A Kung Fu Master

As a kid, growing up on Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Saturday afternoon Kung Fu Theater, I always wanted to be a martial arts master. A few years later, being a Jedi Master caught my interest despite the fact that it wasn’t a viable goal on Earth in 1977. Now I’ve started down the path towards another master, the Microsoft Certified Master.

Actually I’m not going down that path. I had the chance to take the written test with no downside for me, so I took it. I have no intention of actually pursuing the lab at this time. It’s a lot of work, and not necessarily something that would provide me a lot of benefits right now. I may change my mind if I were looking for consulting work, but I am quite happy with my job right now and don’t want to change.

I do plan on taking one or two of the MCM training being offered by SQLskills this year, but I won’t be looking for the intensive  4 weeks of training to prepare me for the lab exam. After reading Brent Ozar’s adventures last year, I think I’d need all 4 weeks of class along with a few more weeks of prep to be ready for the lab.

So why am I taking a class? First, it’s good training. I have had the privilege of seeing both Paul Randal and Kimberly Tripp speak before, and it’s always enjoyable and informative. I come out of their hour long sessions with so many notes and new knowledge that it I feel like I’ve been learning for a full day. I am sure that a week’s training from them will result in a small novel that I’ll need to review over the following months.

Training can be hard to get funded, but it is often worth it. I hope that more companies would be willing to improve the skills of their people with this type of advanced training, even without paying for the certification testing. The chance to learn from experts in particular areas is an investment that I think is worth making in my career and in yours.

Steve Jones

(originally published at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Editorial/72278/)

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