To become a Salesforce developer you will need to learn Apex, a proprietary object-oriented programming language that is used in Salesforce on the backend side; JavaScript, a popular, text-based programming language; and C++, a general-purpose programming language. Salesforce Inc. offers a variety of tutorials and other resources for those who want to learn Apex at https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_intro_learning_apex.htm. Exercism.org offers more than 125 free JavaScript coding exercises. If you’re a JavaScript newbie, check out the tips and tutorials at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/JavaScript. You can learn how to program using C++ at online learning platforms such as Udemy and Codeacademy.

Salesforce Inc. offers a variety of tutorials and other resources at its developer Web site, https://developer.salesforce.com. One especially useful resource is its Developer Podcast (https://developer.salesforce.com/podcast), which features interviews with Salesforce developers, architects, and other professionals.

Subscribe to the Salesforce developers’ YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/c/SalesforceDevelopers. It offers a wealth of resources for aspiring and current developers.

Other methods of exploring software development include joining computer clubs, talking with Salesforce developers about their careers, and participating in programming competitions and software development and other IT-related summer exploration programs that are offered by colleges and universities, high schools, and park districts.

Salesforce developers have duties that are similar to those of other software developers. When creating new software, they first meet with the project stakeholders to discuss the features of the software, as well as system performance expectations, its integration with other Salesforce products or third-party software, information security concerns, and other issues. Then the developer determines the costs, time requirements, and required resources that will be needed to complete the work. They present a design plan (which is sometimes known as a design specification) to stakeholders, and the developers make any revisions necessary to the plan before starting to write the code and build the application. A small project will require just one or two developers, while teams of developers will be needed for large projects. Throughout the development phase, developers conduct hands-on and automated tests to ensure that everything works as designed. They continue to test, troubleshoot, debug, and otherwise improve the software until it is released to the user. After the software release, developers address any performance or security issues that users identify. They also prepare technical documentation that summarizes their work on the project and details any significant issues that arose during the process and what they did to fix them. Developers may train staff on how to use the new software.

Other responsibilities of developers include identifying best practices around application development to improve productivity, scalability, system performance, and monitoring; assessing the software needs of new customers to determine if the existing software should be customized or upgraded or replaced by a new product and present their findings in oral or written form to stakeholders; documenting all aspects of a company’s information technology (IT) applications and systems for future reference when making upgrades or customizations to existing software; and integrating Salesforce products with other systems such as a client’s Web site or enterprise resource planning software.