Category: Editorial

This editorial was originally published on Sept 29, 2008. It is being republished as Steve is on vacation.

An interesting question. Read page one of this article and then give me your opinion for this Friday’s poll. Would You Fire This Person?

Should He Stay or Should He Go?

Now my first thought on reading the first page was that this is a person that I would fire. I would temper that statement with the fact that I don’t know the person and the description doesn’t really convey what is happening. I’m sure that I’d have different feelings, though I did feel I’ve known a few “Erics” in my career.

As I read through more of the article, I thought that I would probably end up following a lot of the advice given in order to fire Eric. I’d document things, I’ve give him a chance to change and improve. I’d have to spell out specific things that needed to change, though I’d like to think that I wouldn’t have gotten into that situation.

I can work around employees that don’t know things. That’s something you can fix, or try to, and if they can’t learn the things, and I can’t find you a job that matches your salary, then you have to go. However the team fit is a big deal and not having a good team means that I think Eric has to go.

In any case, place your vote in the discussion before reading beyond page 1 of the article.

Steve Jones

Video and Audio versions Today’s podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. Support this great duo at www.everydayjones.com. Follow Steve Jones on Twitter to find links and database related items and announcements. Windows Media Video ( 23.8MB)  MP4 iPod Video ( 18.4MB)  MP3 Audio ( 3.8MB)  Feeds are available at iTunes and Mevio To submit an article, rant or editorial, log in to the Contribution Center

This editorial was originally published on Oct 18, 2008. It is being republished as Steve is on vacation.

I think everyone would like more money, but I’m not sure how many of you really want to be rich. In reading through my list of blogs, I stumbled upon Mark Cuban’s entry on How to Get Rich and thought it was an interesting read. He gives you some of the advice I would, the most important being “there are no shortcuts.” If you remember nothing else, remember that.

I remember years ago, driving around with my Mom in the car. We were on some errand or something, I can’t remember, but I know that I was saying I wanted to do something. She told me an interesting story she’d picked up from somewhere, perhaps Reader’s Digest since it sounds like something they’d publish. It goes like this: a famous violinist was giving a concert and afterwards attended a party nearby. People were all there to basically see him and one lady was gushing with praise for his performance and told him “I’d give anything to be like you.” The violinist stopped and looked at her, saying “No, you wouldn’t.”

Naturally people stop and stare and the lady is a bit flustered, “oh but I would, ” she protests. The violinist then repeats she wouldn’t and continues. “You wouldn’t give the one thing you must, time.”

He meant practice, effort, dedication, etc., and that’s really the secret to being rich. You have to really invest in yourself, believe in yourself, and put lots of effort in. Most people don’t really want to do that, instead looking for some way to shortcut the process. There are ways to do it, but they either involve picking the correct 6 numbers on the correct week or placing a big bet on a single number, card, roll of the dice, or stock. And it’s far more likely that you’ll end up losing big with big bets.

I saw an article recently that said half of all US taxpayers make less than $32,000 a year. I’m not sure if that’s true, but the article cites the IRS statistics for taxes paid. If you make more than $65k a year, you’re in the top 25%. In many places that might be considered rich, and if that’s the case, I think the majority of people in IT, especially DBAs, are doing well. It might not be what you want, but it’s a good living you’re earning.

I think there’s a lot more to life than money. Not that I don’t want to make good money, but there are definitely important things that aren’t related to money. Now it’s easy for me to say that, I’ve been successful, my wife works, and we don’t have trouble paying our bills, but I’m a long way behind the Cube. Hopefully most of you are in a similar situation.

If you want to get rich, and crack into the top 5%, earning more than $150k a year, likely you really need to start your own business. If that’s a goal, good luck and I’d love to hear about your trials and success. I’d also you to build a business you enjoy, make decisions you’re proud of and would tell your kids about. Be fair, honest, and work hard, and send me a note. Maybe I’ll even start featuring a few of those down home efforts here.

If that’s not your goal, I really hope you enjoy your life and get to do what makes you happy. That’s what’s important, or should be, to all of us.

Steve Jones

Video and Audio versions Today’s podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. Support this great duo at www.everydayjones.com. Follow Steve Jones on Twitter to find links and database related items and announcements. Windows Media Video ( 35.6MB)  MP4 iPod Video ( 31.6MB)  MP3 Audio ( 6.4MB)  Feeds are available at iTunes and Mevio To submit an article, rant or editorial, log in to the Contribution Center