Have you been intimidated by a Salesforce cert before?
We've all been there...
As a matter of fact...
I'm there right now with the Marketing Cloud Developer Cert.
Here's the problem...
I've been wanting to take the Marketing Cloud developer certification but I’ve been procrastinating on taking the exam.
My fear of failure has held me back from scheduling and taking this exam for a while now.
Why Is It A Problem?
If I don't overcome procrastination and fear, I may never see what's on the other side of the Marketing Cloud ecosystem.
The world may change too fast for me to keep up in Marketing Cloud.
Artificial Intelligence could take my job if I'm too stagnant.
I've come a long way in Marketing Cloud as an Admin, Consultant, and Instructor.
But now it's time to head into the land of Developers.
3 Marketing Cloud Developer Benefits:
You might think to yourself...
Kaelan, why do you want to get the Marketing Cloud Developer cert?
Well... here are 3 reasons to get the Marketing Cloud Developer Cert:
When you study for, and unlock the programming side of your brain, countless career opportunities will open up.
The more advanced tech skills that you learn, the more in-demand you'll be in the future.
You won’t have to worry about a job in the future.
(Developers are always going to be desired by companies)
BONUS: You'll also know that you can do whatever you set your mind to, which will give you the confidence you need in this ever-changing economy.
Even if you want to become a Marketing Cloud Developer, life gets in the way.
Have you had these thoughts about being a developer?
I'm not a programmer
I don't have any experience programming
I don't know where to start
I don't know which direction I should be studying
I don't know what to study first (AMPscript, SSJS, API’s, SQL, GTL, etc…)
I don't have a study partner
I can't stay disciplined for long enough
I don't have a study routine
It's hard to stay consistent
I keep procrastinating
I keep pushing back study time
I keep waiting to book the exam
I have other priorities (other things are more important)
I don't think the MC Developer cert is a priority.
I've had the exact same thoughts too...
Maybe You Can Relate To My Story
My friend and study buddy (Therion Thacker) and I started studying for the MC Developer cert in early 2023.
We documented every day of our journey on the MinuteAdmin Blog and YouTube channel.
Everything was going smoooooth for a while.
Shortly after we started studying every day together, Therion got a new MC Developer job. (We were both soooo hyped!)
Then we realized that we weren't on the same schedule anymore...
As time went on and Therion was deep diving into his MC Developer projects, I was starting a new MC Admin class in Singapore.
We had to shift our meetings due to scheduling conflicts.
Then, I traveled to San Diego for a week.
Being in San Diego threw my whole routine off.
In San Diego, I was 2 hours behind on PST (I'm usually on CST).
And Therion was on EST.
So 8:00 AM for him was 5:00 AM for me.
That's a 3 hour difference.
Things get kinda tough to schedule when you're that far apart in time zones.
My sleep routine got thrown off that week.
(I was working until 12:00 AM some nights because my work day didn’t start until 7:00 PM).
All of a sudden I wasn’t as excited to jump on to the daily calls.
Therion was bringing the energy, but for some reason I didn’t have the tenacity like before.
Since San Diego, we've done a few more daily YouTube videos.
But nothing like when we first started.
It’s crazy how a sleep routine can affect have such an effect your daily habits. <- (This is a lesson I learned).
I started focusing a lot of energy on the MC Admin class I was teaching, and stopped studying for the MC Developer cert.
After 6 weeks, the MC Admin class finished.
But it took me a while to get back into my normal routine and start studying for the cert again.
It's taken about 8 weeks for my normal routine to come back around.
It's coming back slowly but surely.
Getting back To The Basics
I’ve started to get back to a good habit loop, and things are starting to look good.
Recently, I've been studying daily for the MC Developer cert again, mostly 1 hour per day, but sometimes 2 hours per day.
So I decided to schedule the exam for today (when I’m writing this).
May 19th, 2023.
I can’t keep putting it off, I need a benchmark to show me where I’m at.
Whatever happens from here is just a litmus test to show me what I need to focus on for the next few weeks.
Whether I pass or fail this test is irrelevant to me.
The only goal for me is to see what’s on the MC Developer exam and then come back with data in my brain.
I’m going to spitball everything that I can remember from the exam on to a sheet of paper.
Will I remember the exact questions? Probably not.
Will I remember concepts? I think so.
So I’m going to write every concept down that is on the exam and study that material even if I do pass the exam today.
Wish me luck! I’ll let you know how I do and what my plan is after I take this test.
Update!! - I just took the exam!!!
I had to pause in the middle of writing this and take the exam...
I didn't pass it, (I missed by 4 questions)... SMH
It's important to me that I document my journey.
Because it's not easy, and we sometimes need inspiration.
With that said, I want to share a few of the lessons I learned this week.
Lessons I've learned this week:
Lesson 1 - Re-adjust quickly (no matter where you’re at)
So you can stick to a sleep schedule and daily routine.
Lesson 2 - Plan your day in a journal
(My favorite is the Monk Manual)
Lesson 3 - Schedule your day the night before you go to sleep
(Reflect in your Monk Manual and schedule when you’re going to do things in the morning in the calendar)
Here's My Step-by-Step Action Plan To Pass the MC Developer Cert (In The Next 2 Weeks)
After taking the MC Developer exam today, I've realized that I need a step by step plan to pass this cert.
Here's the action plan I'm putting together.
Feel free to use this action plan and join me in passing the MC Developer cert!
Step 1 - Have a consistent Sleep Schedule
(10:30 PM - 6:30 AM)
Every single day of the week (Sat & Sun included)
Step 2 - Plan and Reflect in the Monk Manual
(Write down the top 3 things you need to do for the day)
Step 3 - Plan the upcoming week
Go into your calendar and plan your week so you know all the meetings you have next week and create your study schedule.
Step 4 - Schedule each day the night before
Before you go to bed, look at your calendar to see what is on your schedule tomorrow.
Adjust your study schedule in order to fit in all of your meetings and other daily priorities.
(Doing this helps you know WHEN you’re going to do your Priorities)
Step 5 - Study a minimum of 2 hours per day
45 Minutes of studying (Study Session #1) - at 6:45 AM
45 Minutes of studying (Study Session #2) - at 7:45 AM
Pick a study time that works for your schedule
Anything else I study will be a BONUS everyday
Step 6 - Study the exact material on the MC Developer cert
I'm only going to study the material on the MC Dev exam guide
I'm going to be studying in the MC Mastery Community. You can study with me as we get this MC Developer Cert. Just apply here to join the community.
Kaelan Moss - MinuteAdmin out ✌🏽
