Hello, my fellow beginner admin! Welcome to a time in your life where you will experience growth, success, challenges, failures & inspiration. Although the ride can be a bit bumpy, this blog was made to ease those anxious thoughts and doubts because you are here for a reason. You made it this far through hard work, dedication, and motivation. The world of tech is about to open up and show you the beauties of how we are advancing as a society; more importantly, how YOU are contributing to that beautiful change. So as you read this blog on whatever device you are on, take a deep breath & remind yourself that you are going to accomplish great things.
Let’s begin:
1: Accept What Can Not Be Done In This Moment
Being new to the tech industry, it can seem like a huge playground and that’s because it is! There is endless amounts of knowledge in this ecosystem and all of it is changing day by day. Someone might be feeling eager to learn it ALL, but sometimes we have to take a step back and remind ourselves that we are human. When we push ourselves to learn everything all at once it can cause overwhelming thoughts, extreme stress and pressure. We want to avoid those feelings and embrace the enthusiasm at a healthy rate. Make a list full of all the goals you want to reach & set a time limit. It’s all about time management!
2: Failures Are NOT the End
As you will come to notice, failures will happen throughout your career. It does not always mean that you are doing anything wrong. Tech is all about trial and error – sometimes we must break things to understand how they function and where fixes need to happen. When you are baking a cake, following a recipe will get you to the desired end result. Eventually, through practice, and adding your own touches, you can make the item unique to where it becomes your own work! Learning from mistakes and errors open you up to new growth and wisdom.
3: If You’re Not Asking, You’re Not Receiving
Questions & Network! Do not be afraid to ask anyone questions you may have. Questions are the first step to getting closer to the answers you may need! You will never know unless you ask and there will be times where someone asks you the questions! Sharing knowledge builds a community and we want to see everyone succeed and we are all learning together. Gate-keeping will only restrict the growth in Tech.
4: Get organized and stay organized
As you go to events, get on important calls, work at home/office, or presenting in front of a room: Always stay organized! When you dedicate a small portion of your day or day off to organize for the week to come, you will find yourself scrambling less! You gain a lot of your time back to put in more effort in meetings, conferences, events, etc. If you’re someone who enjoys aesthetics, make your environment and work pleasing to look at. One of the things I did was change the folders on my desktop to images I adore so I am not avoiding those ugly blue generic folders anymore. Another helpful thing I did was keep a notebook to write quick reminders to myself of basic admin work! This will help you on the days where you are not at your best mentally, you can review those quick references on how to refresh a sandbox, reports & dashboards, change-sets, global picklists, etc. You could also just google those problems as they come but the idea is to learn & build the tools YOU need for YOUR success.
5: To Cert or To Not Cert – That Is Question
The answer is always GET YOUR CERTIFICATIONS! Its an accomplishment you achieved that symbolizes all the things you had to go through to get where you are today. You should get your certifications for yourself and not through the pressures of feeling like you will never get a tech job without one. Everyone goes at their own pace so focus on making it a fun learning experience & study up!
6: We Come From All Backgrounds and Social Classes
No matter if you’re working in the drive-thru at a fast-food restaurant, a full-time or part-time student, running a small or big business, working as a makeup artist or any other artist, you can do tech. The intimidation comes from when we start comparing ourselves to other’s accomplishments. As you start to network you will soon find out that we all come from different backgrounds, levels of privilege, age groups, etc. Yet we all deserve to be here and anything is possible! Surrounding yourself by individuals who can help you achieve success is 100% recommended. The biggest challenge I had in tech was learning the business language and requirements, I gained the knowledge I have now through patiently attacking this challenge head-on during meetings with customers, while researching industry terminology and by asking questions when I encountered something I did not understand. A dog groomer is now a Salesforce admin, and is speaking that fancy lingo!
7: Be a Go-Getter
Confidence is key. If you talk the talk, you can walk the walk, as they say. When you start to network with others you want to make the impression that you believe in yourself because if you have self-confidence, others will see that in you! Don’t be afraid of opportunities that come your way once you start to advocate for yourself. Just always remember to do self-research with every lead that comes your way!
8: Set boundaries and DoN’t Over-Work Yourself
The most common mistake new admins always make is feeling like they need to prove themselves by overworking through long and extreme hours. There will be a time and a place where that will be needed; when a project is expanding past the go-live date, then yes, work hard! But if it is not needed, do not overwork yourself; the work will always be there. Make sure you have time for yourself and the things in life that really matter.
9: tech is Ubiquity
After a year of working in tech, you will begin to notice how your job is pretty much everywhere. When you call customer support because you’re having issues paying an electric bill and they forward your case to someone higher up; you will find a common ground where the ‘tier 3’ worker begins to speak in a similar lingo you use as an administrator working with Salesforce. It because easier when you can explain your personal problems in tech form!
10: Your Computer Is Your Best Friend
Wherever you find yourself, make sure your computer is there with you! You will most likely need to take a call, answer an important email, etc. More importantly, study how your computer functions. There are quick tools enabled for your computer type that make your workflow more productive.
