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How to Become a Salesforce Developer, A Simple Guide

How to Become a Salesforce Developer
Career Tips / Courses / Salesforce

How to Become a Salesforce Developer, A Simple Guide

Salesforce is currently the most popular customer relationship management (CRM) platform. As a result, the demand for Salesforce developers is very high.

Indeed, Salesforce developers are so in demand that their salaries are among the highest among Salesforce professionals. On average, a Salesforce developer earns $112,113 per year in the US as of 2021. Some developers in big organizations take home as much as $117,000 per year.

So, if you’re thinking about a career in Salesforce, you should strongly consider becoming a platform developer. Wondering where to begin? Below, we discuss how to become a Salesforce developer in three simple steps.

Who is a Salesforce Developer?

A Salesforce developer is a software developer who works on the Salesforce platform, building Salesforce applications.

What Does a Salesforce Developer Do?

Before you learn more about how to become a Salesforce developer, it’s imperative you understand what Salesforce developers do, their roles and responsibilities, etc.

Salesforce developers are hired by organizations that use the Salesforce CRM or other Salesforce products to customize the platform to the specifications of the hiring organization. These developers use tools such as Apex and Visual Force and frameworks such as Lightning Component to develop apps.

Alternatively, a Salesforce developer may also work for Salesforce organization to build apps for Salesforce customers.

Roles and Responsibilities

The roles and duties of a Salesforce developer vary from one organization to the next. However, the standard developer position usually has a few familiar duties as follows;

  • Analyze user needs then design, test, and develop software to meet those needs
  • Suggest software upgrades for the organization’s existing applications, systems, and programs to prevent glitches.
  • Help the organization predict and adapt to changing business and technological landscapes for profitability and growth.
  • Design Salesforce solutions and add value to the various project phases, i.e., definition, development, and deployment.
  • Design programs and processes to deal with inconsistencies in data quality to overcome potential system rigidities.
  • Lead other Salesforce users within the organization in creating models and diagrams to help them write new software code.
  • Ensure routine maintenance of existing software and programs to ensure smooth functioning at all times.

How to Become a Salesforce Developer

Not everyone can become a Salesforce developer. However, if you wish to become one, you must have a few personal skills and follow up by taking Salesforce developer certification examinations – which you must pass.

Required Skills

The best candidates for the Salesforce developer position exhibit a few characteristics even before they enroll for the certification examination. These skills include;

  • Analytical skills: Salesforce developers need analytical skills to understand user needs and design correct software.
  • Communication skills: You also need strong communication skills as the Salesforce developer interacts with customers at every turn.
  • Leadership skills: Salesforce developers often lead developer teams when building software. You must be able to take charge of the project.
  • Interpersonal skills: Besides being a good leader, the Salesforce developer must also have interpersonal skills to help them work in teams.
  • Problem-solving skills: Developers spend nearly 90% of their time handling customer challenges. So, you must have a knack for finding solutions.

It also helps if the Salesforce developer is creative and detail-oriented. That’s because sometimes solutions don’t come from expected sources. The developer must be able to think outside the box to find answers where no one thought.

Technical Skills 

Besides the personal skills, you also need to acquire several technical skills to become a Salesforce developer. A college degree isn’t one of them (fortunately). However, you still need to be proficient in the following;

  • Object-oriented principles of programming
  • Basic knowledge of Java or C#
  • Knowledge of Model-View-Controller design

So, as you can see, it’s a little easier if you have a background in programming. However, you can also start from scratch – it just takes a little more effort.

We must mention that Salesforce developers use a special programming language known as Apex to operate the Salesforce platform and the framework for user interface design, known as Visual Force. Apex also helps Salesforce developers to build customized integrations and initiate custom API calls and other modifications within the Salesforce platform.

In addition to Visual Force, Salesforce developers also interact quite frequently with Component Framework. Component Framework is a special (mostly) front-end technology used in Salesforce to facilitate the creation of desktop and mobile applications and combines HTML and JavaScript.

Getting Certified as a Salesforce Developer

Although you’re good to go with the above skills, not many organizations will hire a Salesforce developer without an official certification. Therefore, if you hope to land a job as a Salesforce developer, it would be best to take the requisite examinations and get certified. You can start by enrolling in our Salesforce Developer Certification Training which is one of the best for practical skills.

Different people use different routes on how to become a Salesforce developer. Salesforce offers three certifications (and relevant examinations) for developers, i.e., the Platform Developer 1, Platform Developer 2, and Platform App Builder certification.

Salesforce Platform Developer I

The Salesforce platform developer I program is a basic Salesforce programming certification that tests the candidates understanding of the Salesforce environment, capacity, and implementation of custom logic. A Salesforce Developer One uses programming and declarative skills to extend and customize applications on the Salesforce platform.

The Platform Developer One certification examination comprises 60 multiple-choice questions that you must answer within 105 minutes. The passing score is 65%.

Salesforce Platform Developer II

The Salesforce Platform Developer Two certification is an advanced certification offered to those who’ve already attained Platform Developer One certification. It focuses on the candidate’s ability to design, develop, test, and deploy programmatic solutions that are maintainable and usable.

Similar to the Platform Developer One certification, candidates take a 105-minute examination comprising 60 multiple-choice questions. The pass mark is 65%.

Salesforce Platform App Builder

Finally, you can also take the Salesforce Platform App Builder certification exam to become a certified Salesforce developer. The Platform App Builder certification is slightly different from the main developer courses as it focuses more on “point and click” rather than programmatic development. However, it teaches the same fundamentals as the two courses above.

The examination comprises 60 scored questions and five unscored questions which must answer within 105 minutes, the pass mark is 63%.

All three developer examinations cost $200 (including taxes) with retakes costing $100 (including taxes). You can take the examinations as many times as you wish.

Salesforce Developer certification training by PlumlogixU

If you are ready to learn programmatic and declarative skills that will allow you to customize and extend the functionality of Salesforce applications, then this training is right for you. Enroll today by visiting this link.