I assume most of you reading this work with SQL Server, at least for some of your workday. I know there are plenty of you who also support Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, or some other database platform. The results in our (Redgate’s) State of Database Landscape report showed that many organizations, indeed most, have more than one database platform in production.

This was also a theme in our Data Community Summit and Redgate Summit keynotes, where Ryan and Grant discussed their journey to learn a new platform (PostgreSQL). One, a requirement (Ryan) for a new job, and another, an opportunity (Grant) as the company focus shifted. I assume some of you out there have had similar experiences either moving towards, or away from, SQL Server.

I ran across a breaking up with SQL Server post from David Alcock, noting that his job had evolved from SQL Server to AWS, GCP, PostgreSQL, Python, and more. The author got tired of database work, had an opportunity to learn about new areas, and got excited while doing so. That’s similar to my career, where I did a lot of networking and administration work early in my career but saw an opportunity in databases (and financial rewards), so I worked to change. I enjoyed the new tech and built a great career. I wish David good luck on his journey.

For many of us, there is regular tension between gaining deeper knowledge and more expertise or broadening the variety of skills we have. We have to decide where we spend our time as time is a limited resource. Hopefully, we realize that improving our skills in some way is a good use of our time and are doing something. Anything is better than nothing.

At the same time, we need to find some balance and realize there are other demands on our time outside of work. Family, friends, hobbies, faith, all of these need some time for a healthy, balanced life. We might need to lean on our current skills and expertise at times, not investing in ourselves, but it shouldn’t be our long-term strategy. As I’ve said in a few presentations, evaluate your growth every quarter. You might take a few quarters off from learning but don’t take off a year. Or not multiple years. Invest in your skills regularly.

There are often rewards for improving our skills. These might be a raise, better choice of projects, better employment, or maybe even the spark to build your own business. It takes work, but I’ve not often found the time I spent was wasted. Even if I learn skills I don’t use or enjoy, I learn something about myself that helps me better direct my future career.

Steve Jones

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