Meet Hema Kumar
Salesforce Developer Hema Kumar had always dreamed about a career in the tech sector, but family circumstances prevented her from fulfilling that dream. Despite an offer from a good engineering college far from home, she had to pursue a science degree from her local university instead.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Hema had been looking for a job as a teaching assistant while working full-time as a home shopper at ASDA. She was sent home during the lockdown and wanted to spend her time doing something productive. Hema’s brother-in-law worked at Accenture and suggested that she explore Salesforce via Trailhead, the front door to the Salesforce ecosystem, where anyone can learn today’s most in-demand and relevant skills for free, earning resume-worthy credentials and connecting to global opportunities.
“Due to the interactive nature of Trailhead,” Hema recalls, “and lots of support from Trailblazer groups, I soon felt part of Salesforce Ohana.” She continued learning on Trailhead with impressive results: to date, she’s completed 43 trails, earned 316 badges and five superbadges, and accumulated 196k points. Hema’s hard work also eared her four Salesforce certifications, including Administrator and App Builder, which initially led her to consider the Salesforce Admin career path.
Due to the interactive nature of Trailhead, and lots of support from Trailblazer groups, I soon felt part of Salesforce Ohana.
Then, Hema came across a Salesforce Developer course run by FDM, a Salesforce Workforce Development partner, and she decided to sign up. The extensive 12 week course taught her essential development skills and included hands-on practice, projects, and thorough evaluation. She remembers it as “exciting, challenging, and very intense,” and through perseverance and dedication, she successfully completed the program.
Putting her new skills to work at her first tech job
After graduating from the FDM course, it took Hema about a year to get her first job as a developer. FDM helped connect her to Salesforce employers, and she began interviewing with National Grid ESO for a role as a Junior Salesforce Developer. She got the job, and has since become one of the key members of her company’s Salesforce development team. “Thanks to the FDM Team for supporting me,” she says, “and thanks to National Grid for giving me this opportunity and believing in me.”
Hema’s role at National Grid revolves around supporting development, customization, and configuration as a part of her team’s DevOps delivery. The majority of her job includes the creation of objects, fields, validation rules, flows, Apex classes, and triggers. In addition, she recently started working towards enhancing her Lighting Web Components (LWC). Hema also believes that good communication skills are essential for effective team collaboration and keeping everyone updated on the status of individual projects, risks, and other concerns.
Advice for aspiring developers: Start with Salesforce
For Hema, Salesforce has given her a path to building confidence in her abilities and realizing her dream. She recommends the same experience to “anyone who is dedicated, disciplined, can manage time judiciously, and is full of zeal to learn.”
In addition to the robust Trailhead learning platform, Salesforce offers mentorship opportunities, a global Salesforce Developers Trailblazer Community, and Salesforce events as ways to engage with peers. New developers can benefit from the community by finding useful information, asking for timely help, or getting career advice.
What Hema likes best about a career path within the Salesforce ecosystem is the comprehensive nature of support every step of the way. “It is a complete package,” she affirms, “from the start of my learning all the way to getting my first job, I did not have to look anywhere else for help or advice.”
Hema’s story highlights how Salesforce helps both technical and non-technical people to achieve their goals. She adds, “Salesforce has a variety of career entry-level options suitable for all people regardless of their background!”
Salesforce has a variety of career entry-level options suitable for all people regardless of their background!
To meet developers like Hema 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.