Choosing a career path can be one of the most important decisions of your life. For Matthew Nesci, Senior Principal Success Specialist, two things were non-negotiable:

1. Working with innovative products; and,
2. Helping others be successful.

He found both at Salesforce. In this article, Matthew describes how his career path in Customer Success was transformed when he discovered Salesforce, along with a few important lessons he learned along the way.

I initially joined the Salesforce ecosystem as a Salesforce Administrator working at a human resource and payroll solutions company. We used Sales and Service Cloud to manage and optimize our complex processes. I was incredibly excited when we first started using Salesforce — it made my job simpler in so many ways and at the same time, it presented new and exciting challenges that transformed the way that I think and work.

At the time, I never would have guessed that I'd end up working for Salesforce to help customers have the same realization that I did. Every time I see a customer have that “aha” moment, it takes me back to my early Salesforce Administrator days and reminds me why I love what I do.

When I look back on my career journey with Salesforce, there are three ways — in particular — that learning this technology has transformed my career. Here they are:

1. Salesforce taught me the power of community.

While I was studying for my first Salesforce certification, I organically started getting involved with the Salesforce community. I didn't realize that the community was exactly what I needed to cross the finish line to certification. The Salesforce community offers several resources to set you up for success. For example, the study groups were essential for me to learn and do well throughout the process and they taught me about the entire Salesforce product suite. Everyone in the group shares knowledge, asks questions, and bounces ideas off each other. 

After getting several certifications, I decided to become a session leader myself. It's truly rewarding to help other professionals get their Salesforce certifications. I know it will open up more doors for their career, just as it did for me. And in 2015, after six years of community participation, I was recognized as a Salesforce MVP — an amazing and humbling experience that I will never forget. 

Now I work with a team on a daily basis that's always willing to share assets and stories. I think that's one of the big benefits of working at Salesforce in Customer Success — you can use the success of your teammates to help your customers. 

2. I have more confidence to handle complex challenges for our customers.

As a result of the collaboration and support I've experienced from the community and my Salesforce team, I have the confidence to handle increasingly complex tasks on the Salesforce Platform. I'm comfortable and excited to be able to pivot from product to product within the platform, depending on the needs of the customer I'm working with. 

However, the best part of my job is partnering with customers to help them use the Salesforce Platform to the best of their abilities. These incredible businesses are pushing the limits of what's possible on Salesforce. And this, in turn, helps me grow, learn, and innovate in different ways. 

Another benefit of learning all the ins and outs of all Salesforce products is that it opens up new job opportunities. When I first joined Salesforce, I worked on Marketing Cloud. I hadn't had any prior experience with Marketing Cloud, but my manager had confidence in me (and I had confidence in myself) that I'd be able to ramp up quickly because of the previous work I'd done in the platform.

3.  I live our value of giving back on a daily basis.

Salesforce gives every employee the time and space to give back to the causes they care about. I feel lucky that Salesforce supports that with Volunteer Time Off every year. Last year, I donated my time on a volunteer trip to Cuba, and this year, I just got back from Puerto Rico where I was helping to rebuild after the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria. 

When I first started down my career path in Customer Success, I had no idea where it would take me. When people ask me the secret sauce to supercharging my career in this field, I can honestly say it was learning how to use Salesforce and eventually becoming an employee at the company.

Does Matthew's career path sound exciting to you? Great news: our Customer Success team is hiring! Check out our open roles and apply now at salesforce.com/careers.