5 upskilling tips to help you take the next step in your career

It’s been an especially fruitful couple of years in tech land. Skilled recruits have enjoyed a bumper harvest and the opportunities just keep on sprouting. 

Specialist Salesforce roles like devs, architects and analysts are in such high demand right now, and recruits have enjoyed the pick of the jobs along with the perks. With nothing indicating a change in fortunes anytime soon, it’s just a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. Right?

Well, kind of. 

When things are going well, we’re more inclined to make hay while the sun shines. So why upset the equilibrium? From my perspective, this is the perfect moment to upskill. When you’re not under huge amounts of pressure to quickly pivot or alter your plans, it’s the ideal time to invest in your own development. 

Here are five upskilling tips to help keep you moving forward while future-proofing your career:

1. Follow the trail

We all know Salesforce is a beast of a thing. The thought, planning, and execution that goes into making it such a powerhouse of a platform also gives rise to handy features to keep users engaged and up-to-speed. 

For those keen to upskill, one of the handiest features on the platform is Salesforce Trailhead. It’s the first port of call for those looking to upskill, and it’s free! You can choose from courses for in-demand digital skills, notch up globally recognised credentials, and keep connected to the opportunities that come along with being a part of the Trailblazer Community. It’s fun too, the gamified approach gets a bit addictive with literally thousands of badges to acquire along the trail. 

2. Look within

Look around where you already are to see what opportunities are available to you. For example, there might be internal platform or system upgrade projects that you can nominate to be involved with to gain some hands-on experience.

Does your current employer offer training? If not, it certainly doesn’t hurt to let your intentions around upskilling be known to them. 

If you’re in the process of looking for a new role, consider joining a Salesforce partner as the experience can be invaluable. It gives you a chance to work with peers, mentors and different clients in the Salesforce ecosystem. Being selective in this regard can pay off in the long run if you make the right moves early in your career.

3. Online learning

If your current employer doesn’t offer training or you’re in a different industry looking to migrate over to Salesforce-land, there are myriad online courses available.

Online learning platforms like Udemy have literally thousands of courses to choose from and you won’t need to take out a student loan to do one. Of course, there are great, relevant university courses available online too, from certificates to post-grad degrees. Online learning means you can make the course fit in around your life and personal schedule too, which takes the pressure off so you can find the right balance. 

4. Volunteer

Learning never felt so good! Another avenue to upskilling that often flies under the radar is voluntary work. It’s something that I think is worth seriously considering for a few compelling reasons.

Firstly, if you’re starting out in the industry, your experience may not be at a professional level just yet, so taking the time to hone your skills in a less intense environment can be a great way to go at your own pace, fail, learn, and grow. 

The other benefit is that you can do some good for society. Many non-profit organisations rely on skilled volunteers to keep their operations running, so you can find a cause you’re passionate about and pay it back while adding skills to your repertoire.

5. Invest in your people

Lastly, this one goes out to the employers and managers reading right now. Being proactive in upskilling your team members is one of the best investments you can make.

It creates a healthy culture of learning, broadens your offering to clients and customers, and keeps your people up to date with all of the latest developments in an ever-evolving industry. If your employees enquire about learning on the job, put some time and effort into making it happen, it’s a move you won’t regret.

If you’ve got any questions about upskilling or changing direction with your career trajectory, I’m always more than happy to have a chat to help give some perspective.

Have you got any good upskilling tips? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

~Garth Kharitou