How Trailblazer Bootcamp Helps You Get Certified: Trailblazer Tales from Berlin

Trailblazer Bootcamp came to Berlin in 2022—from the start, Trailblazers’ reception to the news that we were planning this event was phenomenal. Customers and the community embraced the idea with open arms.

Choosing from nine different role-based tracks with instructor-led learning over 5 days, including two onsite certification opportunities and the chance to network and mingle, proved an irresistible combination!

The proof is in the numbers

In all, we welcomed 325 Trailblazers from 22 countries, including the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland. Salesforce community group members, MVPs, customers, non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, and even people from our local office were there.

During the week, Trailblazers earned 233 Trailblazer Bootcamp Berlin community badges and sat for their Salesforce certification exams onsite. It wasn’t all hard work as we also took the opportunity to have some fun together, most notably by dancing the night away to DJ LOVRA.

The magic happens when genuine connections are made

There was a lot of buzz around Trailblazer Bootcamp coming to Berlin. The real magic happens when a group of people with diverse backgrounds and a common goal get together and genuinely connect.

In fact, one of my favorite moments during the week was watching an Amnesty International Trailblazer head out to dinner with two refugees. They commented the following day that everyone felt welcome and could be their authentic selves.

Wherever you looked, Trailblazers were developing rapport and sparking deeper learning. I saw five people from different companies on different tracks working on exam preparation together alongside a group from other countries in an impromptu late-night study session.

As Trailblazer and Bootcamp participant, Heiko Krämer, put it, “It was a real pleasure to discuss (the) different perspectives we had in that classroom. I’m taking home with me a lot from there.”

The real-world value of Trailblazer Bootcamp

As your business grows, you need a team of skilled, certified, and well-connected employees who can help you get the most out of Salesforce. Trailblazer Bootcamp is a scalable way to build your team’s expertise and accelerate their path to certification.

It’s also an authentic and informal way to streamline learning and create a team spirit. For example, in Berlin, we had 10 companies sending five or more team members to participate. Many people also came by themselves—that’s great, too!

No matter how you join, you’ll be ensured a warm welcome and will feel right at home.

So, whether you’ve come independently or as part of an organization, you’ll experience the Trailblazer Community firsthand. You also get to pick the brains of the best Salesforce-certified experts, meet with peers who are at the same learning stage as you, and enjoy a collaborative environment.

And did we mention the chance to take two Salesforce certification exams within the week?

Two chances to get Salesforce-certified

Yes, that’s right. At Trailblazer Bootcamp, you can start and end the week with exams. We do this to deliver on our promise of meeting our Trailblazers wherever they are in their learning journey.

If you arrive at Bootcamp well prepared, you’ve got a chance to pass your first exam straightaway. Congratulations! Now use the week to prepare for a second exam on Friday.

If you don’t pass, you’ve still gained great insight into the level of knowledge required and the type of questions asked. Combined with your section-level feedback, you can spend your Bootcamp refining your knowledge so that you’ve got the best chance of passing the same exam at the end of the week.

We’re all in it together

One of the most incredible things about the community and ecosystem is the never-ending appetite for supporting and helping each other. This was abundantly clear in Berlin where, for the first time, we offered ‘Tickets of Hope’ to gift six Trailhead Virtual Bootcamp (TVB) seats to underrepresented minorities working with ReDI School and Blue Road Academy—formally RefugeeForce.

On top of this, 20 Trailblazers were nominated by our partner NGOs to attend the Berlin experience at no cost, immediately boosting their job opportunities by passing exams. And because the community loves to succeed together, attendees also participated in the inaugural meet-up of the Berlin Architect community and connected with 30 students from XU University to inspire them to learn more about Salesforce.

The best example I saw of the magic that happens at Bootcamp is the experience of Trailblazer Frahnaz Mohammadi from Afghanistan, who attended with Blue Road Academy.

At the beginning of the week, she had an interview with a company in Hamburg and was asked, “What have you done that you’re proud of?” She told them, “‘I’m proud that I’m here in Germany and, as a newcomer, can take part in the Salesforce Bootcamp together with experienced specialists. I am proud to be part of this professional community.’ The HR managers liked that so much that a positive dialogue developed and a few days later I had an employment contract in my pocket!”

These are the trailblazing moments we live for.