How to successfully change to a highly satisfying (and profitable) career
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Today, I am going to walk you through how you can plan and execute a career change.
In a world of gurus, get-rich schemes and professionally unethical head hunters, I’m going to walk through proven steps that I took myself and have also been teaching others to follow over the course of 10+ years.
By having a well-defined plan for a career in an ever-growing digital ecosystem such as Salesforce, you will match your current income even at entry level position inside the Salesforce environment and will only go up from there.
The problem is that most people that had enough of their current job, spend hours and weeks just trying to understand which direction to take, and by the time they find something that might be worth it, they are exhausted and go back to the same old habits and job routine.
Make the change to a more challenging, satisfying and financially lucrative job in 90 days
The following is not a hack or a trick. Just a proven framework used again and again by all my students to change their careers within 90 days.
Here is what you can achieve:
- A very much in-demand career
- A constantly increasing compensation
- An absolutely great community of people to work with
- A great foundation to build your great future
And here is your action plan for the next 90 days. Let’s go.
Day 1 to 14: Study the basics of Salesforce on Trailhead
Trailhead is one of the best places you can learn about Salesforce and your new path.
Although there is an abundance of modules, to begin with, I usually suggest starting out with the following sequence.
- Module Admin Beginner
- Module Admin Intermediate
afterwards, there might be a few variations based on your future career desires, and generally, these can be either
- Module Marketing Cloud email specialist
- Module Business Analyst
- Module Developer Beginner
Day 15 to 21: Start working on your professional network
As you make progress on your Trailhead studies, it is imperative you start showing the world your new chosen path. And there is no better way of doing that than creating or polishing up your professional LinkedIn profile.
- Make sure you have a professional-looking photo
- Ensure you have a LinkedIn profile page banner that highlights your goal to become a Salesforce professional
- Adjust your tagline to a proper one, such as “Aspiring Salesforce professional” which will do just fine until you have your first Salesforce certification. Afterwards, you can update the tagline to “Salesforce certified professional/administrator/associate etc”
- And very important, start identifying people that are already very active on matters of Salesforce in your network, or just find influencers to follow. This alone will broaden your Salesforce network immensely.
Day 22 to 63: Double down on your new skills
Now that the base is set up and you are on your way, it is time to prepare for the first certificate.
I always recommended starting with the Salesforce Administrator certification, and there is a Trailhead trail to be followed to prepare for exactly that.
However, if you find yourself with extra motivation and time on your hands, I will also advise you to look into the Associate certification. It should be generally easier to pass than the Administrator one and would be a great win + a great dopamine rush to help with your studies.
Day 64 to 78: The final mile
Now that the main bulk of your studies is done, it is time to prepare for the actual Salesforce Administrator certification exam.
There are many mock exams, some for free and some come with a fee. Both options are good and the fees are worth it if you can afford the paid versions. Be careful to choose trusted resources such as salesforceben.com or focusonforce.com, among other available ones out there.
P.S. From experience, you should do your best to prepare for the exam, but I have seen many fail on their first try. Do not let that demotivate you. You will make it.
Day 79 to 90: The final touches
By now you should have successfully passed your Salesforce Administrator certification exam. Congratulations.
Now it is time to sit back and watch the job offers roll in. Mainly. Sort of. And in most cases, you will receive offers if not already, but I am also partially joking.
As you start interviewing for these new positions, I really recommend you keep learning.
I would also recommend you keep practicing, as practice will give you a big advantage in your interview process.
You should be set on your way to a great career.
TL;DR (too long; didn’t read)
Day 1 to 14: Study the basics on Trailhead: No matter what business domain you choose later, the basics are a must.
Day 15 to 21: Start working on your professional network: Setup a proper LinkedIn professional profile and show people your new path
Day 22 to 63: Double down on your new skills: Advance your knowledge of the basics and prepare for the first certification
Day 64 to 78: The final mile: You are very close to acing your first Salesforce certification
Day 79 to 90: The final touches: Polish up your professional profile, and very soon, if not already, you will have job offers rolling in.
Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you improve your career:
- Request to join our free and new Facebook Community – Mekanys Academy, and let’s talk
- Read the Success Secrets book (coming out soon). Subscribe here to be notified when it is out
- Fill in an application to one of our Career Success cohort training
