How to be a Salesforce certified developer?

Why should you choose Salesforce certification?

Certification is your ladder to success and an in-demand certification like a Salesforce certification can improve your career outlook. Salesforce offers multiple certifications for its customers, Salesforce developers, and salesforce consultants. The ultimate goal of the certification is to increase your marketability in a very tight IT job market. The certification offers flexibility in that you can get certified within hours, days, or months.

 Also, you have the advantage of either getting one or a couple of other certifications. Are you a salesforce administrator who is responsible for running the Salesforce steadily or a marketing specialist who ensures that the right solution is deployed for effectiveness? Either you are a Salesforce developer or an Architect, you can achieve your goals with this valuable certification and make a mark in the field.

Where to begin?

To become a part of this fast-growing field, it is recommended to kick-start the Salesforce certification as an Administrator or Developer. A Salesforce Administrator’s tasks include helping users to develop reports and reset passwords, adding fields, and many other admin tasks that are crucial to the smooth and seamless performance of the software. Salesforce Developer designs, codes, tests, implements and maintains Salesforce applications. Other career paths include Salesforce Architect, Salesforce Marketer, and Salesforce Consultant.

Whatever track you opt for, it is important to understand it before you take any step. First of all, go to Salesforce.com and read about all the tracks or go through the study guide easily available online. Go through each of the topics and tracks and make sure you understand what each means. This study guide is your study plan.

As mentioned earlier, it is advisable to start the certification by obtaining the Administrator credentials. There are three certifications and every certification will create an added advantage to your resume. However, becoming a certified administrator is the first step that can be further upgraded by earning the Advanced Administrator certification and CPQ Specialist certification.

Once you are equipped with the right amount of knowledge and are sure of your decision, it is time to schedule your exam!

Learning and getting trained for the exam! Where to find the right resources?

Salesforce has its training modules and learning modules. The resource center at Salesforce.com is full of guides, videos, blogs, and research, and reports. Also, the learning module offers a range of learning options from expert-led learning to free online learning. You get it all here to practice and pass the exam.

Other than this, the internet is full of blogs and exam preparation techniques. You will be able to get answers from people who are already certified through articles and videos. The material is vast when it comes to this popular certification and there is no way that you’ll remain in the dark. So search and answers to all your questions with additional material are just a click away.

What is the exam’s format?

The exams are usually a standard number of multiple-choice questions, and you have of course a time limit for taking the exam. For instance, the Salesforce Certified Administrator exam has 60 questions and there is a  time limit of 105 minutes, with a score of 65% required to pass. Other Salesforce certification exams have different requirements, so check a specific exam to know for certain what to expect. 

How much will it cost you?

The costs for a Salesforce certification range from $200 up to $6,000. The $6,000 tag is only for one certification: Salesforce Certified Technical Architect. All the other certifications are either $200 or $400. A retake exam for those who fail is offered at half-price. It is a sizable investment but not the end of the world for those who have to retake.

Where are you headed with the Salesforce certification?

What’s next? Salesforce skills and certifications lead to competitive salaries. Salesforce developers and consultants work as a freelancer on various platforms where companies are always on the lookout for talent. One such platform is SalesforceWorks.

SalesforceWorks is an amazing platform where you can as a freelancer create your profile and make it visible to different projects. A lot of organizations post various projects that require an expert.

 As a freelancer, SalesforceWorks provides you the best opportunity to showcase your skills and work on extensive projects. Search for the projects that match your skills and write a proposal. Once you get the job, you can directly deal with the client and set up your payment terms. For more information, visit salesforceworks.com.

Take Action… Now or Never!

So what are you waiting for? It is time to act for a future you all desire and in the field you chose. Take up the challenge. Most importantly, learn Salesforce and then begin to love it!