How I Made Myself a More Valuable Programmer in 6 Months (and How You Can Too)
By: Zachary Minott
Tags: Success, Software Development, Startup, Learning To Code, Programming

How I Made Myself a More Valuable Programmer in 6 Months (and How You Can Too)

Set goals, manage your time, learn quickly, and apply immediately

Photo by 30daysreplay Marketingberatung on Unsplash

I came into the Salesforce development industry knowing nothing, absolutely nothing, about Salesforce: how it was used in business nor how to even develop on it. I was as clueless as a newborn baby seeing the light for the first time — I suppose most of you understand this feeling when tackling a new programming language or framework.

That being said, I was very uncomfortable starting and was afraid that I wouldn’t fare well in this uncharted territory of cloud development.

Boy, was I wrong.

Come my first week of training and I fell in love with this technology almost immediately. I was baffled and bummed that I wasn’t able to cross paths with this powerful tech sooner.

I started setting long-term goals early on. I spent time outside of work relentlessly trying to learn and understand everything I possibly could about the platform, and I started teaching, mentoring, and inspiring everyone around me with my quick accomplishments and gained knowledge.

I found my niche. I found an opportunity where I had the potential to provide an extraordinary amount of value to businesses, my peers, and to myself as the Salesforce development space supplements the perfect mixture of both business and programmatic skills — a standard that I could easily get behind as I recognized myself as not only a good communicator (thanks to years of athletics), but also a passionate tech geek.

If you’re not aware of the Salesforce ecosystem, you should know that this is a space where certifications actually matter. Certifications are always relevant in Salesforce, and depending on what certifications you get, they are a very clear marker of competency, drawing eyes and value to yourself as an asset in this ecosystem. This is because the exams are hard. Very hard. And to pass one of these exams is to show that you know what you are doing and that you can at least convey to the public eye that you are relevant.

I am telling this story of certifications because in my first week of the nine-week training program I was put in, I was told that I’d only be receiving two certifications at that time. I said I wanted four, and they told me that it was unheard of and that it couldn’t be done, especially for someone so junior and new to the technology itself and the tech industry as a whole. Even seasoned Salesforce professionals would struggle to do this.

My reaction? I’ll prove them wrong.

Fast forward 9-weeks later. I set a company record for achieving four certifications in that period of time, which almost immediately led me to achieve a company-wide award, speak on the company podcast, be a designated mentor for new hires, have the opportunity to speak in front of an audience during a company-wide zoom call, and get contracted immediately out to a fast-growing startup consulting company where I was given the opportunity to stretch my skills on a daily basis. Keep in mind that this company has hundreds of employees and was voted to be one of 2020’s top 25 companies to work at for new grads.

Fast forward 6-months after I first got hired. I achieved two top-tier certifications that only people with upwards of three to five years of experience are recommended to take — and still people with that amount of experience fail and struggle to get those achievements.

Now I’m on the fast track to potentially become one of the youngest ever to be deemed as a technical architect (not quite there yet, but will be), a position that only a handful of people in the world are worthy to call themselves. What’s baffling to me is that there are almost fewer people with that certification than there are certified astronauts in the world (astronauts are still more extraordinary though — this number will surely rise over time).

All of this, and I have become one of the most valued and decorated programmers in both my parent company and the consulting company that I’m currently positioned at. Thing is, I still have so much more to grow and a long road ahead of me.

So this poses the question: How can you do the same? How can you become a valued programmer not only in your own eyes but also in the eyes of your company and the people you work with? How can you drastically accelerate your learning to the point where you can’t be ignored and become respected as a skilled and competent programmer? Someone that everyone can depend on and trust?