How to Get 8 Salesforce Certificates in Less Than a Year?

I believe that for a Salesforce developer there is nothing more important than the practice of working on different projects, with different stacks

1. How many and what certificates do you have?

At the moment I have 8 certificates:

Platform Developer I
Service Cloud Consultant
Administrator
Sales Cloud Consultant
Platform App Builder
OmniStudio Developer
Experience Cloud Consultant
Field Service Consultant.

Don't forget to check out: How to Get Started on Your Salesforce Admin Certificate with Trailhead

I got the first one last year, and the rest of them in the past 7 months: one certificate per month.

2. How do you choose what certification is next?

Certificates are typically awarded after a certain period of time. For example, when someone works with Sales Cloud for a year and then consolidates this experience by passing a certificate. I have a slightly different approach.

I take certification exams in order to improve my knowledge in a field I’m working in at the moment or in what I consider to be relevant in the market now. After all, when preparing for the certification, the knowledge base in your head gets systematized, you pay attention to technical details, and you re-read a lot of technical documentation.

3. Why do you think this strategy is more justified?

Well, you must admit, there are few people among us who, in their free time, are like: "But shouldn't I read the documentation?" And when you have a goal of passing a certificate, then you have the motivation to read documentation as you get prepared.

Thus, I consider the preparation process itself to be much more important than obtaining a certificate.

Certificates only reinforce practice, but do not stand for real experience.

Typically, I set a goal, such as passing this or that certificate by this or that date. Such a plan does not allow me to relax and put off preparing for a long time. For me, the optimal pace is a month for preparation in my free time. If there is no overtime on the project 🙂

4. What sources do you use to get ready for the certification?

As for preparation: I start, of course, with Trail Mixes. In general, I consider Trailhead to be a super thing in terms of Salesforce training in general and preparing for a certificate in particular. I also go through all the dumps on the Internet for the past releases. If my answer does not match the proposed answer, or I'm not sure, then I look for an answer in the documentation. I think this is a very optimal approach. Our brain works in such a way that a reasonable amount of concentration will let you remember important information without extra effort.

Check out an amazing Salesforce blog by Twistellar here: Salesforce QA Role on a Project: Features, Challenges, Tools

5. Are there any tips to get psychologically prepared for the certification?

If we talk about morale, then, of course, there is anxiety before the test. It is very important to cope with it, but with the X certificate, you worry less and less.

I want to highlight the support of the company. Everything is based on your desire. The company provides opportunities and moral support. There is no pressure, and this is very important and valuable.

What about energy and aspiration: when there is motivation to grow and develop as a specialist, and the company's huge support in this, then everything happens by itself.