Salesforce "trailblazer" leans into career-changing move at San Francisco's Dreamforce conference
The Dreamforce 2023 conference kicked off Tuesday at San Francisco's Moscone Center and surrounding venues in the city as Salesforce hopes to highlight its commitment to artificial intelligence.
It is already the largest conference in San Francisco and Salesforce wants it to be regarded as the biggest A.I. event in the world. The company is also celebrating those who have been innovators and inspired others working with Salesforce software.
"Here I am to help others, to understand you can always switch and start your journey within Salesforce," said Sima Samara, a Salesforce consultant who works for London-based business software firm Valtech. "If I can, you also can."
Originally from the Middle East, Samara's pharmacy degree was not recognized when she moved to the Netherlands so she realized new skills would be needed to get ahead.
"I don't really need to go university five, six year, but I can simply just have a [Salesforce training] Trailhead account and learn and boom, I manage to find a job," she told KPIX.
Five months of training on the free online platform and some assistance from a company program helping refugees in Europe helped her start a new chapter as a developer. She has spent the past five years in a new industry and enjoys the growth still available to her working with Salesforce software.
The company recognized Samara as a "Trailblazer" last year, with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff awarding her a coveted golden hoodie at last year's conference. This year she joinec the thousands of attendees curious to see what new skills they can pick up related to A.I. while also cautious about the technology.
"I feel A.I. is like any technology, if you use it in a positive way, you can always get positive results," Samara said.
Returning to San Francisco was also a highlight for her, even as questions remain about the conference's future in the city.
"Whenever I walk within this city, I feel like, hey I know that from France, I know this from London, like, you feel like the world is one city. That's amazing," she said.