John Coppedge became a Salesforce admin almost by accident – and then he got laid off. 7x Salesforce certifications later, he’s on a different career path.
John Coppedge understandably thought his career had taken a step backward when the IT department he managed for an Ohio marketing company was outsourced in 2010 — and his job along with it. However, learning about Salesforce technology, a requirement of that job, would help open up possibilities for a different and more satisfying career.
“I was the accidental administrator,” Coppedge recalled with a laugh, as he spoke about his IT management role. “I had become the company’s de facto Salesforce administrator, and I had no idea what it was.”
However, as Coppedge learned the ins and outs of Salesforce’s Lightning Enterprise Edition, he said he saw “all the stuff I loved about technology, and saw none of the stuff I didn’t like.”
While still working for the marketing company, Coppedge earned the first of his seven Salesforce certifications for Salesforce Administrator. Salesforce had just started its certification program, and Coppedge was one of the first 500 people to receive the credential, which demonstrates knowledge of Salesforce configuration and the management of its capabilities.
From independent consultant to training manager
A love for Salesforce technology was soon in full bloom. Coppedge worked as an independent consultant after the layoff, evaluating how his client companies’ back-end systems integrated with the Salesforce platform.
That led to an opportunity that Coppedge said he believes was the foundational pivot toward his career as a Salesforce expert and advocate: A consulting job architecting and implementing Salesforce programs at universities around the world. The work included the creation of a website through Salesforce that enables college officials to respond to admission applications and questions.
Check out how salesforce certifications can boost your career here.
Read the full interview with Coppedge here: https://searchcustomerexperience.techtarget.com/feature/How-training-seven-Salesforce-certifications-helped-reboot-a-career
