MEET A GRADUATE — Frank Primerano
About the Program
William Paterson University School of Continuing Education and Professional Education worked with North Jersey Partners, a coalition of Workforce Development Boards, to offer Camp4’s Salesforce Certified Administrator Program with 21 students enrolled in the second cohort. Those who pass the program receive a certificate of completion from William Paterson University.
We sat down with graduate Frank Primerano, Sales Operations Analyst at FullFunnel, to talk with him about his Camp4 experience.
What is your professional background and what was your prior experience with Salesforce?
Before the Camp4 program I was working in Sales, most recently in B2B, door-to-door sales for local businesses. When Covid happened we were losing deals and not making as many sales, so I started looking for new opportunities. I also had a lot of experience with other CRMs, not Salesforce specifically, as an end user.
What made you want to join the Camp4 program?
My friend recommended it to me because he thought I’d be good at it. I pick up technology pretty quickly and had been taking some Salesforce Trailheads on my own already, so I thought I’d give the program a shot. It was right around when Covid hit, so I also thought it was a good opportunity to invest some time in myself and switch career paths.
What was your day-to-day experience in the Camp4 program?
On my first day, we went over a lot of things that I had already learned in Trailheads, so I felt like I had a bit of a head start, but after that, the program quickly picked up and I started learning new things. Repetition of these tasks is really the key to learning them, and the program was great for that. Also, John Craven was a fantastic teacher, and everyone loved him.
What was your favorite aspect of the course?
The fireside chats were really helpful because that’s where I learned a lot of interview skills, especially in terms of how to relate my experience to Salesforce. Before the course, I was a little hesitant to apply for jobs in the Salesforce ecosystem because I don’t have a degree in it, but this course really helps build your confidence.
I also really appreciated how the course helped us connect with people. I still have a lot of connections there, and I even tutored some of the other students in the course, which I was able to put on my resumé. The networking opportunities are a really great aspect of the course.
Did you take any of the certification tests after the course?
I did take the Salesforce Admin Certification test. It was pretty tough though, so it took me a couple of tries, but once I got the certification, it was a great feeling!
Once you completed the course and certification, how did you go about landing your current job?
At first, I applied to jobs on LinkedIn and I got a lot of interviews. I also used Discord, a developer server with job posts, and I got some leads there by directly messaging people. What ended up working out was one of the LinkedIn job posts that I responded to. I didn’t have all of the direct experience that the position required, but I told them that I was a fast learner and they gave me a chance. And the fact that I had a lot of Salesforce knowledge at this point helped a lot because that was one of the primary skills they were looking for.
Can you tell us a bit more about this new job?
My title is Sales Operations Analyst, and I fix a lot of the issues our sales team faces on our platforms. I also create documents for training Sales Reps and do a lot of work in connecting the various platforms we use. I’ve also been doing list uploads, which the course helped a lot in because it trained me in prepping those lists and importing them. Because of that training, I am able to catch mistakes quickly before the importing process even begins.
What’s your advice for someone who is thinking about Camp4 and wondering if it’s a worthwhile investment?
Camp4 is definitely worth it for the skills you learn, the networking, and for getting that help from one another. For someone without a lot of computer knowledge, it’s especially useful, and John really is a great teacher. If you’re looking to switch career paths, I would definitely recommend it.
What advice would you give someone trying to get through the course?
I would suggest trying to connect with people as much as you can throughout the course. Personally, I prefer smaller study groups, because things move a little more quickly when you have two or three people, but no matter what, do a lot of studying in groups. I would also suggest doing all of the assignments because that repetition is really going to help you in the end. Lastly, pay attention to John, because he knows what he’s talking about!
Interested in making a career shift yourself, or offering Salesforce training for your team?
