Welcome to the second in our new blog series, where we share the inspiring stories of young Trailblazers in South Africa.
In our first blog, we spoke to Natsai Mazimbe, a South African woman with no tech background who fought against the industry’s male bias to become a Salesforce developer at BlueSky.
For the Trailblazers we’ll be meeting in this series, the challenges are very real. Unemployment in South Africa hit a record high of 32.6% in the first quarter of 2021. This is an especially hard time for the most marginalised in society.
With the launch of the Talent Alliance Program in South Africa, we want to make a difference and show that – no matter what your gender, race, sexuality, or educational background are – there will always be opportunities in the Salesforce ecosystem.
In fact, IDC expects the Salesforce Economy to create and support 5,240 jobs in South Africa by 2024. And it’s thanks to our Talent Alliance partners that we can share the inspiring stories of young Trailblazers like Tukelo Moseamo.
Meet Tukelo Moseamo, Developer at CloudSmiths
Tukelo is a 24-year-old South African. In just a few short years, he went from being the sole economic provider for his family – preventing him from going to university – to being an accomplished developer at CloudSmiths, a multi-award-winning Salesforce partner.
After leaving school, Tukelo aspired to become an electrical engineer, working hard to balance his family's financial needs with independent study. Unable to commit to a full-time degree and wary that he couldn’t get an IT job without experience, he took a brief course in networking.
It was here that Tukelo learned of Dynamic DNA, a CloudSmiths sister company and ICT training academy. He successfully applied to study system development in 2017.
“It was at Dynamic DNA that I was first introduced to Salesforce through a presentation by a senior developer from CloudSmiths,” says Tukelo. “I must’ve expressed a lot of interest because they handpicked me to come for an interview to see if I’d suit their environment. It turns out I did and I joined the company as an intern in 2019.”
On joining CloudSmiths as an intern and junior developer
Each year, CloudSmiths takes on graduates from Dynamic DNA as part of a six-month internship. For Tukelo, this meant studying general development languages such as Java and C++ before getting closer to Salesforce as part of his practical modules.
“I really enjoyed interacting with the Salesforce platform as part of my practical experience. It was an interesting challenge, and I love that it’s a growing ecosystem. That was a big deciding factor in my decision to pursue Salesforce accreditation.”
To support Tukelo and his peers during their internships, CloudSmiths assigned two mentors – a senior developer and a senior consultant.
“My mentors were very experienced people in their fields. They really supported our growth as we progressed through the internship,” says Tukelo. “They introduced me to Trailhead and showed me how to get the most out of it.”
Trailhead is your path into the Salesforce economy
Learn skills to transform your company, earn credentials, grow your career, and connect with global leaders.
Trailhead – virtual training for real-world success
As Natsai noted in her story, the Trailhead online learning platform is a great resource for aspiring Trailblazers looking to master the Salesforce platform. And for students with serious obligations outside their studies, it’s a potential game-changer.
“My experience with Trailhead has been great. It does a fantastic job of helping you prepare for Salesforce certifications.”
“You can use it (Trailhead) in your own time, and you don’t need a formal qualification to get started. It really gets you ready to jump into the workplace,” says Tukelo.
When asked about its accessibility, Tukelo is quick to emphasise that you need to be patient if you really want to learn.
“If you have the patience to commit to its modules, then you’ll find the learning process becomes fairly easy,” he says. “But if you’re inconsistent in your studies, or rush through it just to get an accreditation as fast as possible, then you’re going to have a tougher time.”
How to become a Trailblazer
It’s an unfortunate truth, but many young South Africans grow up unaware of the career opportunities that exist in the tech sector. And it’s easy for people without a formal qualification to feel like there’s no easy way in.
“IT is a very open industry, and it’s easier than ever to get the knowledge you need to get started,” says Tukelo. “If you know the right things to search for, you will find the opportunities to get on an IT learnership; they are out there."
But what does Tukelo make of Salesforce and its work to support others in his situation?
“Salesforce takes a democratic approach to talent. Anybody can get involved in the Salesforce ecosystem if they have the right knowledge. It doesn’t matter if you have a degree or anything like that. Salesforce is for everyone.”
What’s next for Tukelo?
Tukelo has come a long way since his days at Dynamic DNA. After completing his internship at CloudSmiths in 2020, he joined the company full-time as a junior Salesforce developer before being promoted to an intermediate developer role in early 2021.
“We really throw our interns in at the deep end, and it’s up to them to learn as much as they can during their six-month course,” says Marina Cervantes, marketing manager at CloudSmiths. “We’ve been fortunate to find and grow talent like Tukelo, and we’ll continue to support others like him looking to get a foothold in the industry.”
So, where next for Tukelo – and is Salesforce still in the picture?
“I’m working towards getting my first certification as a Salesforce architect,” says Tukelo. “I want to build an architect mindset, with a focus on data design and management. I feel like there’s so much flexibility in the Salesforce ecosystem – there’s always something new to learn and discover.”
Wherever the future takes Tukelo next, the Trailblazer community will be standing by to help him succeed.
Want to become a Trailblazer with Salesforce?
The Trailblazer Community welcomes all. Learn, connect, and give back together.
To join the Trailblazer movement and learn more about career paths in the Salesforce Ecosystem, check out the Talent Alliance website.
