I came for the VR, but I stay for what I’m learning about platforms like Salesforce

Computer systems engineering graduate, Salina Dhungel, joined the Accenture team in Auckland as a graduate in February 2020. Despite not knowing anything about the platform, she was put in the Salesforce team and has been surprised by how much she’s grown to enjoy this platform and its capabilities. Find out more about her story.

When I was at uni, I saw an ad for Accenture on a graduate website which included a picture of someone using a VR headset. With a passion for the Internet of Things, I thought it would be so cool to be part of a company that was at the forefront of embracing emerging tech.

Accenture ended up being the only graduate program I applied to and I was thrilled to get my offer. But then when I was placed in training to join the Salesforce team, I was confused. I hadn’t heard of Salesforce, I didn’t know what it was or how businesses used it. I was clueless!

But over the past year, I’ve grown to love Salesforce. I think it’s a really cool platform with such broad potential. As a new graduate learning the platform, I loved that with minimal knowledge I could still help deliver on projects. And now, a year on, I’m really enjoying how I can use my coding skills to build customisations for clients. One of the great things about Salesforce is that it can be both incredibly simple with its basic functionality, yet with coding we can create incredibly complex and powerful solutions for our clients.

Starting from zero
Despite having an engineering degree, I really was starting from nothing when it came to learning Salesforce. Thankfully, Accenture has given me so much support and opportunities to learn. And after the training, I’ve found that I actually like Salesforce, I’m good at it, and it’s opened the doors to things I hadn’t thought of.

The Salesforce learning platform is interactive, with loads of training materials available online. I’ve also participated in group training with the team at Accenture, where we’ve been given tasks like a mini-project to build something in Salesforce and deliver by the end of the week.

As well as the formal training programs, there’s also a strong Salesforce community within Accenture. Everyone is so happy to help with any question. I usually find that if I reach out with a question, I’ll get responses within five minutes as someone else has faced a similar issue.

Applying what I’ve learnt
Of course, as well as training courses, so much of what I’ve learnt in the past year has come from being put on projects. The first project I was assigned to was mid-stage and I was given a testing role. Testing is such a good way to get to understand Salesforce and get to see how everything works. Even if you don’t know how something was built, you do know how it’s supposed to work and it’s a great way to get a solid product grounding.

After two projects with testing roles, I then made the step to a development role. Being a tester really helped me be a better developer, as I now understand how important it is to pay attention to detail and to keep a focus on the end-user experience.

I’ve also now had the chance to have some client-facing responsibilities, helping at the design phase of projects and gathering requirements. I never thought I would be doing stuff like that, so it’s great to see the full picture. Whether it’s deciding what needs to be built, building or testing, it’s pretty cool to have exposure to different types of roles. I’m excited to continue learning through different projects and learn more about other parts of Salesforce.

Every day is different – but the support of my colleagues is there constantly
Compared to some of the grads in Australia, I’ve been lucky to be able to connect in person with the wider team. I joined and was able to go into the office two weeks before lockdown hit, and while not everyone was coming in, it was a great chance to meet people and feel really welcomed.

After a stint working from home, I now try to come into the office as much as possible. Every day is different, but I start with a local team standup meeting, reporting on the day gone and priorities for the day ahead. We use a software application to track tickets and tasks, so I’ll usually pick up a new ticket. Then a lot of projects often have teams from overseas, with my current project team in the Philippines. I try to get as much done in the mornings as possible, then after lunch is usually meetings to coordinate with other people.

I enjoy going into the office as everyone’s friendly and it’s a fun atmosphere. On Fridays, we try to finish early if we can and have drinks and nibbles. A lot of people make the effort to come in on Fridays to make this social time. As well as the social stuff in the office, I’ve also made great connections through ANZ Tech Academy, forging relationships with other grads. We do things like virtual game nights as well as having a chat channel on Teams, and it’s great to have people you can talk to who are experiencing the same stuff as you.

Salina’s three biggest lessons as a grad

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you feel like they are stupid! As a grad, you’re not expected to know everything – and it’s better to ask now than be asking three years later when you are expected to know already…
2. Try and come into the office (lockdowns permitting). You don’t realise how much you are missing through casual interactions until you experience it.
3. You’re going to have to go through a few projects you don’t thoroughly enjoy. For example, I wasn’t thrilled to be a tester on my first project, but I look back now and see that I needed that to be a better developer. Come to projects with an open mindset and take the chance to try lots of different things. Every role and project adds to your experience. You’ll get the opportunities for the things you want eventually, but don’t let that stop you from trying other things along the way!

Take the first step to a purposeful and rewarding career, join us! Applications for our graduate roles in New Zealand is now open. Apply now from 23 Feb to 27 March 2022.