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I generally know programming I just can't get a job doing it.

carroll_dave 10y ago
Full disclosure: I have been doing Dev Relations at Salesforce for the last 14 years. Salesforce is more than a sales application. Indeed, platform aside, there is customer service, marketing automation, ecommerce and productivity (like google docs et al) as part of the core plug an go application suite. Developers come into the picture when it comes to customizing Salesforce core applications and, due to the platform exposed as Force.com and Heroku, creating new b2b/b2c applications. The developer skills that are effective in this environment are Javascript/HTML/CSS, understanding of oauth and integration technologies (REST, SOAP), database concepts such as triggers and stored procedures. Salesforce provides a server side language, Apex, that is derived from Java. Mobile SDKs are available as well. So, it is a combination of skills that could have been acquired doing development on other platforms. There is a ton of opportunity for Developers in the Salesforce eco-system, indeed demand currently outstrips supply. For a taste https://www.indeed.com/q-Force-Com-Developer-$130,000-jobs.html https://www.indeed.com/q-Force-Com-Developer-$130,000-jobs.h...
- jamesmp98 10y ago
  Do you think it's possible for a self-taught and (primarily) hobbyist developer to make his way into the market. I figure it might be smart to get into a niche market
  - pchittum 10y ago
    It is definitely possible. I know of a number of people who have done exactly this. In addition to learning the basics with Trailhead, I'd also suggest looking near by for a Salesforce developer group. There is even StackExchange for Salesforce that is completely community driven for having questions answered. (salesforce.stackexchange.com). FYI, I'm another one of the devrel team at Salesforce. Dave went on vacation just before you posted this. Cheers.

Full disclosure: I have been doing Dev Relations at Salesforce for the last 14 years. Salesforce is more than a sales application. Indeed, platform aside, there is customer service, marketing automation, ecommerce and productivity (like google docs et al) as part of the core plug an go application suite. Developers come into the picture when it comes to customizing Salesforce core applications and, due to the platform exposed as Force.com and Heroku, creating new b2b/b2c applications. The developer skills that are effective in this environment are Javascript/HTML/CSS, understanding of oauth and integration technologies (REST, SOAP), database concepts such as triggers and stored procedures. Salesforce provides a server side language, Apex, that is derived from Java. Mobile SDKs are available as well. So, it is a combination of skills that could have been acquired doing development on other platforms. There is a ton of opportunity for Developers in the Salesforce eco-system, indeed demand currently outstrips supply. For a taste https://www.indeed.com/q-Force-Com-Developer-$130,000-jobs.html https://www.indeed.com/q-Force-Com-Developer-$130,000-jobs.h...

jamesmp98 10y ago
Do you think it's possible for a self-taught and (primarily) hobbyist developer to make his way into the market. I figure it might be smart to get into a niche market
- pchittum 10y ago
  It is definitely possible. I know of a number of people who have done exactly this. In addition to learning the basics with Trailhead, I'd also suggest looking near by for a Salesforce developer group. There is even StackExchange for Salesforce that is completely community driven for having questions answered. (salesforce.stackexchange.com). FYI, I'm another one of the devrel team at Salesforce. Dave went on vacation just before you posted this. Cheers.