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Though united by their dedication to optimizing the CRM experience, these two roles offer distinct paths for your tech career.
Salesforce Administrators work with stakeholders to define system requirements and customize the platform. Most importantly, they enable users to get the most out of Salesforce technology.
Salesforce developers design and implement new plans to execute services successfully and improve the business. They extend the platform with code when it cannot be done declaratively.
Both profiles are crucial in an organization that uses Salesforce CRM. Deciding which one to pursue can be a head-scratcher, so let’s dive into the differences and help you find your perfect Salesforce career path!
What is a Salesforce Administrator?
The Salesforce Administrator is a professional whose role is to manage the Salesforce platform according to the peculiar needs of an organization. They are behind the scenes of a company’s implementation to ensure that the system runs without a hitch in supporting business processes.
They are often called platform experts, as Salesforce Administrators are in charge of the system’s regular configuration and upkeep. They provide excellent speed, data integrity, and a seamless user experience. They are passionate about technology, solving puzzles, and getting things to function smoothly.
Salesforce Administrator Role and Responsibilities
For your reference, the Salesforce admin roles and responsibilities are summarized here. If you go down this path, these will be your everyday responsibilities.
- User Management: Creating, deleting, and maintaining user accounts along with their permissions.
- Data Management: Importing, exporting, and cleaning data in Salesforce.
- Customization: Configuring Salesforce to meet the business requirements with a click, instead of writing code.
- Reporting and Dashboards: Build reports and dashboards for making data-driven decisions.
- Training and Help: Teach users on how to use Salesforce effectively and assist them.
- System Maintenance: Maintenance of the system that ensures system health through update management and troubleshooting issues.
Salesforce Admin Skills
Salesforce Administrators do many tasks, including evaluating business procedures, converting those requirements into detailed specifications for the Salesforce system, successfully collaborating with technical experts and business stakeholders, verifying and testing the outcomes, and assisting users in navigating the new platform. Here are some essential skills needed for this position.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Understanding of business processes and CRM systems
- Proficiency in Salesforce configuration tools and workflows
- Ability to learn quickly and adapt to new technologies
Read More:
14 Successful Salesforce Admin Skills
Salesforce Admin Certifications
Although certifications are not mandatory, they can validate your existing skills and help you climb the career ladder. Here are some valuable Salesforce Admin certifications.
- Salesforce Administrator Certification: This certificate suits people with experience using Salesforce. You will learn additional features to resolve issues and help your company use the Salesforce CRM to its full capability.
- Salesforce Advanced Administrator Certification: This is an advanced certification that can only be attempted if you already have the Salesforce Administrator Certification.
- Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder: Although designed for developers, this certification can also be helpful for Admins. You can switch profiles or progress in your career once you possess this certification.
Read More:
Ultimate Guide for All Salesforce Certifications
Salesforce Administrator Job Opportunities
Salesforce Administrator positions are truly the best for individuals who find pleasure in managing systems, helping teams, and making everything work smoothly. Such sorts of positions are great first steps into other Salesforce careers.
There are various career profiles that a Salesforce Administrator can explore once they have some experience in working with the Salesforce platform.
Start with Salesforce Administrators who manage and supervise Salesforce instances, including security, data maintenance, and user management. Once you have garnered enough experience and certifications, you can move on to Salesforce Business Analyst.
In this profile, you will use insights and recommendations from Salesforce data to make business choices. Further down the road, you can progress to the following profiles:
- Salesforce Consultant
- Salesforce Project Manager
- Sales Operations Manager
What is a Salesforce Developer?
A Salesforce Developer designs and builds custom applications and solutions within the Salesforce platform using Apex and Visualforce programming languages. Developers ensure that the platform meets complex requirements, and integrate them into other systems seamlessly.
Salesforce Developers typically create unique business apps and solutions when working with Salesforce technologies. They accomplish this using Heroku or the Salesforce Platform, including the Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Experience Cloud communities.
Although some developers have specialized areas of expertise, most can be classified as full-stack developers handling both front-end and back-end development tasks.
Salesforce Developer Role and Responsibilities
Below is a summary of some of Salesforce Developers’ primary functions and duties. If you go down this path, these will be your everyday responsibilities.
- Custom Development: Writing code to create custom functionalities.
- Integration: Connect Salesforce with external systems using APIs.
- Building Custom Reports and Dashboards: Writing Apex code and building custom reports and dashboards.
- Problem Solving: Creating solutions to unique business requirements.
- System Automation: More advanced automation using custom scripts.
- Testing and Debugging: Ensure that custom applications are reliable.
- Creating Interfaces: Creating Visualforce interfaces for applications.
- Deployment: Deploying the code efficiently.
