Fields is part of a growing number of veterans graduating from Hiring Our Heroes\u2019 Salesforce Fellowship Program<\/a>. Launched in 2020 and expanded in 2021, the Salesforce Fellowship Program offers virtual, paid 12-week internships with participating companies throughout the United States to veterans, military spouses, and transitioning service members. Service members complete the program during their last 180 days on active duty through the DoD SkillBridge<\/a> program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a college degree or military IT experience, the hands-on fellowship prepares participants for high-growth Salesforce careers with an average starting salary of $87,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fields first stumbled across Salesforce in 2019 while researching software solutions to improve her employer\u2019s data tracking system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI quickly learned that Salesforce was a solution for those inefficiencies so I began studying the material provided on Trailhead and became a member of the Salesforce Military community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She tinkered around with the self-paced online modules. She attended an in-person holiday meet-up with other Salesforce Military community members in December 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In January 2020, Fields was unexpectedly laid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s when I started to take it (Salesforce training) seriously. I completed my (Salesforce Administrator) certification in under two months,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She obtained the Salesforce Platform App Builder certificate in June 2020 and went on to complete additional certifications while applying for Hiring Our Heroes\u2019 Salesforce Fellowship Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Fields, this fellowship program was a godsend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re doing all of these interviews, it\u2019s nerve-racking, You are told you have the certification, but you don\u2019t have the experience,\u201d she said. \u201cThe fellowship provided an instance where I was able to join a company without the experience of the job requirements and they mentored me at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fields was able to measure her abilities and prove her worth as a Salesforce professional in a corporate environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe fellowship builds up your confidence and lets you know where you\u2019re at,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her fellowship with USAA was a very rewarding experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was paired with a mentor, who showed me the ropes. I got to learn about the company’s internal culture, its history, the different things that the company has accomplished over the years, and the members that USAA serves, veterans like myself,\u201d Fields said. \u201cI learned more about how USAA uses Salesforce and I was able to build an application that the team uses, so it was a pretty awesome experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the last day of her 12-week paid fellowship, USAA extended a full-time employment offer to Fields. She accepted it and celebrated her success with her connections on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPerfect timing, right?! lol! I’m honored to have participated in this fellowship program. I’m one of the first #hohfellows to join USAA’s IT department, and now one of the first to be hired,\u201d Fields wrote in her LinkedIn status update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After being unemployed for all of 2020, Fields started her new career at USAA on January 11, 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel at home at USAA,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHer Salesforce Journey Comes Full Circle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Janelle](\"https:\/\/www.hiringourheroes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Janelle-Fields-head-shot-300x289.png\")
Janelle Fields<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n