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Growing up in the UK, I was fascinated by space. I studied science and engineering with the harebrained idea that I might one day become an astronaut or a rocket scientist (at a time when England didn't even have a space program)! My generation was the first to grow up knowing what “tech” really was and all the cool things it could do to help us work and play.
I learned to code at a young age and even started to write programs that solved real-life issues. Little did I know, my interest in engineering and foundation in programming would eventually lead to my future career in IT.
In 2009, I lost my mother to lung cancer. Just 4 years later, I also lost my father. I was devastated, and it forced me to take stock of my life. I knew I needed to find a new direction that would not only allow me to use my years of knowledge and skills but also give me a chance to spend quality time with my family and friends.
It was during an epic 17-day, 7,500km Dash4Dosh motorcycle expedition with three friends to raise money for a UK charity, Macmillan Cancer (we raised around £7,000! Read about our adventure here), that I first learned about Salesforce. Paul Mooney, a good friend of mine from our IBM days mentioned that he had transitioned from using IBM Notes to Salesforce. I decided to further investigate this “Salesforce” when I got back home.
I had no budget to attend training courses so I turned to the internet and found a plethora of free resources. So many, in fact, that I didn't really know where to start. Then, one afternoon, I stumbled upon the answer — quite by accident — while reading through some social posts... Trailhead!
I started learning everything I could and even became co-founder of the Norwich Salesforce Community Group in England. I gradually made more and more connections in the #SalesforceOhana using social media and the Trailblazer Community. I soon felt like I was part of one huge global family.
In May 2015, I was a healthy 45-year-old guy who rode motorcycles, went sailing, kayaked, enjoyed walking, and lived a pretty clean lifestyle. I had just attended Salesforce World Tour London for the first time and came away buzzing, having met some amazing people and heard their inspirational stories.
I started to invest time in Trailhead, excited by the prospect of recharging my career on the Salesforce platform. Around the same time, I had a major adverse reaction to an antibiotic that resulted in a multitude of health problems. It took me 18 months to get back to around 75 percent of my previous health, and I know that I’ll likely never fully recover.
Then, in April 2017, I suddenly developed chest pains followed by multiple serious attacks. After many tests, I was told by my doctor, “If I don’t operate on you urgently, you’re going to die.” I felt numb and questioned, “How can this be happening? I've lived a healthy life... Why me?” On July 11, 2017, the date I was supposed to fly to the U.S. on holiday, I underwent nearly 6 hours of life-saving open heart surgery and received a double heart bypass.
When you have a serious illness and a long-term recovery to face, it's all too easy to let thoughts of hopelessness spiral out of control, allowing anxiety and depression to grab hold of you. I decided that I needed to focus on my future. And for me, that future included a new career in the Salesforce ecosystem.
I had years of relevant experience behind me. I just needed to build on my Salesforce skills then prove them. I aimed to spend a few hours a day on Trailhead but the reality was that some days I just didn’t feel well enough, so I dipped in and out as I could. I completed modules on my phone or tablet in bed or while I was having coffee in a café.
You see, that’s the beauty of Trailhead. You can tackle a module or take on an entire subject area by following a trail or trailmix, depending on how much time you have. Projects guide you through a realistic use case from which you can take away ideas to use in your own business. But the ultimate challenge is earning a superbadge, a way of proving your knowledge by implementing a solution to a business-based scenario.
I made it to Ranger rank by completing my 100th badge on September 22, 2017, just over two months after my surgery. I continued to complete more badges and passed my Salesforce Administrator certification exam on December 22, 2017 — a welcome Christmas present!
To date, my recovery has been difficult, but I am making progress one day at a time. I went from being flat out on my back to walking 5km every day. And soon, I'm getting married to my partner, Caroline Ashby, who has been by my side throughout all of this. In fact, Caroline is now starting her own Trailhead journey inspired by what I've accomplished, and she's really excited about becoming part of the Salesforce Ohana.
My Salesforce journey continues with Trailhead playing a big role in my recovery and career development. I have recently completed my 250th badge, making me a 2.5x Ranger! I plan to reach that magic 300th badge before the end of the year as well as earn another certification.
My recovery has also been spurred on by the support of everyone around me. I've recently worked on the InspireEast event in Cambridge with a team of super talented people, including Cambridge Community Group leaders Sarah Metcalfe and Charlotte Ashton, Golden Hoodie recipient and Ladies Be Architects founder Gemma Emmett and her multiple Salesforce-certified husband, Chris Emmett, as well as Robin Barnwell who, until recently, was my fellow Norwich Community Group leader. I hope this becomes an annual event in the Salesforce Community diary.
Along with Trailhead, I decided that the best way to learn the platform would be to design and build an application. I also hoped it would be useful to other companies, and be something to build an AppExchange partner business around. Having designed and built human resources applications on other platforms, it made sense to do it on Salesforce. I wanted to build a simple yet comprehensive solution for smaller organizations, including crucial functionalities such as leave booking approvals, employee data management, and expenses tracking.
Version 1.0 of Cloud HR was finished in July 2019, and successfully passed the security review the first time. It was listed on AppExchange in August, and now we hope to help customers streamline their human resources data management with our app.
The journey from conception to design and eventually build was challenging. I had to learn an entirely new platform, with no budget for training, or customer support, all while recovering from significant health issues. There were times it felt like an impossible task, but I utilized the Salesforce community as a sounding board, and it allowed me to make many friends who helped support me on my quest.
When the application successfully passed security review, it felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I hope to build relationships with other partners and consultants who might have an interest in introducing human resources solutions to their customers. I already have many new features planned for the next version.
My final message to you all is simple: don’t give up! Life may throw you a curve ball from time to time and, sometimes, it might seem hopeless. But focus, determination, belief in yourself, and a strong support network will help you push through to a brighter future.
See you on the trails!
