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When it's time to go, you know.
At least, I did.
I knew I wanted something different and challenging in my career. Fourteen years at one company is a long time. A lot had changed in the “outside world” and the thought of leaving a mundane — yet “comfortable” — environment was unnerving. I knew that if I stepped into the unknown, I would have to start again from scratch.
Throughout my career, I'd heard about many customer relationship management (CRM) systems. However, I primarily worked on proprietary platforms. I first dipped my toe into the Salesforce world as a delegated Admin of marketing campaigns when my company acquired a small firm that was already using Salesforce. The team’s awe for the platform rubbed off on me. Little did I know then that Salesforce would soon engulf my life and become my diving board to a world of endless opportunities.
My epiphany about Salesforce happened after I met the infamous Cheryl Feldman at Dreamforce. I remember her words clearly, “what I really built on Salesforce was my career.” This stuck with me for a long time and I started to wonder: what did I do on Salesforce? Then it dawned on me, I could balance my life on Salesforce!
So, I took the plunge and decided to become a Salesforce Admin and — not surprisingly — underwent several fruitless interviews at first. Despite these setbacks, fond memories of my first Salesforce experience continued to lift my spirits. My love for CRM — and by extension Salesforce — served as my anchor. I submerged myself into Trailhead and my journey began.
My first step on my new path took me to the Trailblazer Community, an incredible resource with an Ohana vibe that just can't be matched. I can't adequately express my gratitude to groups like DFW Girly Geeks / Women in Tech (WiT), Dallas User Group, and Dallas TX Developer User Group for their unconditional support in my Salesforce journey.
“I was a little star struck when I met Salesforce MVP, Moyez Thanawalla, and his wife Pam Thanawalla, at TrailheaDX '18”
The DFW WiT study group helped me enormously in passing my Salesforce Administrator Certification. It was at my very first WiT User Group meeting that I was introduced to Trailhead. The group leader posed a challenge: "this month is a Trailhead Challenge month, any takers?” The contest motivated me to immerse myself in Trailhead. I was mesmerized by the wide-ranging content and the “validated learning” provided by the immediate feedback on the hands-on challenges. I took second place in the WiT’s Trailhead Challenge — earning me an Expeditioner rank and my first Salesforce swag!
Not only did Trailhead help me get certified, it also helped me uncover my strengths and revealed the areas I needed to focus on. It's the platform's validated learning that's the real secret sauce of Trailhead’s success. Now, I'm a proud Trailhead Ranger with 170 badges and counting.
My learning journey from newbie to where I am today revealed many different paths. Whereas my voyage to Expeditioner rank focused on amassing Salesforce basics, the aim of my journey towards becoming a Ranger focused more on the Salesforce Platform. Then, to gain mastery, I reviewed (and re-reviewed) the content of every module, trail, and project several times. In other words, as an Expeditioner, I amassed the dots that I was able to connect as a Ranger.
“I took second place in the Women in Tech (WiT) Trailhead Challenge–earning me an Expeditioner rank and my first Salesforce swag!”
Trailhead gave me the chance to put my foot in the door of the coveted world of IT. It provided me with the wherewithal to begin my journey as a declarative developer ("click not code"). Now having gained the skills necessary, I'm ready to enter the world of “Admineveloper” — an interesting mix of Salesforce configuration and coding — by learning Apex and APIs via Trailhead modules geared towards beginner developers and intermediate developers.
As my journey continued, I decided to build my experience further by volunteering for nonprofit organizations. I have been involved with nonprofits for years — as a volunteer, member, employee, and on the board of directors. I didn't have a specific nonprofit in mind, so I contacted Executives in Action (now Catchafire).
Founded by Chris and Ashlee Kleinert, EIA seeks to address the growing need in the nonprofit community for operational support and organization development. EIA matches skilled executives who are in transition with nonprofits in need of their expertise. The Kleinerts changed the face of volunteer engagement and their mission touched me deeply. Through EIA, I took my newfound skills and volunteered for several nonprofit organizations, where I contributed by building instances on the Salesforce platform.
In the nonprofit world, the Salesforce 1:1:1 model is a game changer. It has enabled nonprofit organizations to deliver results that are on par with for-profit businesses. Eliminating the need for an army of IT experts by providing a plethora of highly-skilled and talented people — all willing to share their mastery of the platform freely — was previously unheard of in this industry. The energy, enthusiasm, dedication, and sense of community among these nonprofit Trailblazers is palpable.
Now, I was ready. It was time to go all in. I decided that as the nonprofit world had given me my break, I would pursue my career in this space. And what an amazing decision that was! I'm now a Salesforce Consultant for a vibrant nonprofit organization that has dedicated more than 40 years to preserving open spaces and farmlands in the Bay Area. I'm so proud to be able to put my skills to good use here and am honored to be a part of the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) family. I could not have landed in a better place.
“Another chance meeting with some of my Salesforce heroes at TrailheaDX '18; Rebecca Lammers, MVP and Abi Claus”
To show my appreciation for all the support I've received, it's now my turn to give back to this wonderful community. I'm paying it forward as a co-leader of the Silicon Valley User Group and by managing the Platform App Builder Study Group on the Trailblazer Community. I owe my deepest gratitude, for the fact that I'm now standing firmly on my “Salesforce feet” to countless Trailblazers who have dedicated their Trailhearts and minds to building a robust community of continuous learning and support.
I look forward to my continued Trailhead learning and plan to perpetuate my contributions to the community. If you're not already, get yourself started on Trailhead. Then, use your newfound skills to give back through the Trailblazer Community, volunteer at a nonprofit, mentor someone starting their own Salesforce journey, or host a local user or study group. I believe each one of us can empower and enrich others — and thereby ourselves — to build professional and personal “components” on Salesforce.
Munira Majmundar is a certified Salesforce Administrator and is hoping to be Platform App Builder certified soon. She lives in Palo Alto, CA with her husband, daughters, and a people-loving dog (who refuses to be a guard dog!). In her spare time, she likes nothing better than trying new food recipes. Developing recipes out-of-the-blue always takes her back to 'declarative app building' mode!
