Here at Picnic, we often say we’re more than a grocery delivery company. We like to let people know how we’re fundamentally a tech company — we shout it from the rooftops, in fact. And we couldn’t do this in good conscience without knowing what we’re talking about. That’s why being experts in our respective fields is crucial, and why we place so much focus on training and certifications.

With this in mind, Picnic made the decision to offer all of its Salesforce developers the opportunity to get certified. As you can imagine, when I was offered this opportunity, I grabbed it with both hands! For us developers, it means we can feel confident that our knowledge and skills are up to date. Getting certified makes us perform better — and the better you are at something, the more fun you have.

I was fortunate enough to understand the value of certifications early in my career, and to have had employers that have supported me in my quest for certification. This means I have fully embraced certifications throughout my 7-and-a-half-year career, and have managed to rack up 13 certifications to date:

As an Application Architect, I have designed and developed many Salesforce applications. However, I have always felt that, regardless of what the application was, I could have done a better job while preparing for a relevant certification. For me, certifications are an opportunity to learn more about Salesforce and identify how that knowledge can translate to creating better applications, robust integrations, and scalable architectures.

When you start to dabble in the world of Salesforce, you quickly realise how vast that world is. There are currently over 40 certifications spread across half a dozen categories. From newbies to veterans, computer engineers to managers, there’s something for everyone. This also means that there are numerous roles that you can perform and a wide array of certifications that reflect these roles. It’s great having knowledge and experience under your belt, but taking a Salesforce exam and adding the shiny new certificate to your name is proof you know what you’re doing!

But how do you go from a newbie in a particular topic to a certified pro? Where do you learn the skills and knowledge you’ll need to ace the exam? That’s where ‘Trailhead’ comes in.

You can think of Trailhead as an interactive Salesforce book. It’s a learning tool built and managed by Salesforce.

Trailhead contains modular information and practice projects, not only for certifications but for almost every Salesforce feature. Salesforce was even considerate enough to include sample code, steps to implement, best practices, design principles, and a whole lot more. The tool is concise and easy-to-follow — it’s nothing at all like those old-school textbooks you have to force yourself to read! The cherry on the cake is that Trailhead is completely FREE to access and use.

Now that you know where the training ground is, here is a simple 4 step process to getting certified:

Up to this point, I’ve covered how you can go about getting yourself certified. But we all need a little help now and then. If you’re employed (as opposed to freelance) then your employer also has a role to play in your certification.

We often say that a certification is ‘earned’, and like most worthwhile and rewarding things, it’s not always easy. For me, obtaining a new certification is the result of a coordinated effort between my employer and me. For example, At Picnic, it’s commonplace to reach out to Salesforce Developers and Administrators periodically, to see if they would like to pursue any certification. As a result of this, the Salesforce folks at Picnic are also quite vocal about getting (additional) certifications. Like the song says: it takes two.

Fortunately, there are lots of benefits for an employer who helps its employees get certified. Here are 3 such benefits:

Certifications are a win-win for both employers and employees. Yes, they take a time commitment — there should be considerations as to whether getting certified is factored into the team’s roadmap, for example. There is, of course, a financial commitment. But, at Picnic, we see that the benefits of getting employees certified far outweigh the cost.

Both employees and employers should also remember to have open discussions about certifications — it all starts with communication! This also rings true during the certification process. Picnic, for example, understands that it could be a stressful time for employees and that they need support.

A little while ago, I heard about a 4-day Salesforce Bootcamp in Barcelona. Unfortunately, by the time I heard about the bootcamp, it was due to start in just a couple of days’ time. I kicked myself. It was an Application Architect Bootcamp, and in addition to the cost of $800 worth of certifications, flights and hotels were expensive due to the event being two days away. And cost aside, it meant that I could give Picnic almost no notice that my tasks would be delayed by 4 days if I was to attend.

However, Picnic was only too happy to help me become an Application Architect — compared with this result, everything else was a small price to pay. The outcome? I achieved 3 certifications in just 4 days:

Though the bootcamp was intense and involved a few sleepless nights, what I remember most is the fact that Picnic was willing to help with my professional development, even in circumstances that were not ideal.

All in all, getting certified enables you to brush up on your current skills, but also gives you the opportunity to learn new skills related to your role. Perhaps Salesforce has released a new feature that has slipped your attention, or a new implementation method, or perhaps a design or consulting principle that can add considerable value to both your implementations and your clients’ requirements. While preparing for a certification, you get to uncover all these hidden gems.

With Salesforce certifications, you make your already shining profile even better, because they prove that you have all the required skills. This explains why many technology outsourcing companies incentivise their employees to get certified, as it instils even more confidence in their clients. Last but certainly not least, as with learning any new skill that’s in line with your passions, completing certifications is fun!

Because Picnic has my back on my certification journey, I feel more confident when it comes to tackling my next one(s). I love the idea of combining the mindset of a consultant with the expertise of an architect, and so I’ve been preparing for the Service Cloud Consultant and System Architect certifications. I didn’t choose these certifications randomly — I chose them because they align with my current projects. This alignment was important to me as, while certifications give me the breadth and depth of the context, my projects give me the perfect playground to employ that expertise.

So, which certification will you do next?

P.S. Interested in joining Picnic as a Salesforce Developer? Check out our current roles for more info and to apply today!

Salesforce Developer

JavaScript Developer (Salesforce)

Salesforce Service Cloud Developer