The fastest path into RevOps: get a Salesforce Admin or HubSpot certification, learn basic SQL, and apply for entry-level ops roles. Most RevOps professionals didn't start in 'RevOps' — they came from sales, marketing, CS, IT, or finance and transitioned by taking on operational work.
The 5 Most Common Entry Points
1. From Sales or Customer Success
Former quota-carriers who realized they'd rather build the systems than work them. You bring customer empathy, process pain awareness, and credibility with the sales team ("I've carried a bag — I know what you need").
Your advantage: You understand the daily workflow from the user's side. When you configure a CRM, you know which fields are annoying and which are essential.
Your gap: Technical skills. You can describe what the system should do but might not know how to build it. Start with Salesforce Admin or HubSpot certifications. Learn basic SQL.
Typical entry: Volunteer for CRM cleanup or reporting projects at your current company. "I'll build the pipeline dashboard the team has been asking for" is how many sales-to-ops transitions start.
2. From Marketing Operations
You already manage one piece of the ops stack (marketing automation, lead scoring, attribution). RevOps just expands your scope to the full funnel. See RevOps vs Sales Ops for how these functions converge.
Your advantage: Technical depth in marketing systems, data analysis skills, campaign attribution knowledge.
Your gap: Sales-side knowledge. Territory design, comp plans, forecasting, and deal desk are new territory. Shadow your Sales Ops peers or take on a cross-functional project.
3. From IT or Engineering
You bring technical depth that most ops candidates lack. APIs, databases, system architecture — these skills are increasingly valuable as tech stacks grow more complex.
Your advantage: You can build integrations, write complex reports, and troubleshoot system issues that other ops people escalate to IT.
Your gap: Business context. Understanding pipeline stages, sales methodologies, and revenue metrics requires deliberate study. Read our RevOps KPIs guide and learn the terminology in our glossary.
4. From Finance or FP&A
Modeling skills translate directly. If you can build a financial model, you can build a forecast model. Revenue planning, capacity modeling, and comp plan design all leverage financial analysis skills.
Your advantage: Analytical rigor, executive communication, understanding of unit economics. Finance professionals often make the strongest RevOps strategists.
Your gap: CRM and marketing automation. The tools are learnable, but you'll need hands-on experience. Get a Salesforce Admin cert to prove you can operate the systems, not just analyze the data.
5. Starting Fresh (Career Changers)
No prior tech or sales background? It's harder but doable. RevOps values problem-solving, attention to detail, and analytical thinking over specific degrees or backgrounds.
The path:
- Get HubSpot's free RevOps certification (4-6 hours)
- Get Salesforce Admin certified (40-80 hours of study)
- Learn SQL through free online courses (20-30 hours for basics)
- Build a portfolio: set up a Salesforce developer org, configure lead routing, build dashboards
- Apply for entry-level ops roles — starting salary around $55K–$80K
Skills That Get You Hired
Based on analysis of 455 job postings, these are mentioned most frequently:
- CRM proficiency (Salesforce or HubSpot) — 80%+ of postings
- Data analysis (Excel/Sheets, SQL, BI tools) — ability to extract and interpret data
- Process documentation — can you map a workflow clearly?
- Cross-functional communication — RevOps works with every team
- Automation (Zapier, Workato, or native platform automation)
For certifications, see our honest assessment: RevOps Certifications Worth Getting.
Job Search Strategy
- Target titles: RevOps Analyst, Sales Operations Coordinator, CRM Administrator, Business Systems Analyst, Marketing Operations Associate. Don't limit yourself to "RevOps" in the title — many ops roles use different naming.
- Company size sweet spot: Series A-C companies (50-500 employees) are the best entry point. They need ops help badly but can't afford senior hires. Enterprise companies want experience; startups want you to wear 10 hats.
- Use our job board to see current openings and required skills at each level.
- Leverage our connections tool to find people you know at hiring companies. Referrals are 4x more likely to result in a hire.
The 90-Day Learning Plan
If you're starting today with zero ops experience:
- Days 1-30: Get HubSpot RevOps certified (free). Set up a Salesforce developer org. Learn basic CRM concepts: objects, fields, records, workflows, reports.
- Days 31-60: Study for Salesforce Admin certification. Learn SQL basics (SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY). Start reading RevOps content daily — this site, RevOps Co-op, Ops Stars.
- Days 61-90: Build a portfolio project in your Salesforce dev org. Start applying to entry-level roles. Network on LinkedIn with RevOps professionals — ask about their career path, not for a job.
Check the full RevOps career path to understand where entry-level leads. Review interview questions to prepare for your first conversations.