A Salesforce programmer — not just a developer

Easier and quicker — that is how you code in Salesforce

The maturity of the technology and many ready-made solutions are definitely the greatest Salesforce advantages. Programmers who start working on a new project neither have to figure out how to handle app integration with the database, the implementation of the system that manages users and methods of user logins, nor how the apps internationalization (multi-language support) will be carried out. These and many more features are available in Salesforce out-of-the-box.

Thanks to them, programmers do not waste time dealing with basic issues associated with the system. They can focus on delivering high-quality products meeting customer requirements and do that much faster than if they used other popular technologies such as Java, PHP, Python, or Ruby.

Tools available right away

Salesforce is a PaaS (Platform as a Service) system, and this is its further advantage. There is no need to solve app hosting problems or manage them because Salesforce is a cloud solution. Additionally, the platform provides programmers with a production environment to implement apps and a set of sandboxes, where the app is developed and tested before launching to production.

Moreover, load tests are not necessary, because Salesforce guarantees execution of given operations in a certain time, regardless of a number of transactions or users. Therefore, there is no risk of a drop in the app’s performance if there is a rapid increase in the number of database records — the platform automatically adapts its limits to the current needs.

These are just a few examples of numerous advantages and conveniences that let Salesforce stand out among traditional technologies. Sounds interesting, right? Do you feel you would like to work in that kind of programming environment?

From a junior to an architect

It is time to get to know how your development path could look like with Salesforce, assuming that you take your first steps in programming. Let us follow each stage of your future career as a Salesforce programmer.

Junior developer

From this position, the IT newcomers start. First of all, they learn from their mentors and create small system components. At this stage, a programmer must learn both declarative tools for creating apps as well as frameworks or programming languages offered by the platform. What is important, the programmers must learn about differences between those elements to know in the future whether a feature could be implemented within several minutes without writing even one code line, or should they use the capability of writing their own app components.

Regular/mid developer

A person in this position already has a good knowledge of Salesforce and its capabilities. Regular or mid developers do not need help from experienced developers to such extent as a junior. They can offer an optimal solution for a business challenge. Often, skilled developers working in other languages, for example, Java or #C, want to change their technology to Salesforce, and right after they complete the proper training, they begin with this position.

Despite being a closed technology, Salesforce strives to offer tools following generally accepted standards. And in the case of switching from another language, it makes the start much easier. Apex is an example of that type of tool — it is an object-oriented programming language, used in Salesforce on the backend side, with usage similar to Java. Apex features many useful facilities, including integration with database and the capability to write direct queries in SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language). Database tables are automatically treated as objects in Apex so there is no need to waste time to  configure the mapping of class object to a database (like in a popular Java framework, that is Hibernate).

On the frontend, the programmer can use the LWC (Lightning Web Components) framework, which is consistent with the ECMAScript 6 standard. Moreover, LWC offers a rich library of ready components that accelerate app creation.

Senior Salesforce developer

A senior developer is very knowledgeable in Salesforce with years of professional background. In the case of complicated business requirements, they play the role of a consultant when the right solution is being selected. Sometimes, they lead the development team and assign tasks to its members.

Consultant/solution engineer

When experienced programmers with extensive knowledge decide to develop their careers towards advanced cooperation with clients, they become consultants. As the name implies, a person working on this position spends a lot of time on contacting a client and discussing possible solutions that will streamline the client business processes. Thanks to the extensive knowledge about the Salesforce platform, they can recommend optimal solutions minimizing costs at the same time.

Architect

An architect has expertise not only about the Salesforce platform but also about technologies related to it, such as Heroku or MuleSoft. Architects spend little time on programming — they are involved in developing app architecture, ways of integrating with external systems or methods of data archiving; they ensure that an appropriate code repository is chosen and take care of Continuous Integration. The role of an architect is particularly important in the case of big apps in which adequately designed architecture guarantees the reliability of the system and simplicity of its further development without having to give up previously implemented solutions for new ones.

Summary

As you see, the Salesforce Platform — thanks to compliance with current standards and trends in the IT world — ensures smooth transition from other technologies, especially Java. It opens lots of attractive opportunities and allows choosing specializations at further stages of your career.

So, are you ready for Salesforce?