u/twitchrdrm

I'm hoping to get some career coaching from those of you who've been in the Salesforce ecosystem longer than I have.

I'm in my mid-40s and work for a large, well-known company in the U.S. (NC Triangle area). Overall, it's a good place to work. My salary is decent for the area (around $100k), although probably a bit lower than I could make elsewhere because the total compensation package is very strong. We have a 401(k) with a company match, a separately funded company pension, and I'm only required to go into the office once a month—the rest of the time I'm fully remote.

My challenge is career growth.

Over the past several years I've built my career around Salesforce, primarily in Sales Cloud, focusing on UAT leadership, business analysis, requirements refinement, release testing, and partnering with product owners, developers, and business stakeholders to deliver new functionality. I've earned several Agile certifications and am currently working toward expanding my Salesforce certifications.

The problem is that my role seems to be growing horizontally rather than vertically. I continue to take on more responsibility, but there doesn't appear to be a clear path toward becoming a Salesforce Admin, Business Analyst, Product Owner, Solution Engineer, or another role that would deepen my Salesforce expertise. I worry that if I stay too long, my Salesforce skills could plateau.

Part of what makes this decision difficult is my stage of life. If I were 25, I'd probably chase the biggest learning opportunity without thinking twice. But in my mid-40s, stability, retirement benefits, and work-life balance matter a lot more than they used to.

That said...I'd be lying if I said compensation wasn't part of the equation. Going from roughly $100k to $130k–150k over the next few years would absolutely improve my quality of life. I just don't want to sacrifice an outstanding work environment and benefits package for a bigger paycheck if it ends up being the wrong move.

For those of you who've made a similar decision:

• Would you stay where I am or start looking?
• What roles do you think best fit my background?
• What certifications or skills would give me the biggest return on investment?
• Is the jump into the $130k–150k range realistic with my experience, or is there something I'm missing?

I'd really appreciate any advice. I'm trying to think strategically about the next 10–15 years of my career rather than just chasing the next job.

I'm hoping to get some career coaching from those of you who've been in the Salesforce ecosystem longer than I have.

I'm in my mid-40s and work for a large, well-known company in the U.S. (NC Triangle area). Overall, it's a good place to work. My salary is decent for the area (around $100k), although probably a bit lower than I could make elsewhere because the total compensation package is very strong. We have a 401(k) with a company match, a separately funded company pension, and I'm only required to go into the office once a month—the rest of the time I'm fully remote.

My challenge is career growth.

Over the past several years I've built my career around Salesforce, primarily in Sales Cloud, focusing on UAT leadership, business analysis, requirements refinement, release testing, and partnering with product owners, developers, and business stakeholders to deliver new functionality. I've earned several Agile certifications and am currently working toward expanding my Salesforce certifications.

The problem is that my role seems to be growing horizontally rather than vertically. I continue to take on more responsibility, but there doesn't appear to be a clear path toward becoming a Salesforce Admin, Business Analyst, Product Owner, Solution Engineer, or another role that would deepen my Salesforce expertise. I worry that if I stay too long, my Salesforce skills could plateau.

Part of what makes this decision difficult is my stage of life. If I were 25, I'd probably chase the biggest learning opportunity without thinking twice. But in my mid-40s, stability, retirement benefits, and work-life balance matter a lot more than they used to.

That said...I'd be lying if I said compensation wasn't part of the equation. Going from roughly $100k to $130k–150k over the next few years would absolutely improve my quality of life. I just don't want to sacrifice an outstanding work environment and benefits package for a bigger paycheck if it ends up being the wrong move.

For those of you who've made a similar decision:

• Would you stay where I am or start looking?
• What roles do you think best fit my background?
• What certifications or skills would give me the biggest return on investment?
• Is the jump into the $130k–150k range realistic with my experience, or is there something I'm missing?

I'd really appreciate any advice. I'm trying to think strategically about the next 10–15 years of my career rather than just chasing the next job.

Some of you guys are acting like NHL rebuilds are supposed to be completed in two summers and every asset has to appreciate in value forever.

Yes, the Hawks probably paid a slight premium for Byram. Welcome to reality. Once San Jose made their move, effectively announcing they were taking Stenberg at #2 and then picked up #9 to likely target a defenseman, the market changed. This morning we're also hearing SJ was in on Byram and the Hawks simply outbid them. That's what happens when multiple teams want a top 4 defenseman who is entering his prime.

At some point a rebuilding team has to stop treating draft picks like dragon eggs and start acquiring actual NHL players. The Hawks are reaching that stage. We already have Bedard, Nazar, Boisvert, Rinzel, Levshunov, Moore, Vanacker, Greene, Spellacy, EDM's first next year, and a pipeline full of prospects. We do not need another 18-year-old defenseman that we hope might become what Byram already is in 4-5 years.

Bo is 25 years old. He has a Cup ring. He skates like the wind, can run a power play, plays top-four minutes today, and immediately upgrades the left side. People are talking about him like KD traded #4 for a 33-year-old rental.

And free agency hasn't even opened. KD is almost certainly not done. I fully expect another veteran right-shot defenseman to be added, and I still think help for Bedard is coming.

People need to take a breath. Rebuilds aren't won on draft day. They're won when you identify the moment to stop hoarding lottery tickets and start assembling an NHL roster. It feels like we're finally entering that phase, and some fans still want to perpetually rebuild because making picks is more fun than making decisions.

Hi all,

I’m new to Amex and currently have a Blue Cash Everyday card with a low limit.

I’ve moved several recurring bills to the card and pay the statement balance in full each month. I’ve heard that after around 91 days and three on-time payments, you can request a credit limit increase and potentially ask for up to 3x your current limit.

Is that still a good strategy, or are there better suggestions for building a stronger relationship with Amex?

Longer term, as my credit score improves, I’d like to aim for a Gold Card next year for travel and groceries. I’m just not sure what the best path looks like.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I bought the Focus on Force bundle and took Practice Exam #1 as a baseline to see where I stand before diving into the study material. I ended up scoring 77.6% on my first attempt.

My study buddy (aka ChatGPT 😂) is suggesting that I focus on my two weakest areas—Customer Discovery and Business Process Mapping—since everything else was 78% or higher, with strong scores in Requirements, User Stories, Stakeholder Collaboration, and UAT. The recommendation is to study those weaker domains, take Practice Exam #2 next weekend, and if I score in the 80–85% range, go ahead and schedule the real exam.

What do you all think? Does that sound like a reasonable approach?

Also, for those who have taken the Salesforce BA exam, how similar are the Focus on Force practice exams to the real thing? Are they a good representation of the actual exam experience, or should I expect the same level of trickery and "multiple answers seem correct" scenarios that the Admin exam threw at me?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

For any of you who live at the properties they own in Raleigh, how are they? Good changes, bad changes, both? Give me some reassurance that I won't lose my Gfiber and be forced onto a Spectrum bundle lol.

They are very quietly in the process of buying my complex (Lake Johnson area), and I would like to know what to expect when they take over, which could be pretty soon since they brought a coach bus of investors in to tour the place, along with contractors/HVAC people to inspect units.

I was rear-ended last week, and Enterprise put me into a Mazda CX-50 while my 2025 SE Black is being fixed.

And I have to say, I thought the Mazda would impress me, considering all I hear from some is how much better the Mazda crossovers are, but it's been a pretty meh experience so far, and I honestly can't wait to get my Taos back.