As Salesforce continues to dominate the world of CRM technology, more than 60% of businesses unfortunately still find it difficult to land the right talent.

This is not because available talent lacks the desired skills, but because the talent is so scarce, and the competition is high. The question that lingers in the minds of most job seekers is how to choose the best Salesforce career path.

Although there has always been a skills gap for people in the Salesforce industry, a lot more people are finding it easy to jump into Salesforce. The reasons for this are quite a number, but the following are among the top three.

• The Salesforce job market is candidate-driven. Those with the right set or mix of skills in Salesforce are in the driving seat. They decide the type of jobs that they pick as well as the salaries they accept.
• Salesforce salaries are very lucrative. He’s not surprised. Salesforce is a leading CRM technology. And because there is a skills gap, those with the perfect set of skills and training command very high pay.
• Salesforce has been voted countless times as an ecosystem that is inclusive, hugely exciting, and very innovative. Thanks to the opportunities for professional growth, many savvy professionals are keen to stick around Salesforce. The work culture that Salesforce calls the Ohana community is also very supportive.

How to choose the best Salesforce career path for you: Salesforce Admin Vs Developer

The Salesforce ecosystem presents a plethora of career paths that you can choose. You only need to identify your needs, skill set and desire for future growth. The avenues on the table include Architects, Business Analysts, Admins, Developers, Marketing Specialists, Consultants, etc.

To make your work easier, we settled on two of the most sought-after Salesforce career paths for you. The Salesforce Administrator and the Salesforce Developer positions.

Choosing your Salesforce career path: the Administrator

The Salesforce admin position is a highly valued and respected role to start in Salesforce. Though the easier route to entry into the Salesforce ecosystem, it also provides a great opportunity to springboard into other careers within Salesforce.

You will not be surprised to realize that most Salesforce Developers and Architects started as admins. Admins are responsible for bridging the gap between business people and tech specialists. You are all at the very basic level is to define the requirements and customize Salesforce to meet the requirements of the customers or the business.

The roles of a Salesforce admin are almost common in all industries but sometimes can vary to include sharing best practices, creating reports and dashboards for clients, and training other users on this Salesforce system.

The Salesforce Administrator skillset

Successful Salesforce administrators not only have one skill set but possess a blend of tech knowledge and business expertise. If you desire to join the Salesforce admin workforce, then be reminded that you should be solution-oriented, creative, technically minded, and personable.

Great self as administrators often performs both as business leaders and as tech specialists. They are as much business leaders because they need to communicate with stakeholders to push projects off the ground.

Besides your Salesforce administrator placement and training, you will need to acquire raw skills in the Salesforce ecosystem which include system admin, business analysis, end-user training, process automation, user set-up, system maintenance, and helpdesk experience.

Career path progression as a Salesforce Admin

The Salesforce admin position is one of those open positions that have an interestingly varied progression path. The Salesforce admin position is more or less an eye-opener and a springboard to other senior positions, such as a Business Analyst, Marketing Cloud Specialist, Developer, Architects, and more.

If you stay in the Salesforce admin role for long, you can upskill yourselves to become a senior Salesforce administrator. Furthermore, you also have a chance to become a specialist trainer and offer support to other tech professionals in the Salesforce ecosystem such as junior admins.

Salesforce Administrator jobs: Salary breakdown

The Salesforce admin position commands sub creative salary, though much of it depends on experience, specialization, and level in employment. The salaries also range depending on the country where you are employed. Below it’s a breakdown comparing the US and UK job markets. Better here is sourced from Mason Frank’s 2021-2022 salary survey.

In the US, Admins take home an average salary of $107,200 and $137,500 respectively for middle and senior levels. The UK does an average of £47,300 for a middle-level admin and £58,500 for senior-level per year.

Choosing your Salesforce career path: Developer

The Salesforce developer job has been voted countless times as one of the top 50 best jobs in the US. It is a lucrative job and one of the most in-demand roles in the Salesforce ecosystem.

Since first developers are the go-to coding experts that implement any Salesforce project. They are the ones who do all the coding that goes into making either Salesforce application or solution.

Just like Admins are responsible for customizing the Salesforce platform, Salesforce developers on the other hand provide similar service but through code and declarative solutions.

Salesforce Developer roles and responsibilities

The Salesforce developer roles and responsibilities are more technical and will require you to have a high level of tech experience to succeed. They are the problem solvers who come up with multiple solutions to fix issues and basically have a solid background in something like IT.

As much as this role sounds very technical, you don’t need to be an expert to learn the Salesforce developer skills. If you have a passion for developing a career in Salesforce and a background in IT, you’re probably good to go.

With just minimal experience such as one year of experience in object-oriented programming, especially in a commercial setup, and at least knowledge of the full software development lifecycle, you stand a high chance of making it to the finish line in learning Salesforce development.

Salesforce Developer progression opportunities

Just like the Salesforce admin position, the developer role offers a wealth of opportunities for career progression. It is actually one of the most crucial roles within the Salesforce ecosystem and a skill set that can span across different roles and specialties.

If you are keen on progressing your career as a developer, the Salesforce developer position would allow you to become a Senior Architect, Senior Developer, or an architect. You can also branch out to train others or become a consultant developer.

Also, if you wish to become an industry specialist, then roles such as the Field Service Lightning Developer or the Salesforce Industries Developer are good options for you with high rewards.

How much do Salesforce Developers make in the US?

With such a powerful skillset at your disposal and such a high demand for great Developers throughout the ecosystem, you’ll be well rewarded for training in this field. Typically, Developers will command rates like this:

According to Mason Frank’s Salesforce Salary survey of 2020-2021, Salesforce Developers in the US make an average of $121,800 – $166,200 for middle-level to senior-level positions. The UK’s average is between £69,100 – and £84,900.

Wrap up

If you have been wondering how to choose the best Salesforce career path, this article should at least answer this concern, though in part, especially for the Salesforce admin and developer positions.

Want to become a Salesforce Administrator or Developer?

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