Career switch

“Life didn’t go the way I planned for, but I couldn’t have planned for a better life!” 

Deciding to switch careers; from an English Literature graduate to becoming a Salesforce consultant was no easy feat. Especially considering that during this time I relocated to the Netherlands. 

I can still remember the first day I heard about Salesforce, the world’s premiere CRM-software solution. Their corporate values being; Trust, Customer Success, Innovation and Equality immediately resonated with me. Immediately I set out to find a course that would properly prepare me with the knowledge required to embark in this field. Consequently, I found Refugeeforce which is an initiative in Amsterdam to train first generation immigrants to become Salesforce Administrators. After completing the three month course the next step would be to obtain a Salesforce certification. The logical next step was the Admin exam which I passed with flying colors.

Working at Digiphi 

Fast forward one month and I started working as a full-time Salesforce consultant at Digiphi. Digiphi appealed as it is a team that believes that happiness is the essence of growth for the company as well as the employees that make up the company. 

The first two years of my employment passed in the blink of an eye. During this time I have worked with many clients; big, small, commercial or non-profit. This in turn enabled me to develop myself and work on both my strong- and weak points. In addition to developing my practical skill-set I also set out to increase my theoretical foundation. This meant that in addition to working for Digiphi I studied hard to pass additional Salesforce exams. Currently I am four times Salesforce certified and a certified Scrum Master.

My prime source of motivation is that nothing in this universe is impossible. Further fueled by the experiences of my past, growing up in a war torn country, I set my mind to become the hero of the future. In the end it is all about your eagerness to grow, find your goal on the horizon and take the shot! As per the words of Les Brown: “ shoot for the moon; even if you miss it you will land among the stars “. 

I want to conclude my story with a quote by the late Nelson Mandela: “It was not the lack of ability that limited my people, it is the lack of opportunity” and Digiphi gives me this great opportunity.

Dana Zandaki