If you have already passed the Salesforce Admin certification, you are on a very good path to continue this winning streak. As they say, “No risk, no champagne.” Certifications are a bit like tattoos: once you get one, it is hard to stop. But what is the next certification? This question troubles many administrators. I can only advise you; I cannot decide for you. Have you ever watched Dragon Ball? (If not, you have a lot to catch up on.) In it, the main character and his friends reach a new levels of power called Super Saiyan, and there’s Super Saiyan II and Super Saiyan III too. It is similar to Administrator certifications. Why not go for Advanced Administrator? This is the first certification that can also be useful in an administrator’s near future. But there are many certifications. I will mention only those that are extremely useful and those that you could not even have dreamed of when you first learned what Salesforce was.
Advanced Administrator is a certification for experienced admins. Yes, you read that right – experienced admins. But imagine going to a recruiter with such a certification. It would be like being a 20-year-old with 30 years of experience. With this certification, you will receive a badge that looks like this:
Figure 13.6: Advanced Administrator badge
It looks awesome! By studying for this exam, you will gain knowledge about advanced security configurations, data sharing, and advanced field configurations. You will acquire secret knowledge about Flow and business process automation. You will be able to manage data, reports, analytics, and changes like an expert.
With the Sales Cloud Consultant certification, you will gain the skills of a consultant. Of course, a bright beam of light will not descend upon you; your soft skills will not suddenly increase by 10 levels. But you will learn to design based on one of the most popular clouds – Sales Cloud. Here is the badge for it:
Figure 13.7: Sales Cloud Consultant badge
This certification also involves data management and solution design. In addition, you will learn a lot about sales processes and the capabilities of leads and opportunities. Products and price books will no longer be foreign to you. Plus, you’ll know about sales analytics and reports. What is more? Sales, sales, sales again!
With the Service Cloud Consultant certification, you will be a master in setting up help desks. This is another very popular direction for newly minted administrators and another good-looking badge for your collection:
Figure 13.8: Service Cloud Consultant badge
You will become familiar with case management and knowledge bases. You will be able to automate service processes using Flow to more efficiently manage cases and improve customer service quality. Setting up new contact channels will be exceptionally easy for you – chat, phone, or email – configuring them will not pose a problem for you.
Now, let us move on to the less popular exams. We will start with my favorite (which I took twice: it was the only exam I did not pass on the first try – my nemesis!).