I was on the search for a CRM platform to replace a very antiquated reservation management system for my sales team. We lease pop-up space in shopping malls, and we were looking for more transparency from lead management and efficiently booking spaces to sending out quotes, processing sales, and contracting/invoice management - all of which were previously actioned in four different systems. When I discovered Salesforce, it met all of the requirements for our replacement CRM project! I championed the Salesforce implementation within the QIC GRE team in 2014; including scope, development, design, and implementation of Sales Cloud, for a team of 60 users.

In 2015, I logged on to Trailhead for the first time and completed about 6 badges...simple ones. I enjoyed them but I didn't become “hooked” right away, which I think is important for people to hear. A few months later in early 2016, when I was asked to become a co-leader of the Brisbane Women in Tech User Group, I knew I had to dive back in as many of the group's conversations centered around ways to learn. Once I got past some of the introductory badges and really started challenging myself, I saw how awesome learning the Trailhead way could be.

For about a year and a half, I thought I was alone in the world as a solo admin; I didn't realize there was an amazing ecosystem of support. Sad, I know. I have since discovered this brilliant Trailblazer community, and I feel so lucky to be a part of the #SalesforceOhana. Even now as I type this, I still cannot believe that Trailblazers share their knowledge so freely every day. The community of Trailblazers is so generous. At any given time you will witness people helping total strangers find errors, write formulas, and learn something new. It's glorious.

I'm a co-leader of the Brisbane Women in Tech Salesforce User Group which has been a great opportunity to give back. I make sure to create an environment which allows everyone to feel comfortable sharing ideas, suggesting best practices, and networking. It's been a great experience to lead such a powerful group of women who meet to discuss their expertise and help others to be their best.

I had no idea what to expect. I didn't even realize that Trailhead was gamified learning. Prior to Trailhead, I had never learned in a gamified way before. I attended university in the 1990s when you went to the library to study and read thick textbooks to learn new things. Not exactly exciting at the end of a long workday. But I now realize that for me at least, Trailhead and gamified learning is a heck of a lot more fun.

I'm a competitor. I started to set myself small goals and challenges. “Make it to 10 badges, Rebecca.” “Yes! I've unlocked the Adventurer Rank.” Tick. “How about 40 badges in 40 days, can you do this?” “Yes, self, I can!” And I did. I made my way through Mountaineer and all the way up to Expeditioner before I knew it. I was so happy. Then I set myself the ultimate challenge, “It is now your time to become a Ranger.” I set myself a timeline to unlock the Ranger rank by Dreamforce 2017. And I'm happy to say that I did it!

When I became a Trailhead Ranger, of course! 100 badges and 50,000 points, I was pretty happy! The first person I messaged was Ranger Megan , and she shared my joy!

I've had so many wins thanks to Trailhead. My favorite wins are the unexpected ones! I've found a number of the modules contain great tools for project management, and if you look through my documentation you may just see some examples of tools I've used in a project. I've also had an amazing education through the Cultivate Equality at Work trail which I've shared widely with my team. I've even used the Organizational Alignment (V2MOM) module to create a V2MOM for team alignment, which I would have never known about if I hadn't done Trailhead.

At first, I struggled to find time for Trailhead, but now I have set aside time for learning - sometimes I'll even knock out a badge while I'm on the bus on the way to work. I am always learning. There are plenty of Salesforce concepts that I don't understand, but I'm not afraid to tackle the Trailhead modules to start to understand them. You just have to make learning a priority.

Log in and get started! Once you get your first few badges, you won't be able to stop!