Introducing Salesforce Solution Architect: Myra Wilson

Welcome to Titan Talks, your destination for best practices and advice from all the greatest Salesforce professionals that enrich our community.

Today, we chatted with Myra Wilson, who explains her Salesforce career journey.

Myra loves learning and teaching within the Salesforce ecosystem. She has loads of inspirational advice to keep you motivated on your Salesforce journey. Keep reading for all the highlights from this podcast, and find out what Myra thinks about AI tools for Salesforce in 2024!

Alice: Hi, everyone, and welcome to Titan Talks. We are thrilled to have Myra Wilson join us today. She is a stellar Salesforce Solutions Architect. I’m your host, Alice Meyer, head of content at Titan, the No Code Solution for Salesforce.

Welcome, Myra. Are you excited to be here?

Myra: I am super excited to talk to you about my journey.

Alice: Great. So, let’s let’s fire this one up.

You started your Salesforce journey in marketing but transitioned to an admin role. What prompted that shift for you?

Myra: I was a trade show coordinator for a medical device company when I started. I was randomly given the Salesforce task because the head of sales didn’t have time.

The company wanted me to engage our users because they still use Excel spreadsheets.

That was the beginning of my journey to start looking into Salesforce. Then, two reps came on-site and talked to me about getting certified during my marketing role.

Alice: So, it was a bit of a stroke effect?

Myra: Yeah, we were using Salesforce, but not to its full capacity. It was my job to figure out what that full capacity was.

Alice: Let’s rewind to 2016 where you attended the Salesforce admin boot camp. Word on the street is that you wanted to leave the conference certified, but you actually failed on the first attempt. However, you still managed to pass in 48 hours! How did that work?

Myra: Remember I told you the reps came on-site and talked to me about getting certified? Well, one of our Salesforce reps mentioned that I should go to Dreamforce if I get the chance.

So, I started looking at Dreamforce and saw that they had a boot camp that I could attend. I put together an ROI evaluation to present to my boss. My aim was to attend Dreamforce to learn more about Salesforce. I listed all the costs and benefits, and my boss agreed to let me go.

I attended boot camp for three days before proceeding to Dreamforce. I was in class for 8 hours per day, learning about:

I got through all that and then came the first day of Dreamforce, where I took my certification exam. I felt like I knew everything because I had just attended the boot camp, but I took the test and failed.

I couldn’t believe it. Lucky for me, that was the first year Salesforce started giving out weights. So, I knew what areas I did good in and what areas I didn’t do so well in.

I signed up to retake the test the next day. Instead of going out for the evening, I returned to my hotel and studied in the areas I could have done better. I just had to leave with the certification!

I went the next day and passed the test. That was the day I was leaving, my 5th day in San Francisco.

Alice: That’s a really inspiring story for aspiring Salesforce professionals. What do you think the lesson is there?

Myra: You may fail the first time. It’s fine! Just try again. That’s the life lesson. You will not get everything the first time you try it. You have to take your time and really learn what you’re doing.

Then, you move past hurt feelings and get back to your goal, which is to do whatever you are trying to do. If you have to try something a third, fourth, or fifth time, you just keep going until you reach your goal.

Alice: Fast forward to 2024. You’re way beyond that initial certification after working as an admin in various cities across the US as a solutions architect. Tell me about that transition.

Myra: My first Salesforce Admin role was in Chicago. I’m in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which is 1.5 hours away from Chicago. I worked downtown and I loved it. I commuted there daily.

After doing that for 8 months, I returned to Milwaukee. Then, a company based in Sunrise, Florida, contacted me via LinkedIn. 

I flew down for the interview and got the job. At that moment, I decided I was moving to Florida. Everybody should probably experience living outside of their hometown. I was very scared because I knew I was going alone. However, it was an experience that I really wanted to have.

I worked in Florida for 1 year and then returned home again. I’ve been back since 2019, and I’ve been remote since then.

Those were admin roles, and I liked being in all those different organizations. It let me see how people do things and all the different business processes.

I worked in an organization with 12,000 users and one with 20 users. This experience allowed me to see the difference between the organizations, which helped me become a Solution Architect.

What actually happened here, was the company I was working for 6 years were acquired by a bigger company. They were putting together a digital transformation team. The company asked me to come over as a Solution Architect because I was really keen on the Salesforce system and the architecture of how it integrates with other tools.

That’s how I transitioned from the Admin to Solution Architect role.

Alice: It’s a fascinating story, and it sounds like all these wonderful opportunities came your way, and you made them for yourself. 

As a solutions architect, can you tell other people:

Myra: I never even imagined when I was younger that I would be in tech – period!

Being in tech is exciting for me, and there are paths that you think you are going to take. I figured I could go from an admin to a senior admin, or I thought about going from an admin to a developer.

However, I didn’t go that way. I wanted to be a solution architect, and one drawback I experienced was working on the system’s back end instead of the front end.

I don’t communicate with my end users as much as I used to because I’m not on that side. I’m not an admin, so I’m not doing the work in the system.

You get to know a lot of different departments and people in my role because so many people use Salesforce for: 

But now, I’m looking at the overall architecture and how Salesforce integrates with other tools. Being a solution architect has given me that big-picture view. There are good and bad parts to every role, but I really like the progression of my career.

Alice: It’s a phenomenal accomplishment, and we can’t wait to see what you have planned next. One of the reasons we’re interviewing you today is not just because of your career achievements but also because you are an active player in the Salesforce community. 

