How to plan for a Salesforce career as a student

by Amber Joseph August 20, 2020

Did you know that Salesforce is actually taught in Universities now across the world? The University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, San Mateo County Community College, and so many more! If you're school doesn't have a specialised Salesforce program then don't worry - there's still heaps you can do to integrate Salesforce into your academic schedule without getting overwhelmed.

Get inspired about a career in Salesforce

https://trailhead.salesforce.com/career-path

The first step you'll need to take it to spend some time working out a really strong 'WHY'. University is already chockablock with assignments, labs, readings, deadlines, and exams. To be adding in something on top of that (especially for the long-term), you'll be needing some serious motivation.

Luckily Salesforce has just that! To be brutally honest, the first place you can go for motivation as a student is average Salesforce salaries. According to trailhead.salesforce.com, the average Salesforce career pays $80,000 USD. Not too shabby at all. Especially considering that the training to get Salesforce skills is significantly (SIGNIFICANTLY) less expensive than the cost of University.

Next, you'll want to have a look for an entry point into Salesforce that interests you. Perhaps it's Marketing. Maybe Software Dev. It could be Sales, or HR, or Product. Find an area that sparks some sort of interest for you and see if you can find the corresponding certifications. If you're struggling, try out our Salesforce Career Quiz!

Set yourself some goals.

https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazerconnect

Setting yourself some goals is key to keeping you on track and maintaining longer term motivation while you continue your studies. Some great places to look to for goals is:

Trailhead - set yourself a goal to collect 100 badges, or finish a particular trail, or maybe even complete a super badge!
Project - find yourself a project that you can do in a weekend, or over several weeks. This is a great goal as you'll actual have something to show for it at the end! More on how to find a good project later on.
Job hunting - perhaps your goal is to straight up get a job using Salesforce. Great goal! You can even combine this one as a long term goal with some of the other shorter term goals suggested.
Mentor - finding a mentor is a fantastic goal to have, especially if you don't really know what goals you want to achieve. A mentor can help you identify which are the best next steps for you to take, and Salesforce makes it easy with their free mentorship program.

Some final tips on the goal setting front - put it in your calendar! Or make it the lock screen of your phone. Somewhere where you will see it often and that will help to hold you accountable. We've found that a lock screen for a phone works best as a constant reminder.

MeetUp Group

https://trailblazercommunitygroups.com/

Joining a Salesforce Community Group is perhaps the number 1 thing you can do for long term motivation and support. These groups are full of people who are already working and thriving in the Salesforce eco-system, so you're going to get an excellent grasp of what working in the industry would be like. These groups are also fantastic places to get free mentorship, specific to your geographical area, and even get the inside scoop on upcoming jobs! Not to mention that occasionally there's a free certification voucher up for grabs.

Personal Project

Doing your own personal project will really help you to upskill super quickly. They're tough because they require the most independent motivation, but impressive because every persons project will be unique. It shows drive, passion, and a desire to learn. It is your greatest weapon in interviews. Finding a project can be tricky, but thankfully we've done the research for you. Here are some fantastic places to start in your search for a personal project:

Trailhead Projects - https://trailhead.salesforce.com/projects
Github dev - https://github.com/SalesforceFoundation/EDA/issues
React App (tutorial to come!)
NFP project - reach out to your network and ask if anyone is looking for volunteer work. Often there's more than enough for you to find something you like!
Build a mobile app
Personal Profile - https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/content/learn/projects/build-your-personal-portfolio-on-salesforce
Use it where you can in uni - research projects, case studies, thesis.

Resources to check out for motivation:

For salary inspo: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/career-path
For career planning: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazerconnect
For local Salesforce MeetUp Groups: https://trailblazercommunitygroups.com/
For Projects: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/projects