How to Support more Women in Salesforce DevOps

Last Updated on June 7, 2022 by Rakesh Gupta

Now that we are in a hybrid world, the need for DevOps is obvious. Salesforce professionals, from admins to consultants and architects, have become experts on how to manage DevOps.

Yet, only 16 percent of DevOps include women. It’s a staggering number, considering that the Salesforce DevOps ecosystem is so vast.

At Copado, we believe we have the responsibility to improve the accessibility of DevOps training to create a more diverse workforce. We empower our customers’ users to successfully manage their DevOps process within Copado. This means aligning roles and responsibilities and ensuring clearly documented tasks and Copado activities. This is the foundation of successful customers who ensure their users orchestrate at scale. Organizing DevOps teams to effectively work together is an art that not a lot of organizations can get right the first time.

In our experience, a great partnership strengthens communities. We have been working with one particular organization, called Supermums, to improve the accessibility of DevOps training among women.

I recently spoke to Heather Black, who is the founder and CEO of Supermums. She is a Salesforce Golden Hoodie recipient who started her career as a Salesforce admin, then later became a salesforce consultant. After realizing the flexibility that this career offered her as a mother, she decided in 2016 to inspire and educate other moms about the same opportunities. Her background in economic development means she’s helping people get back into employment and start their own businesses. Ultimately, it’s helping moms find careers that they love.

Her mission and Copado’s mission are similar – we seek to upskill folks in Salesforce and accelerate their careers globally. We provide a mix of coaching, mentoring, peer support, and training. With this mix, women can better achieve success no matter where they are on their Salesforce journey.

Here are two ways to be part of the next evolution of women in the Salesforce DevOps workforce.

Retrain women with in-demand skills

The labor market is in flux. One of the best ways to tackle unemployment is to upskill and retrain women with skills that are in demand in today’s workforce. Technology is a sector with a massive skills gap. Salesforce has its own estimates that it will create 9.3 million jobs globally by 2026 and will require additional talent to fill roles across the globe.

The Consultancy Skills Course is one avenue to consider, which aims to upskill Salesforce professionals in business analysis, agile project management, change management, and DevOps over the course of 12 weeks. This is a great way to build confidence and know-how as a Salesforce consultant.

Be a part of the community for support or mentor

Since we launched our Women in DevOps initiative in March 2021, we’ve arranged mentorship and networking opportunities for women to pursue DevOps careers. The Salesforce community has been integral to this effort. Find ways to be involved or encourage peers and colleagues to find a support system.

If you don’t have one in your organization, there are industry ones you can join, or even start your own! Copado’s Community is a great resource for all things DevOps. Any network you’re looking for is probably there, with training, study groups, ecosystem updates, and more.

About the author

Ashley Dodge is a VP of community at Copado. She has more than a decade of experience building communities that helps enterprises align their internal teams to deliver exceptional experiences for their customers.

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