I consider myself a typical Accidental Admin. I'd been an administrative assistant at Wolf for a couple of years when the decision was made to identify someone who could manage Salesforce. Our goal was to make the platform useful for the entire firm, not just marketing and our small sales team. My boss asked if I would like to take on the project, and the rest is history!

I started the Salesforce project back in 2014, so Trailhead was relatively new at the time. Since then, I've found it helpful to learn about the features that I don't regularly use in my day-to-day job. It's been very helpful to walk through some of the hands-on modules before trying a new thing on my own in a sandbox. I can get an idea of how a feature is supposed to work without having to click around and figure it out on my own, which is great.

Just over a year ago, we hired a junior admin who could own the majority of the day-to-day tasks, along with some Salesforce development. When he came on board, I encouraged him to use Trailhead to start learning about the different features of Salesforce and to identify potential use cases that we hadn't already explored. When we hire new folks who have never used Salesforce, I always encourage them to check out a specific trailmix I created in order to understand the basics.

I have utilized many of the process automation modules to learn about new use cases for process build and flow. These modules have really helped us to automate manual processes and keep our data up-to-date.

A Trailblazer is someone who tries new things and shares their knowledge with others. I've had so many opportunities to give back to the community that helped me launch my Salesforce journey, and for that I am extremely grateful.

The Trailblazer Community has been incredibly impactful throughout my Salesforce journey. When I was first handed “the keys” to our Salesforce org, I had to figure out on my own how to maximize its use for our firm. I found the Trailblazer Community to be so helpful and understanding of someone who was just starting out. I had ALL of the questions, but there was always someone who was willing to try and work through the issue with me. I even had folks offer to hop on a call with me to talk through a potential solution and even try some problem solving through screen sharing. Without a doubt, I would not be where I am today without this incredible community.
I currently co-lead the Boston Administrators Community Group. I love being able to gather Salesforce Admins in the Boston area to share knowledge and help each other grow!

Trailhead is a great learning tool, and I think it's important to get yourself out into the Trailblazer Community. You'll meet folks who can help you on your journey and be your sounding board when you have questions. Attend Community Group events, connect with others in your area, and take advantage of every learning opportunity that presents itself.