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I have found that any deep specialization that is too detached from foundational programming or systems tends to be a non-transferrable skill. Salesforce sounds

by kodah 6y ago

I have found that any deep specialization that is too detached from foundational programming or systems tends to be a non-transferrable skill. Salesforce sounds kinda like that. Can you make solid money doing it? Well sure. That's not really the question, from what I read of your question. The question is if I spend n years doing this, when n is greater than 10 will I have learned anything that lets me step into the next thing.

mywittyname 6y ago
Devil's argument: sometimes specialization in widely used, but "boring" platforms can be lucrative. The requests by companies using the platform tend to be pretty similar, and once you build a solid understanding of the ecosystem, you can usually crank out valuable changes with minimal effort. This model works well on the contracting end of the spectrum. I have lots of friends who pay the bills doing Wordpress/SF contracting part time and spend the free time this model affords doing fun stuff.
- michaelt 6y ago
  Yes, there can be a lot of money in unpopular legacy tech like COBOL or PL/SQL when the pool of workers is evaporating faster than the pool of jobs. The problem is, if the pool of jobs is evaporating then some day you're going to need a different job. And if years of legacy support has left you with no modern skills, no successful projects of any substance, and high salary requirements that could be a tough place to find yourself.
  - mywittyname 6y ago
    The major point your not mentioning is that with SF, Wordpress, or the like, there are tons of contracting opportunities. Not contracting in the sense of being a FTE with no benefits, but actually working independently with a bunch of companies. You collect your 10-20hr a monthly retainer, plus get a project or so a year from each client. And you can spend your copious free time developing fun side projects. Plus, your skills rarely go stale because clients will look to you for lots of other technical expertise. So while Wordpress is your bread and butter, those same clients will start looking to you to integrate with other platforms, build mobile apps, and generally be a Tech Guru. It's a good gig. I used to do it and know tons of people that wouldn't do anything else. Getting established is the hard part, plus you have to deal with billing and collecting from clients, etc. I'd argue that people who are successful in this field have a much, much more broad skillset than their corporate developer peers, who get stuck working with one or two technologies a year.
ilikeerp 6y ago
Depends what your ambitions are. I've seen SF devs move into architecture then move into tech consulting and make good money and grow strong careers. I've seen tech consultants grow to be partners at places like Deloitte or independent management consultants. There's a whole industry in technology that doesn't' involve writing code and often pays very well. I once helped a large cosmetics company completely transform their business by designing and guiding their enterprise architecture. From crap order processing and slow delivery to best in class customer experience and very efficient supply chain. I didn't write a single line of code but I did bill them over 140k for less than 6 months of work. After 10 years of SF, I would expect to be leading a large practice at a global consulting firm otherwise billing myself out as an SF architect for a very a healthy day rate. If your ambition is to write javascript forever, then SF isn't really for you. I went from junior java dev to a top 1% salary off the back of a platform similar to SF and I did it in less than a decade.

by kodah 6y ago

mywittyname 6y ago

Devil's argument: sometimes specialization in widely used, but "boring" platforms can be lucrative. The requests by companies using the platform tend to be pretty similar, and once you build a solid understanding of the ecosystem, you can usually crank out valuable changes with minimal effort. This model works well on the contracting end of the spectrum. I have lots of friends who pay the bills doing Wordpress/SF contracting part time and spend the free time this model affords doing fun stuff.

michaelt 6y ago
Yes, there can be a lot of money in unpopular legacy tech like COBOL or PL/SQL when the pool of workers is evaporating faster than the pool of jobs. The problem is, if the pool of jobs is evaporating then some day you're going to need a different job. And if years of legacy support has left you with no modern skills, no successful projects of any substance, and high salary requirements that could be a tough place to find yourself.
- mywittyname 6y ago
  The major point your not mentioning is that with SF, Wordpress, or the like, there are tons of contracting opportunities. Not contracting in the sense of being a FTE with no benefits, but actually working independently with a bunch of companies. You collect your 10-20hr a monthly retainer, plus get a project or so a year from each client. And you can spend your copious free time developing fun side projects. Plus, your skills rarely go stale because clients will look to you for lots of other technical expertise. So while Wordpress is your bread and butter, those same clients will start looking to you to integrate with other platforms, build mobile apps, and generally be a Tech Guru. It's a good gig. I used to do it and know tons of people that wouldn't do anything else. Getting established is the hard part, plus you have to deal with billing and collecting from clients, etc. I'd argue that people who are successful in this field have a much, much more broad skillset than their corporate developer peers, who get stuck working with one or two technologies a year.

ilikeerp 6y ago

Depends what your ambitions are. I've seen SF devs move into architecture then move into tech consulting and make good money and grow strong careers. I've seen tech consultants grow to be partners at places like Deloitte or independent management consultants. There's a whole industry in technology that doesn't' involve writing code and often pays very well. I once helped a large cosmetics company completely transform their business by designing and guiding their enterprise architecture. From crap order processing and slow delivery to best in class customer experience and very efficient supply chain. I didn't write a single line of code but I did bill them over 140k for less than 6 months of work. After 10 years of SF, I would expect to be leading a large practice at a global consulting firm otherwise billing myself out as an SF architect for a very a healthy day rate. If your ambition is to write javascript forever, then SF isn't really for you. I went from junior java dev to a top 1% salary off the back of a platform similar to SF and I did it in less than a decade.