Be a curious big-picture thinker. Be a Salesforce Technical Architect.
Technical Architects are not afraid to dig deep into business problems, asking tough questions in search of long-term solutions to help companies grow seamlessly. The bottom line is they like to get to the bottom of things. No one knows this better than Charly Prinsloo.
Tasked with making sure that all parts of Salesforce are set up and implemented correctly, Architects rely on their broad knowledge across multiple development platforms to design secure, high-performance systems that maximize the potential of the Salesforce Platform.
And this is exactly what Charly Prinsloo does as Practice Lead & Technical Architect at Sense Corp, living in Austin, Texas.
Charly says, “I’m always curious and I’m always in other people’s business, which isn’t always a good thing, but those are some of the key skills that you need as an Architect.”
Charly goes so far as to even call herself “nosy,” but this nosiness has served her well on her Architect journey. After using Salesforce while working as a medical researcher, she was hooked.
“I got the opportunity to work on Salesforce as an end user, and I completely fell in love…”
She shares, “Somebody gave me Admin access, and I started fiddling with buttons and seeing what happens when you press them and when you press delete and when you do things in the back end.”
Of course, with Trailhead Playgrounds you don’t need Admin rights, as anyone can create an org to use when completing hands-on challenges and trying out new features and customizations.
It’s Not Just About the Code
Charly has been able to parlay this inquisitiveness into a successful career as an Architect, despite not having a strong tech background or studying tech topics in college.
In fact, not having coding skills isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, as Charly knows first-hand. “I get asked, ‘How can you be an Architect if you can’t code?’ And that’s a really good question, because although I can code a little bit, I’m not the best coder in the world.” She continues,
“But as an Architect, you don’t have to be a fantastic coder… You need to understand the best practices, you need to understand how code patterns work.”
Although most Architects really do have a strong technical background, some are, in fact, former Salesforce Administrators.
Charly explains, “Traditionally, you would have thought that it was the developers that ended up becoming Technical Architects because it’s a very technical, very specialized role.” But now, according to Charly, some of the best Architects she knows used to be Admins.
So although Certified Technical Architects (CTAs) occupy the top rung of the Salesforce-skill ladder, those interested in an Architect role shouldn’t feel intimidated. Lots of different skills — even soft skills such as storytelling — are needed.
“[Architects] like speaking to people,” Charly explains. “You can put them in front of a Developer or an Admin or a CIO or a CEO. You can put them at every level, and they’ll be able to weave a solution together by telling a story.”
Embarking on the Architect Journey
While there are many ways to get on the path toward becoming an Architect, what remains constant is the desire to learn and help teams get the most out of their Salesforce investment.
“You have to figure out your path, learning as much about the Salesforce Platform as possible,” Charly says.
Becoming certified will also take you a long way. The Salesforce Architect Journey gives aspiring Architects a clear certification path to follow, with certs for each Domain — recognizing not only specialized technical knowledge and skills but also expertise that can only be developed through real-world experience on the platform.
- The Salesforce Architecture Designer credentials validate knowledge and expertise in particular specializations.
- The Salesforce Application Architect and System Architect certifications recognize professionals who possess expertise in a domain area.
- The Salesforce Technical Architect (CTA) credential is the pinnacle certification for those you might call “career Architects” — folks who’ve worked in the field, developing the knowledge, skills, and capabilities to design and build high-performance technical solutions on the Salesforce Platform across all areas of domain expertise.
For Charly, Trailhead remains a reliable resource as she continues to seek new knowledge.
“You can now really study [Salesforce] through Trailhead badges and modules and trails.”
“I still go to Trailhead every day and I do my badges,” she admits. “So, if you’re just starting out, I would say go to Trailhead, create your account, and do some of the basic Salesforce trails. Learn about Salesforce and its core functions.”
With dedicated trailmixes covering a range of essential Architect skills, Trailhead is invaluable for anyone interested in learning more about the Architect path, regardless of their current role or background.
A Growing Demand… and Community
Charly is first to admit that the #JourneyToCTA can be challenging. But in the end, the hard work pays off — in more ways than one.
Architects are considered among the most skilled Salesforce experts, and they’re highly compensated accordingly.
And demand for Salesforce technical skills continues to grow. Studies show that 3.3M jobs will be created in the Salesforce ecosystem by 2022, which is a significant jump from last year’s forecast of 1.9M jobs by 2020.
Architects are sitting pretty within those stats — over the last 4 years, the demand for this role has experienced one of the highest growth rates in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Opportunities abound for Architects as their impressive skill set, training, and experience puts them in high demand. Charly hopes to contribute to the growing Architect Community by inspiring individuals who perhaps doubted they were cut out for the job.
The level of commitment and years of experience needed may, in the past, have made many question whether they have what it takes. “It’s a very small community [in part] because so many people feel that they can’t do it,” she says.
But Charly feels this is simply not true. That’s why she strongly encourages those interested in the role — particularly women — to pursue it wholeheartedly.
“There are very few ladies who are CTAs… We needed more resources. We couldn’t find somewhere that people could support one another. So we created Ladies Be Architects. It’s not just for ladies, it’s for men too… We just empower each other to walk this journey.”
As Charly explains, “If you are an Architect, people are really clamoring to give you opportunities. I think there’s no limit when you’re an Architect on the Salesforce Platform.”
Ready to Start Your Architect Career?
Listen to Charly’s episode on the Trailblazing Guide to Careers podcast to learn more about her #JourneyToCTA. Then, get started on your own journey with the dedicated Build Your Architect Career on Salesforce trailmix.
To explore more of the amazing career paths you can unlock with Salesforce, check out The Trailblazer’s Guide to Careers blog.
