In my last article Mastering Apex Variables – a Stepping Stone in your Apex Journey I discussed about Variables and Data Types. There were few assignments for you in that article, if you did not get a chance to complete it, do it right now. It will not take more than 30 minutes to complete them.
Irrespective of whether you are a newbie, just starting a career as a Salesforce Developer, or have some programming background, I would suggest you complete the assignments. The assignments will help you to, either learn few new things or, at the least, brush up your concepts.
Many of you wonder, and have asked me repeatedly – Are there any prerequisites to start learning Apex Programming? To that, my simple answer is – yes! However, my recommended prerequisites are not practicing ABCs of Apex! But, it is to cultivate your ability to build logic! My recommendation is not only based on my own experience but, also that of my friends and mentees – many of whom did not have any programming background; yet, by sharpening their abilities to develop models logically – i.e., develop Pseudocodes – almost on the fly – they have gone on to become great Developers.
Many Apex learners before you have started, and many after you will start, their Apex journey without any programming background. Out of this bunch, many have gone on to become successful Developers and many will do the same in the future. In short, if you venture your Apex journey without any programming experience or background, you will not be bestowed with a ‘pioneer medal’! But, if you do follow my suggestions and recommendations, the probability that you will go on to become a sought after Salesforce Developer is high.
The only other thing that you will need, after cultivating logical skills, is confidence! That is what I learnt from my experience – If a guy like, me who did not go to an English Medium school, or got a formal English language training, can publish 5 books – back-to-back – then anyone can achieve anything as long as they are determined to do so. Apex is just a programming language – not a rocket science! You can do it! So, let us get started – dust yourself, cultivate a logical mind and, take your next step with full force and confidence!.
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Salesforce offers lots of content to get you started on your Apex journey. If you are just starting your Salesforce Developer career then read this article – Creatively Decode Your Salesforce Developer Journey – to get some guidance, as well as, to learn how to achieve your Salesforce Developer goal. Not convinced, and still worried about not having any programming background? Fine, then my recommendation is to meticulously read ‘Head first Java’ book. This is one of the highly recommended programming books for beginners; it won’t hurt to master it before you take a plunge into the world of Apex.
My primary purpose, through this and other blogs, is to be your guide and a mentor. As for Apex learning tools – such as browsing through Apex content to get you started on learning the language – there is no shortage of material available on the Web. For example, search for ‘best practice to write Apex trigger’ and you will end up with hundreds of Read the rest of this entry!
