Where are People Coming From?

The intent of the web-to-lead form is to collect data on where my traffic is coming from and if people think it’s useful for my job search. Well, I have three respondents out of probably 40 visits (I have a web tracker that gives me traffic numbers, but not sources in a way that is useful for me). They all agree that the blog is useful for finding a job.

The other goal of the web-to-lead form is to showcase my ability to create dashboards and reports from the data collected. With three data points, it’s not as impressive as one might hope. I created a pie chart (below) and it’s clear that there is some other source for people finding my blog. LinkedIn is not a big driver and nobody that I sent my resume to has responded to the survey.

I’ll play around with the dashboards and reports some more and see if I can show something that is cool. Hopefully, I’ll get some more data in the near future. Feel free to help with that.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a Superbadge – Security Specialist

I got my first Superbadge today. I can see why they call it super. It’s a combination of tasks and quizzes. The requirements are not always clear and it can take a while to figure out the specific setting they want for each profile. On balance, it was a good test of setting up login restrictions, roles, profiles, and sharing rules. I think if I had to do similar, it would go quicker, since now I know where to look.

Now What...

Now that I am a Salesforce Certified Administrator, what's next? Well, the first thing is to find a job as an Administrator. I'm checking out the job boards, networking, and exploring freelance opportunities. In between, I'm completing trails on Trailhead, working on Superbadges, and studying for my next certification (Platform App Builder). Oh, and finishing the roof on my barn before the first snow.

So far I have completed 17 trails (below). I plan to knock out all of the administrator trails and then hit the developer trails. The trails that are left aren't as related to what I plan to do, but they are fun to complete.

A .png is Worth a Thousand Words...

Summer is Almost Over

The battle to become a certified administrator is progressing. I am at the stage of reviewing my notes and taking the various practice exams that are online. I am averaging about 70% on these and I hope to get that up to 90% before I take the exam.

As part of the effort, I have jumped back on Trailhead. I have completed 12 of the 21 trails for admins resulting in 60 badges. Some of the trails are not really related to the exam so I probably won’t hit them all before I take the exam. Once I complete the relevant ones, I’ll tackle the super badges. I have two of the 4 badges unlocked. I’ll probably complete enough modules/trails to unlock three and then start on the super badges. I don’t think the Apex Specialist will be useful for the exam…

Below are the trails I have completed to get the 60 badges...

Is it August Already?

I am still studying for this exam. My focus has been on completing a Udemy.com class on the certification exam (certificate of completion below).

I have also been doing some side consulting in my former profession (materials engineering). It takes up some time, but I can use the money.

The next step is to work through the Certified On Demand study materials and one day take the exam. 

I'll probably intersperse some Trailhead modules in as well. I miss doing them; they can be addictive...

 

Where Does the Time Go?

It has been a busy summer so far and I have not had a chance to update the blog in a while. The highlight was completing Preparing for Your Salesforce.com Administrator Certification (CRT-101). It clarified what I needed to study for and how. In particular, it’s a problem-solving exam and not a memorization test.

 

As an undergraduate engineer, most of my exams were problem-solving and not memorization. We were given a scenario and had to use the engineering principles we learned to provide an answer. As a practicing engineer, most of what I did was solving problems so my education and professional experience prepared me for this exam. I expect that it also prepared me for a career as a Salesforce Administrator.

 

My Doctoral Qualification Exam was similar in nature to the certification exam; multiple questions from a wide range of topics. When I studied for that exam I made a set of notes, from my notes that allowed me to solve almost any problem I was presented with (17 out of 20 in fact). I created a similar set of notes (click here) for the Salesforce Certification Exam based on the study guide (click here). 

 

I had made my Doctoral Exam notes available to my colleagues, with the caveat that these were my notes and if they wanted to succeed, they should create their own. It was the process of creating the notes and not necessarily the actual notes themselves what was most useful.

 

The next step is to use these notes to solve a variety of scenarios that might be presented on the exam and refine my notes. There are a few sites with practice exam questions. The intent is not to memorize the answers but to learn to identify what the question is asking and solve the scenario.

 

Wish me luck!