Meet Salesforce Academy – the participants speak up

What is the Salesforce Academy by Craftware?

To our internship, we invite not only students and graduates who take their first steps in their professional careers. We also encourage more experienced people to participate — there is a place for those who would like to change their career paths at the Academy. If the IT industry has been tempting you for a long time, and you feel this is something for you, but you have not had the courage to make changes till now, try yourself at Craftware!

The Academy is a three-month intensive study under mentors’ eye. The first two weeks are an introduction to the project and learning about the Salesforce Platform. Afterwards, there are only practical tasks. The participants, divided into two teams, work on the same project (close to a commercial one) based on the same presumptions and the range of tasks. However, in each group, the project develops differently because of various ideas of carrying it out.

Dozens of participants and over two thousand hours of study ‒ that is how the Academy description could look like if we confined it to the numbers and facts. But the greatest value is the participants’ opinion, and that is why we let them speak. Because three of five internship editions were organized at the Craftware’s branch in Łódź, we asked the people who work there for their opinions.

How did I get to the Academy?

Małgorzata Palak, an Academy graduate, a Junior Tester: I was engaged in electrical engineering, as well as creating, positioning, and auditing websites. I started looking for a job as a software tester, and I found the Academy announcement. I had been thinking about becoming a tester for a few years. I had not known the Salesforce technology, but when I saw Craftware’s offer, I read about the capabilities of this solution. I found out that even Google invests in it — and that was then when I figured out that this technology is the future, it will remain on the market for a long time, and the internship at Craftware can be an exciting experience.

Marta Grot, an intern tester: I am a graduate of environmental protection engineering. I have been thinking about making some changes in my life and my career for a long time. I have turned to IT because, in my previous work, I dealt with apps and I was rating their functionality. Therefore, I took an interest in technology… and learned about the Academy from my friends who work at Craftware. I passed the preliminary test, and I got into! I hope that after I finish the internship, I will still develop in the industry.

Grzegorz Dybała, an Academy graduate, a Junior Business Analyst: After finishing my Java training, I was looking for other development opportunities, and Craftware’s offer caught my eye. I sent my application, and I succeeded! The Salesforce technology was not new to me as I had already participated in meetings about it, and it seemed really interesting to me. I consider it an area with great potential both in terms of market success and my professional career.

Antoni Urbaniak, an intern developer: My friend took part in the previous edition of the Academy. He told me it is an interesting project, and the atmosphere is cool. He encouraged me; that is why I decided to participate. At that time, I was looking for a job and wanted to upgrade my skills as I am finishing my IT studies.

About Salesforce…

Olgierd Czekański, an Academy graduate, a Junior Tester: Salesforce gives a lot of opportunities. I thought that after the three-month internship, I already know a lot, and I am just improving my skills. Instead, something new comes along all the time, something I have not known before. The technology is alive; it is still developing, together and I am developing along with it. New customer requirements occur followed by new functionalities you have to learn about.

Antoni Urbaniak, an intern developer: This technology is modern, developing, and very enjoyable. The more I learn about it, the better I like it. It is not just programming. Salesforce aims to ensure that most of its functionalities are clickable. That makes work easier and faster. Even someone who has not worked as a developer and does not have a developing background can successfully try themselves at Salesforce.

Igor Szmatowicz, an intern tester: The Academy is my debut with the Salesforce platform. The technology is friendly and intuitive, so getting into it is not difficult. At the moment, everything is based on apps, and the Salesforce itself is apps:handy ones, created with people and their needs in mind. It is future-oriented technology with great potential.

Malgorzata Palak, an Academy graduate, a Junior Tester: The advantage of Salesforce is that it takes some things upon itself – I mean that there are developed methods and solutions which are already tested so they can be considered as the right ones and be used without concerns. It makes the work a lot easier. It is also important that Salesforce has many security aspects addressed (for example, issues related to GDPR) — it also matters from the customers’ point of view.

