Meet Virginia Ferrer Hamud
For Virginia Ferrer Hamud, it all started with a love for writing lines of code and seeing her work come to life. Virginia is a developer because she not only enjoys the programming experience, but she can also see how her code is useful to her end users. She says, “For me, it’s art. It’s like designing a house and then translating it into real life.”
Virginia studied computer engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Water Sciences at the University of Santa Fe Argentina (UNL). Currently, she lives in Algeciras, Spain and works for rindus Technologies, a software solutions company, where she is a Senior Salesforce Developer.
One of the best things about Virginia’s current role is being part of an international team, which she’s found to be a great professional and personal challenge. In the beginning, it was her experience of being a part of the Trailblazer Community that helped her get comfortable working in an international environment. She says, “It has given me the opportunity to connect with people from various countries, meet great people, and see how sharing and helping can lead to great achievements.”
Virginia hosts Campamento Remoto, a virtual meetup of global developers.
A community group paved the way to a new career
Virginia’s current career path began in 2016, when she spotted a job listing for a Junior Salesforce Developer in Seville. She took a chance and applied, despite not knowing much about Salesforce at the time. Then, she promptly looked for ways to learn more about developing on Salesforce.
“I found a community group event in Seville,” recalls Virginia. “The leader showed me the Salesforce Platform and how I could learn interactively for free. So, by the time I had my interview for the job, I already had some knowledge about Salesforce.”
Attending community events is a great way to learn and build relationships, but Virginia also takes advantage of the Trailhead online learning platform to help her practice and build skills. So far, her favorite modules are on integration and Lightning Web Components.
The best part about developing on Salesforce?
For Virginia, a key factor in her success as a Salesforce developer has been the Salesforce Platform itself. “There’s great diversity in how things get done,” she says. “There’s not just one way of doing things, there’s a variety of tools to work with.”
Virginia celebrates her birthday while developing with Salesforce.
Virginia also appreciates the platform’s continuous evolution and improvements, as well as the opportunities for anyone to learn and get involved with the technology. And she sees the community’s impact on the product roadmap, especially with direct feedback opportunities like the IdeaExchange. She says, “Salesforce is growing and adapting over time with the help of the Trailblazer Community.”
Meeting new friends, colleagues, and partners
The Salesforce Developers Trailblazer Community has become a rich resource for Virginia throughout this vibrant chapter in her career. “I’ve met many ‘treasures’ in my professional life,” she says, “who have since become my friends, colleagues, and partners in the community.” One of these treasures is our very own developer advocate Alba Rivas, also based in Spain.
Virginia with colleague Álvaro Marfil Morón and her ‘treasure’ Alba Rivas and at North Africa Dreamin’.
Virginia finds that all of the specialty groups within the community are valuable, especially for those just starting out. “Having someone close to you, where you can focus on resolving your doubts or uncertainties, helps a lot,” she says. Virginia has since become a mentor herself and finds the role rewarding when she sees others learning and using the knowledge that she passes along.
But at the heart of it all, it’s the Salesforce Ohana spirit that inspires everyone to grow. “That Ohana feeling,” she says, “whether on social media or at in-person events, pushes you to learn more and more, improve professionally, and stay close to the community where you can connect with people who can guide you.”
From community member to community leader
“I’ve always joined everything,” Virginia says, “and I love social events.” So, she naturally gravitates towards connecting with other Salesforce developers, both in person and online. Although both channels have a lot to offer, she’s found that the in-person experience has opened up new avenues for professional development. One has been networking, especially making local friends and acquaintances after having moved to a new area. The other has been leadership opportunities.
“A lot of the community members told me, ‘Why don’t you run your own group?’ And that’s how I got involved as a leader of the developer community in Algeciras, Cadiz. I feel that in some way, I want to give back that ongoing support that has helped me to other people who also need it as much as I do.”
Virginia takes her leadership role on the road when she has the chance. On a recent trip to Argentina to visit her family, she decided to hold a small Salesforce Developers community event in Santa Fe.
“I had already been mentoring a couple of friends from my student days,” she says, “and I wanted to give them a glimpse of what the Salesforce environment is really capable of.” Not only did Virginia manage to gather her friends together, but she was surrounded that day by more attendees than she expected, including experienced Salesforce developers, people just starting down the path, and those who were just curious about the technology.
“It may seem like a small thing,” she says, “but for me, it was exciting because, hopefully, I inspired them to continue to come together and grow the community in Santa Fe, Argentina.”
Virginia with the Salesforce Santa Fe, Argentina Developer Group.
More ways to enhance an already rich resume
In her role as a community leader, Virginia uncovered a skill she never expected to have: public speaking. She’s since been invited to give talks and workshops on Salesforce development at various events, encouraged by her own mentors within the community.
“I’m a very outgoing person,” she says, “and I like to be able to help others, which has pushed me to improve my public speaking skills. It can be scary at first, but I recommend doing it.”
In addition to adding speaking skills to her resume, Virginia also plans to include Salesforce Certification at some point when she has the time to prepare for it. The Salesforce Developers Career Path includes certification preparation resources.
Virginia even carries her passion for Salesforce to the beach.
Advice for other developers: Stay close to the community
Virginia encourages everyone to actively participate in the Trailblazer Community, to learn from and lean on the community, as well as to share their own knowledge. She advises developers who are new to Salesforce to dive in and not be afraid to ask questions or share their experiences with others. For those who like to meet face-to-face, there are local in-person community meetings all over the world.
Virginia hosts the Trailblazer Community booth at Dreamolé 2023.
“At some stages in my career,” she says, “I’ve felt insecure or confused about where my career is going. But luckily, I’ve surrounded myself with good people in the community who have helped me to find my way and encouraged me to improve. It’s like a family environment, and I’ve learned so much over the last few years. In the end, knowledge is shared and we all grow.”
It’s like a family environment, and I’ve learned so much over the last few years. In the end, knowledge is shared and we all grow.
To meet developers like Virginia and expand your technical skills, join the Salesforce Developers Community and be a part of the conversation on all things Salesforce development.
About the author
Christie Fidura is the Director of Global Salesforce Developer Engagement. In this role, she seeks to engage and elevate the developer community and work directly with them to understand their challenges, concerns, wins, and their inspirations. You can find Christie in the Trailblazer Community at www.salesforce.com/devcommunity. A certified community manager and multiple-award winning marketer, Christie believes in good code, community, and equality.