforce? See if there is an existing group you can join, or express interest in starting your own.
- Are you a school leader? Start the movement at your school. Faculty and administration play an important role in facilitating these groups.
- Are you a Salesforce professional? Volunteer your time to help student groups.
