Junior/Entry Developer

Junior/Entry Developer role: learning fundamentals and implementing features under guidance

Category: Team
Tags: salesforce roles junior-developer entry-level

Author: callinj
Name: Joe Callin
Title: Sr. Salesforce Developer
Email: joe@jcallin.dev

Table of Contents

Overview

Junior/Entry Developers are learning the fundamentals of Salesforce development. They can focus on either Lightning Web Components (LWC) or Apex, implementing features under guidance from more experienced developers. Having understanding in both is an added benefit, but specialization in one area is expected at this level. They require supervision and code review to ensure quality.

Quick Facts

  • Code Involvement: 80-90% (Learning and implementing)
  • Typical Experience: 0-2 years
  • Decision Authority: Implementation approach within defined patterns (with review required)
  • Focus Area: Learning, implementation, following patterns

Core Responsibilities

  • Implement features and bug fixes following established patterns in primary focus area (LWC or Apex)
  • Write Apex classes and triggers OR Lightning Web Components under guidance (focus on one, understanding both is beneficial)
  • Write unit tests with guidance to meet coverage requirements
  • Participate in code reviews and incorporate feedback
  • Follow coding standards and best practices (Apex Standards, LWC Standards)
  • Document code with appropriate comments and docstrings
  • Learn Salesforce development patterns and best practices
  • Build understanding of the other language/framework (LWC if focusing on Apex, or Apex if focusing on LWC)
  • Ask questions and seek guidance when stuck
  • Participate in team meetings and standups
  • Assist with testing and bug fixes

Required Skills & Experience

Technical Skills

Primary Focus (choose one):

  • Apex Developer Path: Strong understanding of Apex syntax and concepts (or object-oriented languages like Java/C#)
  • LWC Developer Path: Strong understanding of Lightning Web Components (JavaScript, HTML, CSS) or component frameworks (React, Angular, Vue, Web Components)

Secondary Understanding (developing):

  • Basic understanding of the other language/framework (Apex if focusing on LWC, or LWC if focusing on Apex)
  • Understanding of Salesforce data model and relationships
  • Familiarity with Git version control
  • Basic understanding of unit testing concepts
  • Ability to read and understand existing code

Experience

  • 0-2 years of Salesforce development experience
  • Some programming experience (Apex, JavaScript, or similar)
  • Experience with version control systems

Knowledge Areas

  • Salesforce development fundamentals
  • Object-oriented programming concepts (Java, C#, or similar)
  • Basic web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) or component frameworks (React, Angular, Vue, Web Components)
  • Testing concepts and practices

Typical Deliverables

  • Apex classes and triggers implementing features (if Apex-focused)
  • Lightning Web Components for user interfaces (if LWC-focused)
  • Unit tests meeting coverage requirements
  • Code documentation and comments
  • Bug fixes and small enhancements
  • Understanding and ability to read code in the other language/framework

Decision Authority

  • Implementation approach within defined patterns (with review required)
  • Code structure and organization within standards
  • Variable and method naming (following conventions)
  • Test approach for assigned features (with guidance)

Code Involvement

80-90% - Primary focus is learning and implementing code. Most time spent writing code, writing tests, and learning from code reviews.

Mentorship & Collaboration

  • Receives mentorship from Senior Developers, Lead Developers, and Technical Leads
  • Participates in pair programming sessions
  • Asks questions and seeks guidance regularly
  • Collaborates with other developers on features
  • Receives code review feedback and incorporates it

Success Metrics

Qualitative

  • Code quality improvement over time
  • Ability to work independently on defined tasks
  • Learning velocity and knowledge acquisition
  • Communication and collaboration effectiveness

Quantitative

  • Test coverage (target: 80%+)
  • Code review feedback incorporation rate
  • Number of features delivered per sprint
  • Bug introduction rate (should decrease over time)

Career Progression

Path From

  • Salesforce Administrator learning to code
  • Recent graduate or career changer
  • Junior developer from another platform

Path To

  • Mid-Level Developer (typically 1-2 years)
  • Specialized role (if focusing on specific area)

See Also