“I’m a problem-solver, and I like a challenge,” Kristen Putikka says. It could be the understatement of the year.

In college, when she couldn’t afford a computer, she used spare parts to build her own. Last year, when she joined a company where no one really knew how to use Salesforce, she taught herself. And this year, when that company declined to pay her way to Dreamforce — and later laid her off — she found a way to buy a ticket at a charity auction and started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for her airfare and hotel room.

On the Wednesday before Dreamforce, I gave Kristen a call. Having never been to Dreamforce myself, I wanted to understand what made it so compelling that she was willing to move mountains to get here.

She gave me the backstory: hired on as an office assistant at a small, family-run company, she fell into the job of Salesforce Admin. 

“There was no one else to do it, so it became my role,” she told me. “I didn’t know what I was doing…but I loved it. I was kind of the Salesforce cheerleader, I guess.” 

She joined user groups and learned everything she could from the Salesforce community. In July, she paid her own way to Midwest Dreamin’, the Salesforce user group conference held in Chicago. Through her part-time job driving for Lyft, she connected with a fellow driver and was able to stay at his house. In May, her company declined her request for funding to attend Dreamforce, but Kristen was determined. At a silent auction, she placed a bid on a full conference pass — and won. The proceeds benefited the New Hampshire charity Friends of Forgotten Children, and Kristen was one step closer to Dreamforce.

Then, on September 5, she was laid off.

But Kristen’s not one to sit idly by. The very next day, September 6, she started a GoFundMe campaign. Within a month, she raised the $1,650 she needed to pay for her flight and hotel room to attend Dreamforce.

When I spoke with her, she said she was most excited about the networking opportunities at Dreamforce — and the possibility of finding work again as a Salesforce Admin. 

“I’ve got a lot of people to thank,” she added, “so I hope I can do that.” They include the Lyft driver who hosted her at Midwest Dreamin’, and another friend in town for a related event. “I’m trying to figure out how we can all get together and still make it to Bruno Mars!” she laughed.

She’s also excited for the pre-Dreamforce Salesforce Women’s Network & Girly Geeks Panel and Networking Event — but when asked about the challenges of being a woman in tech, she’s optimistic.

“Everybody’s pretty encouraging,” she said. “The thing I really like about Salesforce is you don’t need to be a programmer to use it. And if you know a little about business, you can really help your users and make their lives better.”

Hat tip to Laura Thompson at Alternative, who first wrote about Kristen’s funding campaign.

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