Welcome to the third in our new series of blogs, where we share the inspiring stories of Trailblazers in South Africa, who are defying expectations to find success in the tech industry.
In our last blog, we spoke to Tukelo Moseamo, a young South African man who, as the sole economic provider for his family, overcame significant odds to become an intermediate developer at the Salesforce platinum partner, CloudSmiths.
So, why are we sharing these stories?
We want to give a voice to the young, the marginalised, and the brave – the Trailblazers who have succeeded despite the social and economic situation in South Africa. That's why we launched the Talent Alliance programme in 2020 to show South Africans there’s a whole world of exciting career opportunities in the Salesforce ecosystem. And they're open to everyone regardless of gender, race, sexuality, or academic background.
It’s also thanks to our Talent Alliance partners that we can share stories of Trailblazers like Dewald Wasserfall.
Introducing Dewald Wasserfall, Salesforce Consultant at EXAH
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Wait, as in the pop-rock artist?” Then yes, you’d be correct.
You see, Dewald may be a talented vocalist and musician with a handful of platinum hits under his belt, but he’s also a technology Trailblazer. It’s no secret that the arts have been hit hard by the pandemic, especially recording artists who rely heavily on touring for their primary source of income.
But Dewald took the disruption in his stride and made the bold decision to carve out a successful career in Salesforce. It’s a rare thing to know one thing all your life and have it change so radically overnight, but as you’ll discover, this is a story of new beginnings.
Below, Dewlad answers our questions about his career, how he got started, and how people with no tech experience can get started on a similar path.
What were the circumstances that led you to change careers?
There were a few life changes that led to this decision. Around 2017, my wife and I had our first child, and we realised I wasn’t spending enough time at home. I was also getting worn down by all the travelling involved with being a musician. But I didn’t start taking the idea of a career change seriously until the pandemic hit South Africa in 2020.
Suddenly, all our gigs were cancelled. And my wife, who is a production manager for a large annual music festival, lost her job immediately. So, we went from being a two-income household to a zero-income household – I had no idea when it would get better. I needed to take things seriously and find a different source of income.
How did you learn about Salesforce and Trailhead?
My father is a software developer, so I grew up in that world. He taught me some basic skills at home, though I didn’t really understand things that well at the time. But I knew my new career needed to be relatively futureproof, and something I could work on remotely.
So, I discovered Salesforce by total coincidence. I joined a Facebook group for jobseekers, and somebody asked for potential career ideas. A lady from New Zealand mentioned Salesforce as being this easy platform to get into with amazing prospects in a growing industry.
I ended up messaging her and, luckily, she got back to me saying, ‘Listen, create a Trailhead profile, and go from there.’ She’s actually been mentoring me. I owe her a lot.
How accessible did you find the Trailhead platform?
So, the great thing about Trailhead is that you can use it anywhere. I even remember sitting in my car and firing up a trail on my phone. I treated it as a full-time job and using Trailhead six to eight hours a day really helped keep me active and busy. It’s a very simple tool to get started with, and I found the learning curve was quite natural too.
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How does Trailhead help keep you motivated to continue learning?
Trailhead keeps it interesting and the whole process is sort of gamified. You can get badges when you complete a module and chat with other people on the platform – it helps to keep you engaged. You’re not just stuck in front of a book trying to absorb information as quickly as you can; you’re interacting with the modules, and you can play around with it. It’s a very fun way to learn.
How did you transition to a full-time employee and what appealed to you about EXAH?
At the beginning of 2021, I set myself a goal to do the administrator exam, and I wanted to do the Platform App Builder test too. I got my administrator’s certificate in March but actually, just before that, I started contacting companies about an internship – just to be a fly on the wall and get some real-life experience with the platform.
I was approached by three different companies, one of which was EXAH, who, at least for me, turned out to be an immediate good fit. I’m very grateful they offered me the role.
So, when I first walked into their offices, they had guitars on the walls, and they offered me a glass of whiskey. So, we sat down and had a chat, and at no point did they pressure me about Salesforce. They just made me feel comfortable, and I think culturally, it was a great fit for me.
Most people in the organisation are creative in some way, so I felt immediately at home – and it made moving into my first tech role so much easier. I remember driving home and calling my wife and saying, ‘Listen, I’ve found the one.’
How has EXAH helped support your career pivot?
Every day, there’s a new opportunity for growth. I get sent new Salesforce courses to try out, but I think there’s a difference between doing a trail and working in an office for a client. That repetitive hands-on experience helps ingrain your new skills. And EXAH has just been great. They offer a ton of training to anybody that needs it, and they will help you get your Salesforce certifications. They’re really involved in developing people.
Is the Salesforce consultant role a natural starting point for people or something you chose to pursue?
It’s a very natural starting point, especially for someone coming from a non-tech background. The administration side of the role is great because it teaches you the basics of the platform and the security and data structures. It’s an ideal place to start your learning process, and when you’re more comfortable with the platform, you can start specialising in development – or whichever field you’d like to explore.
Where would you like to see your career go next and how will EXAH and Salesforce help you get there?
There’s so much I’d love to do, but I’m still just laying my groundwork. I’m attending Sales Cloud consultant training, and then I’m going to move on to getting the basic consultant certifications. But ultimately, I’d like to move into one of the architect roles. And I know that’s a very long-term goal, but it’s nice to have a little lighthouse on the hill to look forward to.
“Everything in Salesforce is laid out so clearly. So, if you want to be a certain type of architect, you know which path you need to follow. ”
EXAH also has a lot of Salesforce architects who can help support my growth. I definitely have all the help I need.
Any advice for people with no previous IT experience or who are embarking on a new career in tech?
Just be fearless. A lot of people are afraid of technology because they think they’ll break something, but I’d say just go for it – dive in as deeply as you can. Try and find a mentor and someone that’s active in the ecosystem to guide you.
I hooked up with an incredible mentor, and he really helped me understand the Salesforce security model and data model. And I think Trailhead makes it very easy to find a mentor. Nothing in life is easy, but at least this is simple.
What does it mean to you to be a Trailblazer?
That’s an interesting question. For me, it’s about self-improvement. For most of my life, I was one thing, and my persona was linked to being that one thing. And then that changed overnight. Since then, I’ve learnt that you don’t have to be just one thing in life; you can do anything you set your mind to. And being a trailblazer is about constantly improving myself and taking the opportunity to set a whole set of new, realistic goals.
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Do you think you’ll ever return to your music career, or is this a totally fresh start?
It’s definitely a fresh start. It’s given me the opportunity to be at home with my family over the weekends and in the evenings. But I’m always going to love music, and I’m always going to want to create music. But I think that’s going to be a weekend-only thing – it's more of a hobby now.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Dewald Wasserfall once again for his time and wish him all the best on this new journey.
To learn more about becoming a Trailblazer or how our Talent Alliance Programme partners are helping create new career opportunities in South Africa, please have a look at the Talent Alliance website.
