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

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.

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

Informational links

Upcoming Salesforce Platform Developer 1 Courses

Currently, the Platform App Builder course is held twice a year, though more may be added based on interest. Important dates for 2023 are listed below. Please note that there is a preregistration period that allows us to set a class schedule according to interest. Registration is separate and students must meet registration requirements, published as part of preregistration, prior to being registered for the course. Once preregistration opens, a link to the form can be found on this page.

  • First Quarter 2023
    • September 19-October 31, 2022: Preregistration
    • November 1-November 28, 2022: Registration
    • Week of January 9, 2023: Classes begin
    • Week of April 10, 2023: Classes end
  • Third Quarter 2023
    • March 13-April 24, 2023: Preregistration
    • April 25-May 22: Registration
    • Week of July 3, 2023: Classes begin
    • Week of October 2, 2023: Classes end