Welcome Carol Enevoldsen – Girly Geek of the Week!
#SalesforceVet now has a new bar! Meet Carol! She has been working as a Salesforce Admin since 2001!! Carol is a Solo/Seasoned/Accidental Salesforce Admin and Success Community Champion who gives really great advice! “Believe in yourself. Remember it’s okay to make mistakes, to have rough patches—it’s how we learn, grow, and achieve successes!” PS – Tuscon needs a WIT Leader!!
Me: How & when did you start working with Salesforce?
Carol: On 8/8 at 8am I interviewed for a marketing position at a global company. Eight must be my lucky number because I was hired shortly thereafter and became a member of a dynamic marketing team, doing industry research, documentation, web, trademarks, competitive analysis, promos, you name it. I’d only been onboard for a little more than six months when I was ‘nominated’ to take on a CRM in addition to my existing responsibilities. That was March 2001 and the CRM was Salesforce Professional Edition. I was in both marketing and salesforce roles for many years. When the company upgraded to Enterprise a few years ago both Salesforce and I were transferred to the IT department. WOW I think you are officially the earliest Salesforce user I have come in contact with to date!! 2001?! Amazing! 🙂
Me: What is your current role working with Salesforce?
Carol: I’m a solo administrator. Like many solo admins that includes: help desk support, trainer, documentation writer, declarative coder (are you sure you can’t program, too?), business analyst, requirements gatherer, data quality enforcer, problem solver, seer, oracle, and wisdom provider of all things Salesforce. It’s a busy life! Who knew in 2001 that I could make a career in such a great field! Feel very blessed to have ‘fallen’ into something I enjoy so much. Oracle haha – We are all mind readers too! I still don’t think I am over the fact that you were administering Salesforce in 2001 LoL 😀
Me: What is your favorite thing to do in Salesforce and why?
Carol: Just one!? Really enjoy training, usability, and making people’s jobs easier and more productive. I’m a bit of a data cleanliness geek, so I enjoy looking through the data (yes, really!) and figuring out ways to make it cleaner. (Data cleanliness/quality is everyone’s responsibility!) There’s also such a great rush when I’m working on building something, am not sure how to proceed, and then finally figure it out. Love the statement “Data cleanliness/quality is everyone’s responsibility!” that is SO true!
Me: Are you currently certified? And if so what certifications do you hold?
Carol: Yes, I’m a Certified Salesforce Administrator. I waited to sit for the exam until after the move to Enterprise. Despite years of experience and pushing the boundaries on Professional, when we moved to Enterprise I wanted to make sure I understood all the differences and had a good background. So I took the Admin training course offered by Salesforce. (shout out to Patti Bivona who is the best instructor!) Then, since I know I don’t test well—bit of anxiety, nerves, and looking at questions from too many angles I think!—I did some further studying before taking the test. Hoping to find time to get a few more under my belt! I am the SAME way!! I am not a good test taker – I over analyze and second guess everything!! lol BUT when it comes to the certs I just make sure I take my time and go with my very first instinct!
Me: What are some of your aspirations and/or goals when it comes to Salesforce?
Carol: To keep growing and learning. Every day I’m challenged with something new. That’s a good thing! I’d like to find time to study for more certs — especially advance admin and sales consultant. To be one-tenth as knowledgeable and as helpful as many of the people I look up to on the Community. To start a blog. To teach more Salesforce. I love that look on a student/user’s face – that ‘ah-hah’ moment when they grasp a concept they’ve been struggling with and realize they can do this! But you DO know alot Carol and you help so many in the Success Community!! I have seen it myself!
Me: Do you have any advice for women working with Salesforce?
Carol: Breathe – Take one step at a time; you don’t have to eat the whole elephant at once! Learn something new each day. Reach out and share, ask questions, get involved, but also take time for yourself. Nourish your joy. Repeat: Nourish your joy! Believe in yourself. Remember it’s okay to make mistakes, to have rough patches—it’s how we learn, grow, and achieve successes! And remember the wise words of C.S. Lewis: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” Absolutely love this advice!
Me: What kinds of things are you involved in, and/or do you like to do outside of the Salesforce world?
Carol: Travel, cooking, theatre, music, and yes, Salesforce—even after hours! It’s just fun. Used to be into photography—SLR prints and slides—and would like to take that up again someday. Right now, fixing up an old home; one room at a time. And you have a super creative side I see! Awesome!
Me: Are you part of a Girly Geeks Chapter?
Carol: I’m a member of the WIT (Girly Geeks) group in the Community. Tucson doesn’t have a Girly Geeks Chapter yet. We’re still growing our User Group. If you’re reading this, live or work in sunny southwestern AZ, please come join us! <shameless plug!> We can’t wait to meet you! Good Luck to growing your User Group and hopefully gaining a WIT group!
https://success.salesforce.com/featuredGroupDetail?id=a1z30000006IDcXAAW#a0L3000000Rq7KPEAZ
It was a pleasure getting to know you Carol and thank you very much for sharing!
You are definitely an inspiration!
For those of you that want to follow Carol, here are her links:
Twitter handle: @cee4625
Sfdc Community link: https://success.salesforce.com/_ui/core/userprofile/UserProfilePage?u=00530000003IVK8&tab=sfdc.ProfilePlatformFeed
SaaSyForce.com 