Angela | Salesforce Technology DEPLOY Fellow

Meet Angela, a Veteran military spouse and mother to two boys. Her husband served for 30 years, and as any military family knows, change is a constant. Despite the nomadic lifestyle, Angela has proudly taken on the role of steadfast support for her family. However, she recently took a leap of faith to pursue her desire to obtain a career, which led her to become Blue Star Families’ Salesforce Technology DEPLOY Fellow. 

Though the path getting here was fraught with obstacles, Angela can look back on her family’s life in the military and be proud of where she is today. “We moved several times, but what really impacted me was the disruption of the move,” Angela shares. “I struggled with isolation and neighborhood connection when not living on base.” The frequent moves also impacted Angela’s career — she was underemployed for years. 

Despite wanting a career, she found herself job hopping between different companies in sales and retail positions with every move. Her luck changed when the military moved her family to Scott Air Force Base, and she learned about the Salesforce Military program via the Military & Family Readiness Center. At first, she thought, “Not another sales job!” But she quickly realized Salesforce doesn’t equal sales. Salesforce Military is a free tech skills training program for military spouses and Veterans wanting to earn a Salesforce certification. Angela explains, “A Salesforce certification is an incredibly valuable asset because the Salesforce software is used by 90% of Fortune 500 companies, making certification holders desirable candidates for hire.” 

Though Angela didn’t have a tech background, she signed up for Salesforce Military, hoping the new skills would help her build a portable career and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.

As Angela was deep in training, a DEPLOY Fellowship opportunity opened up at Blue Star Families, and she knew she’d be a great fit as Salesforce is a sponsor. Not only would she get to serve for one year as a paid Blue Star Families staff member, but she’d also receive on-the-job training while working toward earning her Salesforce certification. A win-win for all!

In her current role, Angela is learning all things Marketing Cloud and working within the Salesforce software daily. She shares that thanks to the support she’s received through the Salesforce community and Blue Star Families, she’s completed all her Trailhead training modules and is working towards a Salesforce Marketing Cloud Certification.

As a military spouse, Angela thinks a Salesforce certification is a great way to grow your career and enhance it — especially when moving a lot. Plus, you really don’t have to have a tech background. “The Salesforce Military program provides plenty of opportunities to learn new skills, acquire professional certifications, and there is a supportive community of experts who want to help you,” Angela explains.  

Upon completing her DEPLOY Fellowship in May, plus a Salesforce certification, Angela’s future looks bright. With guaranteed job interviews already lined up and the skills needed to excel, she’s well on her way to landing a dream job that turns into a successful, long-term tech career.  

Salesforce Military has helped Angela learn new skills and change her career trajectory, and she’s not alone. Since 2014, more than 60,000 trailblazers from the military-connected community have launched successful careers with their Salesforce certifications. Will you be next? Check out the Salesforce Military program and register today.