How to become a MuleSoft Developer

Mulesoft is a leader among other companies that specializes in connecting various systems and technologies in one, standardized way.

Its mission is to connect any application, data, and device in the company by building innovative products that drive customers’ success.

MuleSoft’s main product – Anypoint Studio – comprises a unique toolset. It enables organizations to build, create, integrate and deploy services, APIs, and various Mule applications that help to achieve this goal.

Through the platform, it is possible to control most aspects of applications and APIs throughout their entire lifecycle.

Mulesoft was acquired by Salesforce last year. After that, it seems even more profitable and lucrative than ever to consider a career path as a MuleSoft Developer.

Nowadays more and more enterprises are pursuing full digital transformation. It means that they are in need of people who can improve and combine their legacy systems into one, elegant and uniform solution.

In this post, we would like to take a closer look at who Mulesoft Developers really are.

What do they do? What does it take for you to become one?

Who is a MuleSoft Developer?

A Mulesoft Developer is someone who is working in the MuleSoft environment using tools like Anypoint Studio or other minor MuleSoft products to develop APIs which are used to integrate customers’ systems.

Mulesoft Developer is working in Mule environment but doesn’t have to be employed by Mulesoft or Salesforce itself. 

Find out how we supported a digital transformation process at an NGO using Salesforce using Java.

What does Mulesoft Developer do?

In a nutshell, Mulesoft Developer is responsible for designing and connecting APIs (Application Programming Interface) that enable various applications to communicate with one another. It helps customers with their digital transformation process. 

This process is known to companies for a very long time. But right now is even more important than ever.

We have been doing this ever since we moved from paper to typewriter, from physical files to Excel sheets, and so on.

Nowadays we are slowly approaching a point in which manual transformation is slowly being replaced by automated ETL solutions (short for extract, transform, load).

This greatly simplifies this process by using libraries with large lists of connectors for each application. 

As good as it all sounds it has a major problem. This so-called point-to-point approach only enables developers to connect two applications at a time.

With the ever-growing demand for fast data exchange in our modern and digitalized world, companies need better solutions like AI and IoT. And this is where Mulesoft comes in.

Mulesoft Developer using MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform can create scalable, reusable, and convenient API’s and bespoke integration solutions all in one platform.

Using it you can have control over API’s whole lifecycle, from development to implementation and deployment. And both in the cloud and on-premise. 

Read also: Software Development in Poland: a Guide to IT Outsourcing

What is the current market demand for MuleSoft Developers?

As you might suspect, a position of a MuleSoft Developer is quite demanding. Especially when it comes to required skills and knowledge that should cover general integration capabilities as well as specific features of Anypoint Studio.

The demand for new developers is steadily growing.

Currently (Summer 2019) there are almost 36,000 open positions for new MuleSoft Developers only on Dice.com itself.

With the huge acquisition of MuleSoft made by Salesforce last year and the rapid growth of the company, it seems that now is the best time to consider this career path.

It is more advantageous and profitable than ever. 

How to become MuleSoft Developer

First and foremost, some previous skills are really helpful on your path of becoming MuleSoft Developer.

Most employers demand a degree in some computer-related fields like computer science or software development.

What’s more, it is also really important to know programming languages like Java. It will be quite crucial in the preparation for the exam and in the real work as a MuleSoft Developer.

About the exam

If you meet these requirements, you can start thinking about starting preparing for MuleSoft Certification exam.

The whole process is similar to the Salesforce’s one.

Candidates have to take an exam that costs $250. It consists of 60 questions and lasts about 120 minutes.

The required percentage for passing is 70%.

It may seem high and difficult to pass. But luckily MuleSoft grants their candidates one extra free retake. It is not so bad after all.

The certification expires two years after passing it, so you have to remember when to renew it. 

Preparation phase

We can now move on to the preparation phase.

You can start training for a developer certificate and move your way up to a MuleSoft Certified Platform Architect or an Integration Architect or both.

Each is highly advantageous and opens new possibilities.

For the preparation and learning for the exam itself, MuleSoft provides candidates with various materials. Among them are really helpful instructor-led classes, self-study training, and DIY (Do It Yourself) exercises.

Self-study training consists of over 60 step-by-step exercises that will help candidates get to know the basics.

Instructor-led classes, on the other hand, consist of 5 days of courses. They are both private and in groups. In this way, you will be provided with more in-depth knowledge.

After completing them, you will be granted a certification voucher for the exam.

Candidates should familiarize themselves with the topics mentioned in those materials. After that, they will be able to use them in actual projects in the future.

After proper preparation comes a time for testing your knowledge.

The exam itself is administered via the Kryterion Webassessor testing platform similar to Salesforce exams.

You can take an exam in person at a testing center or online using a web camera. You can easily register for it online. 

Closing thoughts

With rapidly rising demand, Salesforce customers and partners are looking for more and more people with MuleSoft expertise to support the growing needs.

Getting certified with MuleSoft will put you ahead of the others when looking for job opportunities.

And certainly will become a great asset to have in the future.

Are you looking for both interesting and challenging MuleSoft job opportunities? You should definitely check our open positions.

See also: How to prepare for outsourcing software development.