Sharing ten key learning from my journey to becoming a salesforce certified technical architect (CTA). Hope you find the content helpful!

1. Signposts on
your journey
to CTA

2. Hello!
I’m Chris Baldock
▪ CTO of Cloudwerx
▪ CTA since September 2018
▪ 17x Salesforce Certified
▪ UK born. AUS since 2013
▪ Meditation & Yoga enthusiast

3. What am I talking about?
• Share my personal journey to CTA
• Share ten key learnings from my journey
• Convince you that the journey is worth the effort

4. My Personal
Journey To CTA 1.

5. CTA Timeline – Year 1

6. CTA Timeline – Year 2

7. CTA Timeline – Year 3

8. Timeline Takeaways
Timeline
• One year to complete all
architect certifications
• Two years and three
attempts to pass the
review board
Study Effort
• Approximately eight
months of solid dedicated
study (~15 hours / week)
I Wasn’t Alone
• Study partner to bounce off
questions, help run mocks,
provide moral support
• CTA coach in third year to
help identify knowledge
gaps and finesse exam
technique
• Supportive employer who
was willing to invest in me

9. Key Learnings
From My Journey 2.

10. 1. It’s challenging, but
there are many harder
exams out there
• Watch SOMM on Netflix
• See what it takes to become a Master Sommelier
• Only ~230 people have passed in 40 years
• Helps put things into perspective J

11. 2. Be prepared to put
in some serious study
time
11
• Passing the multiple choice exams are relatively easy
• Review board will require you to go broader / deeper
• Create and maintain a revision checklist
• Create your own flashcards (more on this later)
• Make daily learning a practice
• Cramming won’t work

12. 3. Make time to relax
and unwind
• CTA is a marathon, not a sprint
• Your brain NEEDS downtime
• Build downtime into your daily routine
• Brain relaxation means unplugging
• Keep a watch for early signs of burnout
• Exhaustion
• Lack of motivation
• Negative thinking

13. 4. Flashcards and spaced
repetition learning are
your friends
13
• Flashcards promotes strong recall
• Spaced repetition helps you to learn more effectively
• Download an app that uses both e.g. apps.ankiweb.net
• Work on your weakest areas first
• Create a daily review habit (e.g. 50 cards / day)
• Travel to/from work is a great time to review cards
• Google “Coursera Learning How To Learn”

14. 14
220days reviewing cards (~ 7.5 months)
1786cards created (~ 8 / day)
19,700 cards reviewed (~ 90 / day)
140 hours reviewing cards (~ 38m / day)
Personal Flash Card Stats

15. 5. Don’t underestimate
exam technique
• Knowledge alone is not enough to pass
• Complete as many mocks as you can
• Redo mocks that you’ve sat before
• Expect to struggle with your first few
• Practice under time conditions
• Practice presenting to an audience
• Define your Minimal Viable Presentation template
• Define your plan for tackling a scenario
• Experiment and adapt!

16. 6. Mock scenarios
leave clues!
• Immediately after attempting each mock:
• Create your own solution key (take your time)
• Add knowledge gaps to your revision checklist
• Make note of the types of questions that come up
• You’ll quickly start to notice patterns
• Use these patterns to guide your revision

17. 7. Get a study partner
• Who else do you know who is an aspiring CTA?
• Likelihood is you’re not the only one…
• Study partners are great for:
• Accountability
• Motivation when the going gets tough
• Different knowledge / perspective
• Running mock scenarios
• Strengthening friendships!
• Don’t go it alone if you don’t need to

18. 8. Get a CTA coach
• 90%+ of CTA’s I know had some form of coaching
• Invaluable for identifying knowledge gaps,
finessing exam technique and assessing review
board readiness
• Huge help in getting you “fighting fit”
• Approximately 10-15 CTA’s in the ANZ partner
ecosystem. More in Salesforce
• If you’re serious, consider an employer who can
pair you up with an existing CTA

19. 9. You might not pass
first time (and that’s OK!)
19
• People do, but it’s rare
• The judges aren’t out to get you (I promise!)
• Failing a section means one of three things:
• You didn’t quite hit the pass threshold
• You could have communicated more effectively
• You may not have provided the best fit solution
• Keep calm, look for the lessons, just keep swimming!

20. 10. The journey is
totally worth it
• Your confidence and ability will skyrocket
• You’ll learn how to approach a difficult challenge
• Eight months of dedicated study is not that long
• Attract some amazing career opportunities
• Feel like a boss J

21. Questions?

22. Thanks!
Any questions?
You can find me at
▪ linkedin.com/in/chris-j-baldock/