The greatest advantages of the Salesforce Academy by Craftware

Marta Grot, an intern tester: The atmosphere at the Academy is friendly, and it promotes personal development. There is no competition — we all support and help each other. Though there are two teams, we have a sense of playing in the same one.

Grzegorz Dybała, an Academy graduate, a Junior Business Analyst: I appreciate the Academy for its openness and promoting equal opportunities for the young and the older ones; for those with the experience and the beginners. I have been working for a dozen of years now, and I gained my experience in different companies and projects at various roles. At Craftware, I got a chance for a fresh start.

Igor Szmatowicz, an intern tester: You can start with minimum knowledge, and it is cool. We learn everything from scratch. Even if someone has little idea about Salesforce or technologies and programming in general, it is easy to get to know this environment thanks to the mentors’ help and knowledge given by the training platforms. Sounds like being thrown in at the deep end? Yes, but there is always someone who will roll you a lifebuoy. That is how the teamwork should look like.

Maciej Jahn, an Academy graduate, a Junior SFDC Developer: First of all, the Academy was a school of practical skills, teaching good developing practice, both at back-end and front-end. Great emphasis was put on the unit tests which are very important. We have implemented a commercial project based on Scrum methodology. Therefore, the transition from the internship to real work was much easier. It is enough to say that the tasks I had solved at the Academy are very similar to the ones I am working on now.

A few words about the mentors…

Olgierd Czekański, an Academy graduate, a Junior Tester: The Academy gave me the knowledge about Salesforce and the methods of project implementation. I did not have to look for the sources by myself because the mentors taught me everything from scratch. And they did it so well that after three months of learning, I can successfully take part in a commercial project. The mentors answered every question, and we were calm to have them by our side. I appreciate the mentors’ role in the Academy. In my opinion, they are the ones who make it successful.

Maciej Jahn, an Academy graduate, a Junior SFDC Developer: We had a great scope of freedom, and it was beneficial. The mentors did not lead us by the hand, instead they suggested solutions. They encouraged our creativity so that we could finish the task by ourselves. This way, though two different teams were carrying out the same project, it resulted in two different apps in the end. And that was the point: to show that a single project could be carried out in many various ways.

Małgorzata Palak, an Academy graduate, a Junior Tester: None of my questions was ever left unanswered. And the answer was not like: ‘Do this and that’ — the mentors were sharing their knowledge, using examples from the projects implemented by them. It is much easier to step into the industry with support from experienced people. The transition from the internship to regular work was not a shock because of the mentors; thanks to them, I know how to carry out a commercial project.

Igor Szmatowicz, an intern tester: The Academy met my expectations, in large part, because of the mentors. They gave me the both theoretical and practical background. I appreciate their support. They have solid knowledge about implementing projects.

Why did I stay at Craftware?

Maciej Jahn, an Academy graduate, a Junior SFDC Developer: I have heard how interns are sometimes treated in other companies. On the one hand, they are overloaded with work, and on the other — pushed aside, left on their own. At Craftware, it was different from the beginning. Of course, we had a lot of work, but also a lot of support, and the mentors were focused on us; they were available to us every day. They wanted us to learn as much as possible and get to know the technology. And the company wanted us to stay with it after the Academy. We felt needed.

Grzegorz Dybała, an Academy graduate, a Junior Business Analyst: I have liked the team’s vibe and employee relations from the start. One of the reasons why I stayed were the projects carried out by the company and the fact that I will be able to work for big, global organizations.

Małgorzata Palak, an Academy graduate, a Junior Tester: During my internship, I already observed how Craftware approaches its employees. Whether the company keeps its promises? I trusted my mentors, and they have never failed me. The support that I received from them and how they respected me as a person is something important to me. You just want to work in such a place.

Olgierd Czekanski, an Academy graduate, a Junior Tester: Since the Academy had started, we all felt that this company cares for us. We had that feeling the entire time. Now, as employees not interns, we still feel it.

We will get back to the Academy. In the next article, we will tell you how the initiative was born, how we work on preparing the project for the participants and we will introduce the mentors to you. Stay tuned and check our blog!