From interpreter to Salesforce developer: what can you expect when you move into this field?
COVID made Zsolt Náday start a course at Green Fox in 2020, but he was going to do it sooner or later anyway. The epidemic period after the course was less suitable for job hunting, but Zsolt was finally able to choose from several companies and found a job as a Salesforce developer. How does he spend a working day and what skills does he need? Read our interview and get to know the world of Salesforce developers.
What did you do before Green Fox and why did you decide to change?
I graduated from university with a degree in history and Polish language, then I worked for an SSC for 10 months, but I didn't really like it. After that, I made a living as a Polish-Hungarian interpreter for 6 years, using my Polish language skills, which are quite rare in Hungary. I had checked Green Fox's banners a long time ago, which, of course, caused their ads to pop up again and again. I would say that Green Fox has been tempting me for a long time, but I didn't have the time to jump in. Then, COVID burst in, and for a while, there were no interpreting assignments in sight. So the time for change has come.
How did you find the course? What was the best thing and the biggest challenge for you?
The course started in July 2020, just as the first wave of the epidemic was over, so it was an on-campus course. After months of lockdown, I was very happy to be among people again, and a great community was formed. I also enjoyed the education itself. I felt all the time that what we were doing was somewhere between game and work. The biggest challenge was the first exam. We had a total of three exams during the course. I failed the first one, but then I confidently passed the rest. This was a make-or-break moment for me: it made me believe that I did belong to this field, and I became much more confident.
What technology did you study and why did you choose it?
I studied Java programming language and back-end development, and there were no particular reasons for my choice. I checked up the most common programming languages, but at that time even the difference between front-end and back-end was not crystal-clear to me.
How did the job hunt go?
We finished the course in November 2020, during the second wave of COVID, when the epidemiological restrictions started to come back. Companies hardly had any new open positions, and when something appeared, everyone jumped at it. I felt that, as a career-starter junior, I did not have any chance. Then, February became so busy that at its peak I had at least one job interview for each day of the week. After about a dozen interviews, I got an offer from three companies and I finally started working in March for a local company with a Salesforce team of about 50 people.
Could you briefly introduce the field of Salesforce?
Salesforce is the world's leading CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool, which is also becoming more and more widespread in Hungary. It is a standalone ecosystem with its own interface and programming languages. Salesforce development is not very far from the back-end, and the syntax of the Apex language used to develop the platform is similar to Java. So it is said that if you know Java, you will quickly get the hang of it. We help companies to make their processes more efficient with Salesforce, and we tailor the tool to their business requirements by creating unique solutions. Actually, I first heard about Salesforce when I was looking for a job.
How do you spend a day at your workplace?
Although our management encourages working from home, I go into the office almost every day because I like being around people. I start the day with breakfast and coffee, then I check the JIRA tickets allocated to me, or I talk directly to my colleagues about the things that need to be done. We follow more or less the Scrum system popular in software development but we don't have as many meetings as we would if we worked thoroughly with the agile methodology. We have one fixed meeting a day where we discuss our progress.
What skills do you need in your job?
When coming across a problem, the first step usually is to “google” it, so I need some research skills. You also need a high level of independence, which is something our mentors had already trained us to do at Green Fox. I work in a relatively small team of 9 people, and we also act as a consultant for our clients, so communication soft skills are also important for us.
What type of people would you recommend Salesforce development to?
I would recommend it to people who are interested in more complex business processes and solutions (besides programming) and enjoy dealing with people. Relentless interest and creativity are also essential because in programming there is no such thing as knowing everything.
Do you like your job? In hindsight, do you think it was a good idea to switch?
Timing was influenced by COVID, but I was going to do it sooner or later anyway. I'm glad that I made this decision, I wouldn't return to my previous life.
Check out the opportunities we offer at our junior programmer courses!
