Salesforce’s Force.com Certifications Expiring!

The expected has happened – Salesforce is completely “retiring” its Force.com Developer Certifications namely, Salesforce Certified Force.com Developer and Salesforce Certified Force.com Advanced Developer. Yes you read that right, these 2 certifications are about to expire!

In September 2015, Salesforce has stopped offering Force.com Developer credentials to new applicants and then introduced 3 new certifications for developers during Dreamforce 2015– Platform App Builder, Platform Developer I and II as you know the Salesforce platform is constantly evolving.  That move essentially hinted us at expiring the existing (now retiring ) Developer certifications.

“With more than a decade of innovation, development, and change under our belt it means the skills required of a Platform Developer are very different now than they were when the Force.com credentials were first created. Over the years, the Force.com credentials have served the industry well by validating your skills and giving you the prestigious right to say you were among the first to be certified to develop for the cloud. But the time has come for the Force.com credentials to retire and take their place in the Salesforce Hall of Fame” – as quoted by Salesforce.

Important Dates : The retiring/expiring for these credentials will begin in July of 2017 and retirement process will be complete as of March 30, 2018.

After February 2017,  the next time you need to pay for your maintenance exam fee for these certifications, you will NOT be able to renew your maintenance and your Force.com Developer credential will EXPIRE.  You will be able to transition to the Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder credential even if your Force.com Developer credential expires.

If you are a Salesforce Certified Force.com Advanced Developer, you’ll maintain your status until you transition to the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I & II credentials.

The transition exams are available until March 30, 2018, giving you a chance to earn the new Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder and/or Platform Developer I & II credentials before the retirement date.

Salesforce has clearly given the transition paths available for each of these certification:

• Transition path for Salesforce Certified Force.com Developers
• Transition path for Salesforce Certified Force.com Advanced Developers
• Transition path for candidates who have passed the Salesforce Certified Force.com Advanced Developer multiple choice exam.

If you are new to certifications, you can directly take the Platform Developer I or/and II certifications without worrying about any of this.

And here’s the FAQ!

Still have questions? drop a comment on this post or tweet me @sfdcFanBoy.