Late Wednesday evening of Dreamforce, I wandered into Moscone West with a distinct purpose: secure Codey, the stuffed bear, to give to my 15-month-old son upon my return home. Within a month after, a Dreamforce-born obsession with Trailhead spurred me to reach the rank of Ranger and pass the Salesforce Administrator certification exam.

Here are eight observations about my journey for others interested in going from gamified Salesforce learning to real-world certification.

WARNING: Mercilessly adorable kid pic ahead.

#Seizethetrail 

I just wanted the stuffed bear. Now, I'm a Trailhead Ranger and Salesforce Certified.