Learn. Salesforce. Now.

The job market for qualified Salesforce workers is booming, and as the economy recovers, it can only grow hotter. If you’re “transitioning”, now may be a great time to learn Salesforce and add another skill to your resume.

While there is no substitute for work experience, Salesforce offers a dazzling array of self-service learning tools. Even better, you can create a free development org and practice what you learn. Salesforce dev orgs expire after a year, and have some performance restrictions, but they are otherwise equivalent to a production org. Tracking your transition efforts can be great way to practice a new skill and step up your job search at the same time.

A great starting point is to target certification. By studying for the exam, you expose yourself to the depth and breadth of the Salesforce platform. (See my certification blog for more.)

If you are a visual learner, YouTube is brimming with juicy Salesforce videos. Everyone might not be able to fly to SFO for DreamForce, but anyone can enjoy the presentations online, from the comfort of a local Internet connection.

For old-school learners, Salesforce.com For Dummies, Salesforce.com Secrets of Success, Salesforce Handbook, and Development with the Force.com Platform, are a fantastic foursome. And, if you’d like to keep it all on the cloud, all four are also available for the Amazon Kindle.

They say when one door closes, another one opens. Today is the first day of Spring, and it could be a great day to open up to the many opportunities available on and around Salesforce CRM.