How a Student Landed Her Dream Job with Summer of Cloud

Natasha Ong
November 15, 2023
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4 min read

Is it a tad dramatic to say that Summer of Cloud can change your life? Maybe....but it's also 100% true! (and who doesn't love a bit of drama 🤷‍♀️ )

Buckle up, because we're about to tell the story of an amazing student who completely changed her life with NextWork.

And the best part? You can do it too. All of our superstar alumni started their journey by signing up for a Summer of Cloud course, just like the one you're on right now. 🚀

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Pssst... if you want the juicy summary, scroll to the bottom. It's okay. We won't judge you. That much. 😉

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Meet Marianne: From Pharmacist to Salesforce Engineer 💉

Marianne swapped her pharmacy coat for a Salesforce cert that landed her dream job - becoming a Salesforce Graduate Engineer at Xero. 👩🏻‍💻

I won't be in the role I am now without [NextWork]. It helped me get the certification I needed and the job I wanted.

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The Before

Marianne graduated with a degree in Pharmacy back in 2013, kicking off a 10 year journey working in different pharmacies across New Zealand. Work is starting to look the same, and Marianne's reaching the top of career opportunities that pharmacy has to offer. What's next?

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The After

Marianne became a Graduate Salesforce Engineer at Xero within two months of finishing Summer of Cloud! 💥

With her new career, Marianne is now:

✅ Less stressed

✅ Working flexible hours

✅ Working from home

Moving from pharmacy into engineering was a big shift, but Marianne got up to speed in no time with her learnings from Summer of Cloud. Earlier this year, she finished the Graduate program at Xero AND stayed on as an Associate Salesforce Engineer!

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Marianne's secret for success

NextWork's 1:1 support and the real-world project helped Marianne pass the Salesforce Admin exam in just ⚡️ 3 months ⚡️ and secure a job immediately. Seeing other Summer of Cloud students get their dream jobs was super motivating for Marianne too. 💙

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Yup, Marianne isn't the only one!

Hear from some of our other Summer of Cloud alumni:

  • "I managed to secure a help desk job in part because of my AWS qualifications. They contacted me almost immediately when they realised I had them. I got the job 2 days after the interview."
    - James Wilkin, AWS Help Desk at ECL Group
  • "Once I completed my certification and added that to my LinkedIn, I had a lot of people contacting me about roles. Summer of Cloud has give me the valuable knowledge and set of skills that helped me get my current job."
    - Irina Rerikh, Salesforce Consultant at Merkle Aotearoa
  • "The structure you get from the course, the accountability, and forming connections with others is super useful for making that switch into Salesforce. Salesforce opens up a lot of doors and adds to your toolbox after uni - it’s a wonderful way to get into tech."
    - Felix Drew, Salesforce Consultant at Deloitte

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⏳ In Summary ⌛️

NextWork's Summer of Cloud courses have helped students boost their job prospects and kick off some awesome careers in cloud.

Their common thread for success?

🙌 NextWork's mind-blowing practical project

🙌 NextWork's interview and job seeking support

🙌 NextWork's community support from fellow students and employers!

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Are you feeling excitement in the air? These stories are proof that your future is bright and full of potential.

We can't wait to see what you achieve in your own amazing journey... who knows, perhaps you'll be the next feature in this article! 🚀

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FAQ of the week: will I be doing the course on my own? 👀

Wondering about course support? It was our #1 question this week!

You won't be on your own - we CAN'T wait to introduce you to the NextWork community. Our successful alumni rave about the community and how it's been a game-changer in their career journey, so we're pumped for you to join in on the excitement.

Get ready to connect with fellow Summer of Cloud students and mentors, where you can ask anything and celebrate your wins. The NextWork team is also diving into a course this Summer, so we'll see you there. It's going to be epic! 👀