Salesforce Developer Skills
Salesforce Developers should possess some necessary knowledge of Apex, Visualforce, JavaScript, HTML, application lifecycle, development environments and deployment. Here are some additional critical skills they must have.
- Strong programming skills (Apex, Visualforce, JavaScript)
- Understanding of web development principles
- Experience with APIs and integrations
- Problem-solving and analytical skills
- Attention to detail and ability to write clean code
Salesforce Developer Certifications
Certifications can certify your current skills can help you advance in your job, even though they are not required. These are some helpful Salesforce Developer certifications you can consider in your journey as a developer.
- JavaScript Developer I: This certification suits you if you have experience developing front-end and back-end JavaScript applications for the web stack. You will learn to use JavaScript-related technologies like Salesforce LWC (Lightning Web Components).
- Platform Developer I: The Salesforce Platform Developer I certificate is designed for experienced developers. Consider this certificate if you can demonstrate skills and knowledge in designing, building, and implementing custom applications.
- Platform Developer II: You will be able to use Visualforce, Apex, Lightning Platform, and Data Modeling to develop complex business logic and interfaces after clearing the credential. These will also help you transition to an advanced career profile. However, the Salesforce Platform Developer I certificate is a prerequisite.
Salesforce Developer Job Opportunities
For the people who love the art of coding, solving problems of a very tricky nature, and designing custom-made solutions, the Salesforce Developer roles are the best place to be. They come with huge earnings and very good opportunities for growth as well.
A Salesforce Developer has a vast pool of opportunities waiting for them. The possibilities for career progression are impressive, and you can pursue these after a few years of experience as a Salesforce Developer and earning some applicable Salesforce certifications.
You can explore some roles which are beyond the development profile. Salesforce Application Architect crafts the technical roadmap for large-scale Salesforce projects, defining integrations, data models, and security best practices to ensure a robust and scalable architecture.
Salesforce Integration Specialist is also an option where you become the bridge between Salesforce and other systems, specializing in APIs, data integrations, and creating seamless workflows across platforms.
Once you have a few years of experience, you can also explore some specialized opportunities such as:
- Marketing Cloud Developer
- Commerce Cloud Developer
- Tableau Developer
Read More:
How to Stand Out in Salesforce Job Market (2024)
Salesforce Admin vs Salesforce Developer
Let’s break down the difference between Salesforce Admin and Developer roles in a table for better understanding:
| Basis | Salesforce Administrator | Salesforce Developer |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Managing and customizing Salesforce without code. | Building custom applications using code. |
| Skills Required | Organizational, communication, and data management skills. | Programming, integration, and debugging skills. |
| Certifications | Salesforce Certified Administrator, Advanced Administrator. | Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I, II. |
| Daily Tasks | User management, data handling, reporting, and training. | Custom development, system automation, integration and deployment. |
| Career Path | Ideal for system managers and business process enhancers. | Suited for coders and technical problem solvers. |
| Salary Range | Typically lower compared to developers. | Higher earning potential. |
There are always some pros and cons to every choice. Here, we have discussed some crucial differences between a Salesforce Administrator and a Salesforce Developer. These factors can help make your decision.
- Salesforce Admin is the pro at tailoring the system to the business’s goals. They essentially handle everything to give the customer an error-free project. Salesforce Developers run an organization’s technological aspects concurrently.
- While Salesforce Developer has the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and create customer-facing interfaces, Salesforce Admin assumes the role of problem solution.
- With current certificates and experience, the Salesforce Admin and Salesforce Developer profiles provide a stable future with consistent salary growth.
- There are no requirements to acquire Salesforce Admin certification. The Salesforce Developer certification, on the other hand, has specific prerequisites.
- Mason Frank conducted a recent study on Salesforce career trends. He found that while the annual salary range for Salesforce Developers in the US is 99,250 – 126,750 for juniors and 126,750 – 174,500 for seniors, the average salary range for Salesforce Administrators in the US is 90,000 – 111,500 US Dollars for juniors and 111,500 – 144,500 US Dollars for seniors. For further information, see the Salesforce Salary Guide.
The role that most thrills you and lets you use your unique talents and interests is ultimately the “better” one. Remember that both routes lead to rewarding professions in the fascinating Salesforce industry, so pick the one that speaks to your spirit!
Wrapping Up
Only you can decide between Salesforce Administrator and Developer-specific jobs. Think about everything involved, your skills, interests, and whether a career goal would be better achieved in one of these two areas. If putting systems together and helping end users with their issues is exciting to you, a Salesforce Administrator job would be a good fit.
If programming and building bespoke solutions undoubtedly appeal to you, then take a little time and investigate a role as a Salesforce Developer. Both positions provide interesting opportunities in the constantly expanding realm of Salesforce. Consider registering for a Salesforce Administrator course or a Salesforce Developer course to commence your journey here.
