Author: way0utwest

Tomorrow kicks off the second 24 hours of PASS event. 24 consecutive 1 hour sessions presented around the globe by SQL Server professionals from all around the globe. These are video/audio webcasts that will start on 12GMT on May 19 and continue through 12GMT on May 20.

There’s a great lineup of speakers this year. You can check out the entire lineup here, and I’d encourage you to attend a session or two if you can. There’s a lot of information on SQL Server 2008 R2, so you can get up to speed on some new features if you want.

I’m not a part of it due to a holiday being scheduled, but I enjoyed it last year, and I had a good time watching a few of the sessions.

From Barnes and Noble. You can get them on a Nook, Blackberry, iPhone/Ipad, or PC. They are offering a few free titles to you with a coupon. You need to go to a B&N store to get the code, but you can get these titles:

1. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (first week’s free title)
2. The Long Tail by Chris Anderson
3. Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
4. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
5. One Shot by Lee Childs

I’ve read The Long Tail and One Shot, both of which I’d recommend, but I don’t have One Shot as an ebook. I might go in to check this out if I’m near a store sometime soon.

There has been quite a debate going on at SQLServerCentral about a DBA journeyman certification. There are a couple good writeups (part 1 and part 2), from Jason Brimhall on the cert, and I’m happy to note that SQLServerCentral, and Red Gate software, are happy to sponsor these efforts. I’ve arranged for a Sharepoint site that has working documents as a group of volunteers are trying to come up with a way to actually test and certify individuals beyond that of an MCITP, but below an MCM.

It’s a neat idea, and I’m happy to be sponsoring it, as well as participating a bit in the discussion. Jeremiah Peschka from PASS is also helping, adding his thoughts and presenting ideas from that organization.

If you’re interested in somehow standardizing and providing better certifications for SQL Server professionals, I’d urge you to consider volunteering and helping out.

Kathi Kellenburger, fellow MVP and friend, pinged me recently for an interview for the Professional Development Virtual Chapter. This is one of the groups at PASS that tries to focus on a specific area, as opposed to move chapter based user groups that are location based.

She interviewed me through email and the interview is live, and you can check it out. It’s short, but I give out some of my thoughts on building your career and focusing on professional development.