Munich, Germany
Meet Christian, Co-founder of the Munich Developer User Group
Co-leading the Developer User Group in Munich has been such a rewarding experience for me. Helping people develop the skills that lead to satisfying and solid careers, while having fun, and making friends...it's fantastic!
How did you first learn about Trailhead?
When I first started working with Salesforce, Trailhead had not yet been created. Pretty soon after Trailhead was born I heard about it in emails from the Developer Marketing team at Salesforce. I noticed right away that my local community members were engaging with Trailhead and sharing best practices.
What motivated you to learn through Trailhead?
I really like the developer tasks. The lessons are so high quality because you don’t just read, but you are given problems that you really have to think about. You need to figure out what is being asked and then do it hands-on in a real environment. Whenever I need a break from the technical badges, I earn the non-technical ones as well. It is always good to learn about other parts of the business.
How do you make time for Trailhead?
It depends on what I want to learn about. If there is something in particular I must learn, I schedule time. Otherwise, I will visit Trailhead when I have some free time to brush up on the latest developer badges. It’s always better to lock some time down for training and learning in your schedule though. When I know I have to learn something, I treat my Trailhead studying time as a serious commitment.
I’m a genuinely curious person, it’s just part of my personality. I think a lot of developers are that way, devs never stop learning since technology is constantly evolving.
What has your experience been like with the Trailblazer community?
As leader of the Salesforce Developer Group in Munich, Germany, I am in constant contact with the tremendous power of the Trailblazer community. It's wonderful to be a part of a group so committed to learning and experimenting. I love to interact with people new to the community and I always enjoy sharing my real-world knowledge in Lightning development. Not only do I work with our local group but I also speak at community-driven events around the world like French Touch Dreamin’ and Dreamforce. The Trailblazer community has so many wonderful opportunities to teach and share with others.
How do you stay motivated to continue learning?
I’m a genuinely curious person, it’s just part of my personality. I think a lot of developers are that way, devs never stop learning since technology is constantly evolving. Trailhead rewards that curiosity by making the learning fun and hands-on so you get a lot out of your studying time.
How do you use Trailhead at your company?
Trailhead is the starting point for all of our new hires. Some of our new hires have technology backgrounds but may not have heard of Salesforce before. Training new hires is a huge investment and can be a daunting task. With Trailhead, we are able to encourage our new hires to learn suggested content and earn specific badges. Trailmixes make it even easier for us to tailor the learning path to the particular positions. We create trailmixes that map to each job description.
