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A developer with experience creating programs and apps for the Salesforce CRM platform is known as a Salesforce developer. They leverage their knowledge of programming languages like Apex and Visualforce, along with the Salesforce API and development tools, to extend the core functionalities of the platform and tailor it to specific business needs.
You are in the right place if you have been looking for a step-by-step guide to start your Salesforce Developer journey. We will walk you through all the bases you must cover to become a hotshot Salesforce developer.
But before we start, we need to set some ground rules. These rules are for staying consistent in your learning journey, as consistency is the key to success.
Prerequisites to becoming a Salesforce developer
The first step is learning about the Salesforce platform and its features. Then you will learn to use them as a Salesforce Developer. This basic understanding is fundamental to establishing a career as a Salesforce professional.
Setting some rules while pursuing a course or a new skill is very important. On days when you are not motivated enough to sit through your lessons, these rules will remind you of why you started in the first place.
In addition, they will serve as a tool to measure your progress. So take a pen and paper and note these down.
- Set aside time for your learning: Decide on a time frame in which you are most likely to sit and study, and no matter what, stick to it.
- There are no off days: Skipping once is understandable; skip twice, and you will lose your momentum. So make sure you take time for everyday lessons and courses.
- Set realistic goals: You are only human, so do not expect yourself to ace every skill in a short amount of time. Set short-term goals which are realistic and achievable.
- Measure your progress: You can ask a friend or be a part of any online community to share your progress. Find someone who will hold you accountable. This is a great way to stay motivated and maintain focus.
- Practice your skills in real life: It would help if you implemented what you learned so that you cannot remember the skills for a long time. So, ensure you are involved in projects and assignments that test your skills.
Did you get that all?
Great! Now, let’s move on to the steps you need to follow to become a Salesforce developer.
8 Steps to Become a Salesforce Developer
To simplify the guide, we have divided the Salesforce Developer path into eight steps. All you have to do is follow step one, then move on to the second. You can take the time to complete each step; just be careful to avoid being stuck in one place for too long.
You can use various resources such as Trailhead and free tutorials from S2 Labs. Remember, you will need Salesforce Administrator training before moving forward to a developer profile. So, let’s begin!
Understand the Basics
The first step is obviously to learn about Salesforce platform and its features. Then you will learn to use them as a Salesforce Developer. This basic understanding is fundamental to establishing a career as a Salesforce professional.
Familiarize yourself with the role of Salesforce in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Start your research, reach out to professionals in the industry, and gain insight about Salesforce and the role of a Salesforce Developer in an organization.
Consider understanding Salesforce database concepts, including objects, fields, relationships, and data modeling. Being familiar with Salesforce Admin work is a key step.
Salesforce is continually evolving, hence it will be beneficial to stay updated on new features, releases, and best practices through official documentation, blogs, and forums.
Read More:
What is Salesforce? A Comprehensive Guide for 2024
Build a Foundation
To work as a developer, you will need some basic programming knowledge. Acquire a solid understanding of programming languages like Apex (Salesforce’s proprietary language) and JavaScript. Master Apex, which is essential for customizing Salesforce and creating business logic. Some more essential tools and skills that you need to learn are as follows:
- Learn HTML and CSS for web development, as Salesforce development often involves creating and customizing user interfaces.
- Learn version control systems like Git, as version control is crucial in collaborative development.
- Learn to build Lightning components using Lightning Web Components, Salesforce’s modern framework for building applications.
You can take the help of our elaborative Salesforce Developer training courses to build these skills. These should be enough to get you started with Salesforce. Once you have acquired these skills, you can move on to signing up for Salesforce.
Get Hands-on With Salesforce
Now, you can create a Salesforce Developer Edition account to gain hands-on experience in a sandbox environment. You can also use Salesforce Trailhead, a free online learning platform, to explore guided trails and modules specifically designed for developers.
Understand Salesforce deployment tools such as Salesforce CLI and Ant Migration Tool for moving changes between environments. Study groups on various platforms are a great way to engage in insightful conversations with like-minded people. You can also try to answer the queries on Trailhead to improve your skills.
Engage in Real-World Projects
This is when you work on personal projects to apply your skills and build a portfolio. This could include building custom applications, automation, or integrations. This will help you test your skills and gain developing experience at the same time.
