Louise Lockie's Letters from London

Many of the industries my company works with have mandatory CPD schemes for their qualified practitioners. In order to retain their status as a licensed Accountant or Solicitor individuals must show that they are continuously developing their professional skills. One reason for this is to prevent said professionals from getting rusty, to keep that grey matter active, but another is to encourage members to stay abreast of new developments in their field. Those of us who are certified Salesforce professionals have similar obligations. Three times a year we need to pass the maintenance exams of each track in which we are certified in order to retain our certification. But as Salesforce has never been the kind of company to leave its community to fend for themselves, Trailhead was created to aid and encourage our continuous development. Trailhead isn't just there to help us pass our exams though, far from it, Trailhead is for the whole ecosystem. Trailhead is used by empl...

Exams are odd things and affect people differently, I have known several incredibly intelligent people who just don't do well in the exam situation. Yet exams are a part of life for the average Salesforce professional and it is definitely better to go into the test centre feeling prepared. At the time of writing I have six Salesforce certifications. Several were achieved in the last year and I feel that I have developed a technique and approach in this time, which I will now share. I answer these questions -  Which certification should I tackle next? When will I be ready to sit the exam? Where should I take it? How should I prepare for the exam? How should I tackle the exam? Which certification should I tackle next? Here in 2018 there are 25 different Salesforce certifications, grouped into 6 different roles and tracks. Whereas it used to be obvious which cert to go for next based on whether you were an Admin, Developer, or Consultant, now we have more options and ...

Let's start with a question. Why do we take Salesforce certifications? To get that job which requires a certified candidate? To add to the number of certifications your partner employer holds? To prove to your peers and bosses that you are the subject matter expert? Because everyone seems to be doing it these days? Who doesn't love a good exam? I believe the best reason to take a Salesforce certified exam is to prove to yourself that you are an expert in your field, that you aren't 'winging' it. In short, to silence your inner critic . The London Women in Tech user group, which I lead with Jodi and Freya , kicked off 2018 with an event entitled Changing Our Relationship with the Crazy Lady Inside . It was led by Nic Conway and Danielle MacLeod of Somebody Inside , who helped the 70+ strong audience identify and control the 'crazy lady inside', their name for the internal voice which questions our abilities and can fill us with self-doubt. ...