Salesforce Developer

Background

The BIT Academy offers a fully remote, 14-week course designed to prepare students to sit for the Salesforce Developer 1 certification exam. Our goal is for everyone to certify. Like our other Salesforce courses, this course is run primarily as independent study with a weekly group learning session led by a certified Salesforce admin and developer with on-the-job experience. While most work is done on students’ own time and schedule through reading and hands-on exercises, class times are used for introducing new concepts and reviewing concepts studied during the week. Students are expected to dedicate a minimum of 20 hours per week to hands-on activities, reading, and study, plus two hours in class and any time spent as part of a study group or attending office hours and one-on-one sessions with instructional staff.

The BIT/Salesforce Advantage 

  • Salesforce’s Office of Accessibility partners with BIT to unlock opportunities for our students! We frequently have guest speakers from Salesforce, and our students are eligible for mentoring by Salesforce employees
  • Salesforce provides certification vouchers for the Salesforce Platform Developer 1 certification exam and we work closely with Trailhead Accessibility to make certain students’ accommodation needs are met when they sit for the exam

Who Should Attend this Course?

Candidates who are best suited for this course will possess the following:

  • Previous knowledge of the Salesforce platform, demonstrated through either prerequisite superbadges OR Salesforce certification.
  • A desire to continue their career in the Salesforce ecosystem
  • Prior experience with programming, especially in object-oriented programming languages
  • Analytical thinking and the ability to innovate and find new solutions to problems
  • Determined, methodical, patient mindset, a determination to overcome obstacles, and independent problem solving skills
  • A minimum of 20 hours per week outside of class time to apply themselves to the material being covered
  • The ability to independently complete the hands-on work, most of which will be somewhat familiar
  • Intermediate to advanced knowledge of accessibility solutions applicable to a student’s disability

What happens after the Course?

BIT is a registered apprenticeship provider with the US Department of Labor. We offer paid, competency-based apprenticeships to students who complete the course and meet qualifying benchmarks. Apprentices work on real client projects, gaining valuable experience for up to 20 hours per week. International students are considered interns for legal reasons, but receive an identical experience. We work with our employer partners to place our apprentices in contract and direct hire positions in the Salesforce ecosystem.

Why this Course?

What makes the Salesforce Developer course from BIT different from others or from studying independently?

  • The course is 100% remote, with class sessions held on the Google Meet platform
  • Like all of BIT’s candidate services, the course is offered at no cost to students. The BIT Academy is fully funded by corporate sponsors, foundations, and individual donors who all believe in the BIT mission, as well as Vocational Rehabilitation funding, if available.
  • We are the only Salesforce Authorized Training Provider with a focus on people with disabilities who serves students globally and the only Salesforce Developer program designed specifically for Salesforce professionals with disabilities
  • The course is taught by a 2x Certified Salesforce Admin and Developer with expertise in accessibility solutions such as screen readers, magnification software, etc.
  • The course is designed both by and specifically for people with disabilities, including sensory, neurodevelopmental, and other conditions
  • We focus on inclusion. True accessibility isn’t just accommodations for a disability, it’s including students in a way that they feel comfortable in their learning environment. If an accommodation is needed, it is likely available or can be made so with enough advance notice to put something in place
  • We go beyond Trailhead to provide supplemental materials such as discussion posts, quizzes, and in-house produced written materials for our students. We aim to fully prepare those who participate in the course to sit for the Salesforce Platform Developer 1 certification exam
  • We offer opportunities to collaborate with other students, including student-organized study groups, “office hours” provided by instructional staff, and one-on-one sessions with instructional staff, when requested.

Course Prerequisites

In addition to a working knowledge of programmatic development, you must have at least ONE of the following two items:

Informational links

  • Take a look at the Platform Developer 1 Exam Guide
  • Get a sneak peek at our study trail and get a head start
  • Email us for questions about this course or general academy info. You can also attend one of our Open House events. Watch this space for more info.

Upcoming Salesforce Platform Developer 1 Courses

The course is held twice per year. Please note that we use an interest form in order to plan for capacity and filling out this form is the only way to be sent a registration form. The interest form will close the day before registration forms are sent out. Please note that items without exact days are approximate and we will publicize accurate information when available.

Please note that we are currently in the process of restructuring the Salesforce Developer course and its prerequisites, and will not be starting this course up again until 2024