We saw you engaged at the admin keynote at Dreamforce in 2023. Can you take us through that process? What message did you want to convey, and how important do you think it is to share your knowledge and experience, including the importance of diversity in tech?

Myra: I have been waiting to talk about this amazing experience. I started doing sessions in 2022. My first session was at TDX 2022, and I presented at Dreamforce 2022.

In 2023, I got a LinkedIn request from Jillian Bruce, the Admin Evangelist at Salesforce.

At first, I didn’t think she knew who I was. She wrote to me and said she wanted to discuss a potential opportunity for Dreamforce. I could not believe it, but I responded to her with: of course, yes!

Jillian set a meeting for us. I met with her and Lisa Dick, who was also on the admin team. We talked about being in the admin keynote. They wanted me to share my story and use case for using MuleSoft Composer.

This was such a great opportunity for me. A time for me to be on the big stage and become more known in the Salesforce ecosystem. It also allowed me to tell my use case for a composer because my company was an early adopter.

I went through the whole process with them. We talked about:

Being seen on stage gave people the chance to approach me about MuleSoft. They told me they were inspired by me, and that kind of feedback really made me feel great.

As far as the diversity piece, I spoke recently at TDX 24. I was on a leadership panel discussing women in tech. We addressed how we need more women in tech, specifically women of color. We occupy probably less than 5% of the tech industry. It’s very important to me that we increase those numbers.

People reach out to me all the time. They wrote to me on LinkedIn asking how they could get into Salesforce. I direct them to Trailhead and let them know I am a resource. If they need me, I’m here. 

Alice: One of the biggest things with diversity in tech and having women of color in Salesforce specifically is that, oftentimes people look at it from the perspective of this is an opportunity for those individuals that maybe didn’t get one before.

But it’s much more than that, it’s actually about enriching the tech. If you’re not bringing in the full spectrum of society, then you’re losing out on a whole bunch of skills, right? I think it’s really important to showcase that piece, which is often overlooked.

Myra: Oh, definitely. Getting different perspectives on everything. I think that’s one of the best reasons of why we need to increase the diversity.

Alice: It makes tech so much richer and more exciting. Speaking of this kind of upliftment – you are thinking of bringing young people into the Salesforce ecosystem early on. What’s your plan? I would have loved that. Obviously, Salesforce wasn’t a thing when I was a kid. What’s it like today? How would you do that?

Myra: I’m still thinking through it. The kids of our time right now know tech very well. Kids know how to work:

• Phones
• Tablets
• YouTube Videos
• TikTok

They can learn how to use a specific program. I’m trying to partner with the elementary and middle school types of kids. I want to put together a summer program where they can learn how to use Salesforce. 

Some kids already know how to code. It’s crazy. There are coding camps for children. So, I’m trying to incorporate learning an actual CRM or certified tool they can use as they grow older.

I think it’s a great initiative, and I’m still figuring out how I want to implement it. I want to be one of the creators or teachers of these classes, whether they be virtual or in-person. 

Alice: Tell me, what is the most exciting news or innovation for Salesforce in 2024? Obviously, we are getting something to do with AI rolled out every other week. But what are you looking at? 

Myra: AI is what I’m looking at. I’m so excited For TDX. I did a session on using Composer with AI to send prompts to Salesforce and use the Flow builder to create automations. 

I am also on a new Dreamin’ and Data conference leadership team. This conference will revolve around MuleSoft, Tableau, analytics, and integrations. I’m excited to meet the community and talk to them about the future of those tools.

I’m also definitely excited for the next Dreamforce. I want to hear about any new products that are coming out, specifically AI. Salesforce makes learning and presentations fun. I’m always excited about the new things that Salesforce is bringing out.

Alice: And for Myra, what do the next 12 months look like? What’s your plan? What are your biggest goals?

Myra: I want to start the initiative for children and get another certification, so I’m figuring out what qualification I want to study. It will probably be something focused on MuleSoft.

I also want to continue learning to be a better solution architect and an influencer in the Salesforce community. I’m very active on LinkedIn. So, I will share my knowledge and blog posts, like any time I’m presenting virtual webinars on MuleSoft.

Alice: It is really exciting! Thank you, Myra. I loved this conversation, and it’s been fascinating to learn from you.

I think if anything, what people can take away from this is that you can be what you want to be in the blink of an eye.

If you put your mind to it, a blink of an eye might be 6 years. But I think what you’ve managed to accomplish, between 2016 and 2024 is phenomenal.

Myra: Thank you. I do want to drive home that people build a path, and sometimes a journey is totally different from what you think it’s going to be. So, take it how it comes. You never know what opportunities will be presented. Stick to your goal. If your path changes, go with the flow. Let things happen for you as they come.

Alice: Flexibility and adaptability are even more needed in any career path in this new AI era. Today, we’re being presented with new opportunities, especially in tech and Salesforce. There are so many options to explore, and I love that.

Myra: Oh, definitely. Being in different orgs and roles helps you figure out what you want to do and where your place is. I think it’s helpful not to jump around too much but to try different things on your career journey.

Alice: Yeah, for sure. Thanks, Myra. Have a great day, and we’ll chat with you again soon.

Myra: Thank you so much. It’s great talking to you, Alice.

*Note: This article is an edited transcript of the interview with Myra Wilson.

We hope to see you soon!

• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Disclaimer: The comparisons listed in this article are based on information provided by the companies online and online reviews from users. If you found a mistake, please contact us