Another great way to engage yourself in practical experience is contributing to open-source Salesforce projects to gain exposure and collaborate with the community.
Apply for internships, volunteer and find people who need a Salesforce Developer and help them for free. This way, you provide value to people, enhance your skills and build a strong portfolio.
Read More:
Insider’s Guide to Getting a Job as a Salesforce Professional
Certifications
Certifications are not a mandatory requirement, but they do validate your skills. It will be pretty easy for you to find opportunities or progress in your career if you have Salesforce certifications.
Begin with the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I, as this certification validates your skills in developing on the Salesforce platform. As you gain experience, consider pursuing advanced certifications like Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II to showcase your expertise. Add these to your CV or Resume along with your skills to get the most out of it.
At S2 Labs we offer Salesforce Platform Developer 1 Certification Training in which we cover the following topics:
- Learning Apex basics
- OOPS concepts
- SOQL
- SOSL
- Apex DML
- Database Methods
- Apex Triggers
- Apex Testing
- Batch Apex
- Visualforce
- APIs & Integrations
- Deployment Process
Do Not Forget the Soft Skills
Soft skills are just as essential as your technical skills in the Salesforce Developer profession. Communication and collaboration are an integral part of your job as you work with several stakeholders.
Develop these skills so that you are able to work with cross-functional teams. Hone your problem-solving skills, a crucial aspect of any developer role. Top-tier Salesforce Developers understand that while their knowledge of the platform itself is incredibly important, complementing this with a robust set of problem-solving skills is just as much so.
Networking and Community Involvement
To start your career as a Salesforce developer, you will need the help of people around you. So, it is crucial to surround yourself with people from the industry or on the same journey as you.
Networking is an underrated yet the most rewarding way of establishing yourself as a professional in any industry. Attend local Salesforce community groups or virtual events to network with other developers and learn from their experiences.
Participate in online forums such as Salesforce Stack Exchange to ask questions, share knowledge, and learn from others.
Job Search
Congratulations! You have reached the last step of this guide. And the last step is to hunt for a suitable job and start working as a Salesforce Developer.
For this, you need to start with building a resume and a LinkedIn profile. Showcase your skills, certifications, and projects on both of these mediums.
The internships or volunteer work you did previously to gain practical experience and enhance your resume should be mentioned as well.
Look for entry-level or junior Salesforce Developer positions to start your professional journey. Gradually progress to higher positions, but continue upskilling yourself.
Key Skills Required To Be an Efficient Salesforce Developer
To become a highly efficient Salesforce developer you need to achieve and develop the below-mentioned skills:
- Programming Skills: To become a successful salesforce developer you need to have a good understanding of MVC designing and be comfortable with coding and development tasks. Other related elements like Bootstrap, jQuery, etc. Also, play a role in the Salesforce project environment.
- Analytical Skills: You would need to logically understand the customer requirements and analyze them deeply. So detailed analytical capabilities and a keen ability to translate it into relevant design/code is another quality that you must have to start your Salesforce career and build a long-term career in Salesforce.
- Communication Skills: Salesforce projects require teamwork. So you need exceptional team skills. Seamless collaboration with people and an ability to orchestrate your efforts with other members of the team are also important. You should be able to put across your point by translating the technical concepts into jargon-free general terms. Likewise, keeping your discussions to the point without missing out on any important piece of information is another skill that distinguishes you as a competent Salesforce developer.
- Problem-Solving Skills: Just like any other digital product, Salesforce is not free from errors or bugs. For that, you need exceptional problem-solving capabilities and practical debugging knowledge. It will allow you to overcome the challenges quickly and maintain the flow of the process.
- Logical Skills: Logical review of a situation and innovating sustainable practical solutions is a foundational skill for any Salesforce developer. A Salesforce developer should be able to reason in a logical way to arrive at a practically viable solution.
Conclusion
The journey to become a Salesforce Developer can be exhaustive at times, but with this guide, you can cover the path with ease. Follow this one step at a time to reach your goal of becoming a successful Salesforce Developer.
Remember, becoming a Salesforce Developer is a journey that requires continuous learning and hands-on experience. Engage with the Salesforce community, ask questions, and never stop exploring new aspects of the platform.
