Balancing college and working as a retail manager at an electronics store, Shakil Kamran felt stuck. He was doing what he had to in order to support his wife and their newborn baby, but it wasn’t easy. At the same time, he was studying for a degree in computer information systems, but wasn’t sure what to do after graduating. Everything changed when he was first introduced to Salesforce through PepUp Tech, a non-profit that provides tech training to underserved communities.

Through PepUp, Shakil was given an opportunity to attend Dreamforce — but taking the time off meant risking his job as a retail manager. After weighing his options, he made the decision to quit his job in order to attend the conference and focus completely on pursing a path within the Salesforce ecosystem. The connections made at Dreamforce helped him land his first role in the ecosystem as a Salesforce Consultant.