This post was written for the Propel blog
Through today’s technological advances, Salesforce has emerged as a top technical skill and is in high demand by companies all over the globe. This comes as no surprise as Salesforce is used by over 200,000 companies worldwide and over 2,000 businesses are built on top of the Salesforce platform alone. In fact, since 2012, job postings asking for Salesforce skills have increased 1.3x compared to job postings overall. Companies across all industries are embracing and utilizing Salesforce for internal and external teams, from sales to marketing to service and operations.
What does that mean for you?
Thankfully, Salesforce skills are not held under lock and key. The Salesforce organization empowers individuals to learn the skills needed to compete in today’s job market through online tutorials called Trailheads.
Trailheads are a series of guided learning paths exploring the key features of Salesforce and its AppExchange partners. Trailheads are available wherever you have an internet connection, meaning you can strengthen your skill set remotely without ever stepping foot in a classroom or conference hall. Trailheads empower you to learn at your own pace, online with minimal oversight. Those that complete Trailheads become what Salesforce calls “Trailblazers” and members of the ever-growing Salesforce community called Salesforce Ohana.
Trailblazers are the pioneers, innovators, and lifelong learners who will help to make the world a better place, by propelling the future of technology, and giving back to their communities.
Whether you’re an admin, developer, business analyst, marketer, sales manager, or even an aspiring architect, Salesforce helps individuals throughout their entire career both in skillset and job opportunities.
Learn One, Learn Them All
Once you learn Salesforce, metaphorical doors will open for you and your career. According to the latest IDC Report, Salesforce and its ecosystem are expected to launch an impressive 4.2 million new jobs and $1.2 trillion of new business revenue from 2019 to 2024.
That means Salesforce will continue to be the market leader and a must-have skill for your resume. Whether you work for one of the 200,000 companies using Salesforce to power their day-to-day business or one of the 2,000 organizations built on top of the platform, your knowledge is powerful, transferrable and heavily desired.
The number one most valued skill was “Salesforce Architect” from a recent Business Insider article titled “The Best Skills to Have on a Tech Resume”
Among those 2,000 companies built on top of the Salesforce platform is Propel, a product success platform that helps companies connect the people, teams, and processes needed to get their products to market faster. Similar to Salesforce’s Customer 360 unified customer experience, Propel’s Product 360 unifies a manufacturer’s entire value chain — from engineering and sales to service and suppliers. Propel combines the capabilities of product lifecycle management, product information management, and quality management into a single platform.
Propel’s unique approach is only possible because of the Salesforce platform. Many organizations have chosen Propel as their product platform of choice because it is built on Salesforce.
“I chose Propel for many reasons, one being that I wanted to be able to leverage my existing platform and the team’s knowledge of Salesforce,” said Daniel Snow, Chief Information Officer at Formlabs, a 3D printing company in Massachusetts.
As platform consolidation becomes a growing initiative for businesses in the wake of digital transformation, Salesforce knowledge will continue to play a factor in business decisions from hiring to platform consolidation, remote work, and everything in between.
Financial Potential
It’s one thing to learn and know a powerful skill set and another to get paid for it. On average, jobs calling for Salesforce skills pay more than $70k per year. And that doesn’t just include IT jobs. Demand for Salesforce skills is spread out across multiple functions, including sales, marketing, business management, and operations.
- Salesforce Developer roles pay an average salary of over $125,000/year
- Salesforce Admin salaries average $95,000.
- Salesforce Sales roles offer 8% higher salaries than other sales roles.
- Salesforce IT roles carry an 11% salary premium.
Source: Salesforce Careers
Ohana and Ecosystem of Knowledge
Because Propel is part of the growing ecosystem that is the Salesforce AppExchange, once you learn Propel, you also learn Salesforce and vice versa. If you learn Salesforce (or Propel), your skills become relevant to over 2,000 companies using the Salesforce AppExchange.
Once you learn Salesforce, your skills are relevant to over 2,000 companies using the Salesforce AppExchange.
Trailblazers can use these transferable skills to find a job, seek a promotion or even pivot careers. Trailhead badges are a great asset to include on your LinkedIn profile and resume.
“Salesforce has already proven itself to be an indispensable skill,” said Brad Bennion, Customer Success Operations Manager at Propel. Many folks, just like Brad, enhance their Salesforce expertise through platforms or apps built on the platform. This knowledge will serve them going forward as they continue to grow in their careers. “It’s a very helpful and welcoming community. Because of Salesforce, I foresee many incredible opportunities in the years to come,” said Bennion.
Salesforce Trailheads are not specific to the native platform. Many companies that are built on Salesforce offer trailheads as well. If you find yourself wanting to learn more, you can complete Trailheads offered by Salesforce partners and apps as well. Trailheads vary in length and subject matter but can all be completed remotely in the comfort of your own home.
Trailheads are a great way to stay on top of the latest market changes and emerging technologies while staying connected within Salesforce Ohana.
In addition to the frequent mixers and meetups across the globe, Salesforce Ohana brings together Trailblazers and companies from all over the world who rely on Salesforce to do business in their yearly Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. The sheer momentum of the Salesforce community is what makes this increase in career opportunities and growth for millions of professionals just like you possible and worth investing in.
We Love Trailblazers
Here at Propel, we love Trailblazers and all that they stand for. We are encouraged and delighted by the perseverance, dedication and drive within each Trailblazer. Whether it’s a Propel Trailhead or a Salesforce event, we are always looking for ways to meet and engage with fellow Trailblazers.
“Being a Trailblazer is about pioneering a whole new way of doing business — one in which success is inseparable from building a better world.”
— MARC BENIOFF
No matter if it’s Propel Trailheads, our Dreamforce booth, Salesforce and Propel co-webinars, partner speaking engagements, sharing our story on the Salesforce Partner Kickoff stage, or anything in between, we are committed to providing excellent opportunities for those blazing a trail in their industry.
Trailblazers, much like Propel Innovators, are driving innovation and excellence across their respective teams, organizations and industries. We believe in and support Salesforce’s mission to empower people to forge new paths ahead, particularly around digitization and the future of work.
Just like Salesforce, we want to empower everyone to work toward being their best selves, both professionally and personally. We admire those Trailblazers that are leading the way in shaping their companies to be better in every way.
Interested in learning more about Propel and Salesforce? Learn how Formlabs, a 3D printing company based out of Massachusetts, is using Propel and Salesforce to get their high-quality products to market faster by having a globally-accessible PLM, QMS and CRM in one platform.
