From tech support to trailblazer: How I transformed my career
August 20, 2019
Three years ago, Chris had barely heard of Salesforce. Today, he's an invaluable member of a 'spine' team, helping Accenture to implement unique Salesforce experiences for our clients.
After working as a desktop support manager in Accenture’s IT support team for five years, I was craving a new challenge.
It’s possible to have a lot of different careers at Accenture, so I was looking to see what else I could do in the company. At the same time, Accenture acquired a Salesforce practice and it was my job to help get them onboarded into the Accenture system.
That’s when I came face to face with Salesforce – the world’s No.1 Customer Relationship Management program.
Mind blown!
I could see immediately Salesforce was a game changer. I’d been working in the IT industry since 2004, and I couldn’t believe what the products could do. I was also excited by the number of innovators, like banking pioneer nCino, who were building global businesses on the back of apps that run on the Salesforce platform.
I could see endless career opportunities. I could get into consulting. I could work with different industries. I could do something flashy like DevOps!
All I had to do was get certified…
Having completed the first level studying at home, I nervously approached Accenture’s Salesforce team armed only with my lowly junior admin certificate and a willingness to learn. The next thing I knew I’d jumped over to…
My first real Salesforce project!
Everyone knew where I stood – i.e. I had zero capability! They put me on a project with a lovely client where I was surrounded by very skilled and very patient Salesforce technicians. They let me ask dumb questions without any judgement and helped me evolve and upskill really quickly.
Was it challenging? Yes! It was like being on a boat in the middle of the ocean. You see a glimpse of land… then you lose it. And repeat. But the community got me through. Everyone bands together, and there’s literally no one you can’t reach out to.
Today, I’m working on a much bigger engagement as part of the ‘spine’ team – key people who make sure the whole project succeeds. My job is to keep an eye on the bigger picture and help the people around me do the best quality work possible. After a lot of hard work, learning, and putting myself forward for new opportunities, I saw my role shift from executing and learning to mentoring and strategy.
I like having a ‘view from the bridge’ and understanding how we’re going to develop the client’s whole environment.
What I love about working at Accenture’s Salesforce Practice
- You’re at the cutting edge. Robotics, AI, big data… whatever you’re interested in, you can get experience in leading technologies implementing Salesforce for Accenture.
- You’re constantly learning. With the training Accenture provides for its Salesforce employees, and the way we all support each other, you’re always touching new capabilities and evolving your job with the market.
- It’s always different. At one level, Salesforce is standard. But the way you manipulate it for each client is unique. Each company wants something different – and that makes it exciting. At Accenture, your job is to customise Salesforce to meet and exceed those requirements.
Next, I’m planning to move beyond the day-to-day build and into the architect space where we do proof of concept work – very cool! I just need 9 more certifications…
Interested in joining our Salesforce team? Find out where you could fit.
