It feels like just yesterday that we started our Salesforce careers, and yet in that time, the landscape has changed completely. When we started, there were more entry-level roles than you could poke a stick at, and AI was just a pipe dream.
Though things have changed, we still strongly believe that building a career as a Salesforce Admin is as fruitful and exciting as ever, if not more so.
Understanding the Modern Salesforce Landscape
Today, Salesforce is known for far more than just its core cloud offerings like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or Marketing Cloud. Agentforce, Salesforce’s agentic enterprise suite, takes center stage as the shiny new toy. It empowers businesses by putting their data to work with AI that can take specific actions on that data.
Speaking of data, Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud) is Salesforce’s solution for connecting and harmonizing data both in and outside of the Salesforce ecosystem. Granting Agentforce context using Data 360 is one of the key ways businesses are transforming their business’s ability to act today.
AI coding assistants have also been causing industry-wide disruptions, one of which is Salesforce’s own Agentforce Vibes. While AI coding tools help developers to speed up their programmatic workflows, they can also be used by admins to speed up the building of various metadata (Creating mass permission sets, AI-assisted reading of Apex code, etc).
If you were to think that Salesforce seems complicated or is growing more complicated, you would not be alone. It’s been an ongoing conversation for some time now – whether all the knowledge and product awareness required nowadays is just too much. For a graduate entering the Salesforce market for the first time, this message especially hits home.
The Admin Role’s Aggressive Evolution
As the Salesforce ecosystem is quickly evolving, we’re seeing major changes to the Salesforce Admin role. It’s no longer enough to know how to manage users, add fields, and assign permissions. Admins need to offer intimate knowledge of the business they work for, the industry they work in, and be able to leverage Salesforce’s tools to build future-proof solutions that stand the test of time. In many ways, this is an exciting time for new Salesforce Admins.
That being said, as aforementioned, current and prospective admins are also up against Salesforce’s product suite and range of capabilities that are increasingly more complex. So, although there is more for them to break into, more is expected of them, too – adding to the pressures of an already turbulent market.
The Volatile Job Market of Today
Spend enough time in the Salesforce ecosystem, and you’ll quickly begin to understand how volatile the Salesforce job market has become.
Ecosystem veterans will fondly recall the times of the ancient past when the job market was full of opportunities, roles, and paths to advancement. Now, the scenario is very different: it is an employer’s market, saturation is a prominent issue, and roles are rapidly evolving to include more and more responsibilities. But how did we get here?
The shift to digital solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic fueled a boom period for Salesforce, mirroring the success of many other tech companies. This cloud giant achieved a 24% revenue growth in FY21, and its 2020 State of Sales report indicated that digital transformation had accelerated since 2019, according to 77% of sales operations professionals. This positive momentum was sustained through 2022.
Following the pandemic, Salesforce was left in the wake of its digital transformation efforts, with a lot more employees than it needed and a shifting strategy. Ensue layoffs, a job market reset, and the worst conditions since the recession era of 2008-2010; the market has been through a lot.
Looking at the market today shows that, fortunately, circumstances aren’t so wedged into the “doom and gloom” category. Demand is up, albeit marginally, according to 10K’s 2025 Talent Ecosystem Report, and professionals are beginning to understand the importance of specializing in such a competitive market.
This is not to say that the market is not still saturated or that jobs are easy to come by – prospective employees will still likely find securing jobs difficult to some degree, as current evidence suggests. However, as the tech sector continues to gear towards AI and teams adapt, the future of the ecosystem and job market will hopefully continue on a slow upward path as we progress throughout 2026.
Along with the focus moving to AI, there are skills that employers desire that differ slightly from those of the past. It’s no longer just about technical knowledge, but also knowing how to work with AI and human beings effectively.
Soft Skills Are the New Hard Skills
With tools like Agentforce Vibes and Setup Powered by Agentforce, as well as the readily available documentation designed to bring readers up to speed quickly, knowing how to configure Salesforce is far less important than knowing when to do so, and why. This is where the Salesforce Admins of the future will thrive.
It is critically important for new Salesforce Admins to become critical thinkers and learn to think through and challenge requests as they come through. Knowing when to say no is often more important than knowing how to act on a yes.
Salesforce Admins must learn the art of business analysis if they want to thrive in the new Salesforce world. They must learn how to sit with business stakeholders and accurately translate their frustrations into technical requirements.
It’s not as simple as adding in a field when a stakeholder requests it – it’s digging deeper to understand the pain point behind the request; understanding the actual business requirement is far more important than knowing how to build something that a stakeholder asks for (like “Can you add another long text field to the Account object so we can take this special kind of notes?”).
The entry-level Salesforce jobs of today and beyond look vastly different than those of a decade ago, which is something that many university graduates should be aware of and adjust accordingly.
Thoughts from Current University Graduates: “The Support Was Excellent”
From a graduate perspective, entering the market right now can seem confusing, daunting, and even impossible at times. However, it is still very possible.
