Salesforce Admin: Squire Kershner

Why did you become an Admin?

I spent many years as a software support specialist and was used to answering most problems with one straightforward solution. I thought Salesforce would be the same, but I soon realized the platform was incredibly open and robust. There are no prewritten solutions. You can be as creative as you want to be with Salesforce, and that captured my passionate curiosity.

What is the most important skill for an Admin?

Be creative, curious, and cunning. Often you may not be thinking of every possible solution, so you need to trick yourself to be smarter than the problem.

My advice for other Admins is never stop trying new things. There is always something else you can discover with the platform so keep learning, reading, and solving new problems. Don’t be scared about what you don’t know, there are many of us in the community to help you when you are stuck. Also, remember that you can’t always be the good guy, sometimes you have to be the hero or the villain depending on the situation. It is your job, as the Admin, to make decisions and say “no” sometimes. So do it with confidence.

What’s your favorite thing about being an Admin?

I enjoy being the trusted and relied upon platform expert. I get to be the person people go to with problems because I can solve the seemingly unsolvable. I can help the users understand where to start when approaching a problem when they are having trouble. When I teach them how to solve their problem in a new way, I get to see an epiphany happen in their facial expression, which is endlessly rewarding.