Let us start our Journey with few quotes for insights and inspiration:
- Most good programmers do programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program.
- Any fool can write codes that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.
- The only source of knowledge is experience – Albert Einstein.
More often than not, I meet visibly frustrated Certified Platform Dev 1 and Platform App Builder Users. Their plight and pain points – I have handful of Salesforce Developer Certifications then, why is it difficult to attract recruiters? Why do my screening interviews end up in a dead-end? At times, when I do make it to the actual interview, why do I fail to get a job offer?
I am dismayed by the predicaments of talented Developers. However, my recommendations are difficult to package in sound bites. This blog is an attempt to usher a paradigm shift and empower Developers to creatively decode their Salesforce Developer Journey.
Bringing Back Fun in Fundamentals:
Programming requires two things – (1) Design Logic – Pseudocode; and (2) transforming the logic into a programming language – in that order! Road blocks of frustrations are too familiar to us since our school days – Then, the target was to get a Diploma or a Degree. Unfortunately, things have not changed much – for now, the stampede is towards getting Certified. There in lie the seeds of frustration – ‘Certified Developers’ get knocked off during interviews because they are unable to develop a Pseudocode ‘on their feet’. In other words, they are unable to articulate and reason well, during an interview, about how they would solve a given requirement.
Undue focus on getting Certified comes at the expense of devoting necessary gestational apprenticeship to become a proficient writer of Pseudocodes. Ironically, the key to getting a job is to showcase your expertise in doing just that! Suffice to mention here that, Salesforce Developer Forum and Stack Exchange, are one of the best platforms, to learn from, and showcase your creative ability to seamlessly develop Pseudocodes to solve a problem effectively and efficiently! Many hiring managers prowl these sites, either to get help from Salesforce pros to solve the problems that they are currently facing, or to hire! Indeed, I got my first Salesforce work after helping a hiring manager to solve a problem!
A Mentor’s Perspective on Approaches Towards Mastery:
Mastery of Fundamentals is achieved when mental is having fun! One of the captivating ways to train your mind – that is, to develop expertise in logical thinking – is to solve at least one Sudoku puzzle daily! Sudoku will help you to sharpen your brain and improve your thinking ability. Disbelief? If so then, be inspired by a true story of one of my students – I M Possible.
Inspired but Unconvinced?
Wait a minute! You ask! – How is Sudoku and Apex related?
Your question is fair. However, let me take a crack at it by asking you a counter question – If you have a rusted wrench, and someone asks you to paint it, what will your first step be? Think on your feet! Read the rest of this entry!