Karl Siddal, currently the Salesforce Engineering Manager at Places for People, started as a Service Desk Analyst at the same company in 2021, after leaving the RAF. From there, he began his path into Salesforce as a Graduate Salesforce Engineer.
When asked about the support throughout this process, Karl spoke highly of Places for People.
“The support was excellent,” he said. “Training was more of a determination from myself, but it was great being allowed the time to learn on the job rather than being taught.”
This particular path of taking on Salesforce training with a company is something that he actively recommends, believing it “opens up many career opportunities.”
Marianna Longo took a different path into the market and is currently enrolled in the Salesforce EMEA Commercial Graduate Program, primarily working in sales.
“I originally applied through a job posting I found on LinkedIn,” she said. “As for the program itself, I am finding it incredibly valuable; it has been a great way to enter the workforce.
“Salesforce has been incredibly supportive, especially with my relocation. They covered the cost of my flight and even paid for a one-bedroom apartment for my first month, which made settling in much easier.”
Salesforce’s graduate program is something that Marianna definitely recommends for other graduates, especially those who have finished their studies recently.
“It’s ideal because it gives you the flexibility to explore different areas,” she said. “You can try your hand at Sales while also experiencing more technical roles like Solution Engineering.”
This 12-month program currently has 19 open paths based in Dublin, Ireland. Salesforce also offers a two-year Associate Product Manager program – based in the United States – that also has graduate and internship pathways.
Those looking to dive deep and start digging into the Salesforce space may be looking for a bit of guidance (outside of a business’s support) to get them started. If that’s you, you may be interested in a self-guided, deep-dive approach to getting started in the Salesforce space.
Your 90 Day Salesforce Crash Course
So what does this mean for someone just entering the ecosystem? How should a graduate actually prepare? Here’s a practical, study-intensive, 90-day roadmap you can use to get started.
One important thing to know from the outset – this is an intense plan that will require dedication and hard work to achieve. As a graduate who may not be in full-time employment just yet, this is certainly achievable, especially if you can be flexible. However, if you’re not willing to put in the work, it may take longer than 90 days.
There are also no promises, and the Salesforce workforce is competitive. It’s up to you to put in the work and stand out from the competition. This extremely intense plan has been developed with a very specific audience in mind, too – university graduates.
This is not recommended for people who are emerging from other industries and may be trying to execute this plan in conjunction with working full-time. This is specifically for those who are just finishing university, are used to the pressures of an exceptional study load, and are looking to fast-track their entry into the Salesforce ecosystem.
People who are self-motivated and dedicated will be able to pull this off, although it will not be easy.
The First 30 Days
Your first 30 days need to be focused on learning the foundations of the Salesforce platform. Salesforce has an incredible hands-on learning resource called Trailhead. Here, you’ll learn the basics of what Salesforce is and how to configure it. You’ll also learn about Salesforce’s Agentforce suite and the future agentic direction of the Salesforce business offerings.
The best way to go about it would be to use the Study Guides for two core certifications: the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator and the Salesforce Certified Agentforce Specialist. Putting these two certifications together and dedicating yourself to the studying and hands-on activities that come along with them will give you a great technical foundation of the core work that an admin does and will do in the near future.
The Second Month
Once you’ve done enough hands-on training and proven yourself by achieving the certifications, it’s time to have some fun and get creative. By leveraging one of Salesforce’s new, free developer orgs, you should get to work building some interesting and innovative projects of your own.
This is an opportunity to show that you understand Salesforce, not just that you can follow instructions on Trailhead and memorize information for the exam. Showcase your critical thinking, document your hypothetical business requirements and design process, and publish your journey. This will help you stand out from the crowd when it’s time to move into the last 90 days of this plan.
Our colleague Henry Martin has pulled together a list of five projects that you could consider as inspiration for the second month – get creative, and come up with some additional ideas of your own!
The Final Steps
These are your final steps into the 90-day plan! Now that you understand the technical aspects, and you’ve put in some work to show off your understanding, creativity, and innovative spirit, it’s time to make a name for yourself. This is the step where you reach out to the Salesforce community and connect with people or user groups, share what you’ve learned, and try to help others along the way as well.
You should also consider attending some community events to learn more and build your network. These events are brilliant opportunities to see what others are doing in the Salesforce space and share what you’ve been learning as well. You could even consider applying to speak and share your story at one of these events, if you’re feeling up for it.
This is going to make you stand out considerably from your competition. Someone eager, who works hard, and gives back is an asset to any business out there, Salesforce customer or not. You should also consider sharing what you have been learning on LinkedIn to get your name out there and show your stuff!
Summary
The Salesforce ecosystem is still the birthplace of exciting innovation and often the genesis of an exciting career. While the landscape is changing, this should be seen less as a threat and more as an incredible opportunity from a different perspective.
Are you considering a leap into the Salesforce world, or are you potentially a seasoned Salesforce veteran with some wisdom to share? We’d love to hear where you’re at and what you’re learning about, regardless of whether you’re new or have been around forever!
