Voice of the DBA

Category: Editorial

  • Career Engagement

    Just another day at work, sketching myself.

    I’ve read and heard from many of you that the IT business has been in a slump the last year or two, with relatively few jobs out there and workers more than a little concerned about job security. This has led to people spending more time at work, and accepting poorer working conditions than they might otherwise choose to accept.

    This Friday, I’m curious about your situation. Which of these applies for you?

    a) happy with your job and looking to stay
    b) content in your job, but willing to consider other opportunities

    c) Get me out of here ASAP

    Personally, I’m almost always in positions b or c. I am built to be a little insecure, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It drives me forward, but it also means that I perpetually am anxious about any changes at work or conflicts. Being a fairly paranoid DBA, I always want a backup plan, or two, or three. Both with databases and with my employment.

    I saw a great quote recently on a LinkedIn profile: ” I’m not actively looking for a new position. Ridiculous salary offers always thoughtfully considered. ;-)”

    I’d hope that describes most of your jobs, but I suspect that more than a few people would describe their situation like c) above. Let us know this Friday, and if you’d like to respond anonymously, send me an email (sjones at this domain) and I’ll post a note for you, without your name.

    I have the best job in the world, at least for me, and while I hear about and get offered other jobs, I have a hard time thinking that any position would be better for me. I’m not looking to leave my gig, and not sure I ever will voluntarily.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.

  • Is Empowerment Good?

    I remember my boss having a secretary that used to take his dictation down.

    When I started working in business, PCs were just coming to use in the company where I worked. Not everyone had a computer, which may shock some of you. We had shared computers in some places, and there were people whose jobs didn’t require computers, if you can believe that. The world has changed since then, and having access to some computing device is almost required at every level of business these days, from delivery drivers to warehouse workers to the CEO.

    One of the anachronistic events you might see in older films or book was the idea of an executive calling a secretary into their office to dictate a memorandum or letter. I’ve actually witnessed that event, though it’s a faded memory that I barely recall. As technology evolved, we found more and more people could handle their own work, typing and proofing their own letters, calling up their own reports, and reading their own correspondence. That seems to be much more efficient, allowing one person to do the work that two might have done before, but is that correct?

    When you ask for a report, or dictate a letter, you are delegating that work. You can let it go, and spend your time thinking about the content or analyzing the data without worrying about the mechanics. It’s easy to pick up a report, but it’s also easy to get bogged down in worrying about which options to pick, or experimenting with a few options, going back and forth. I shudder to think of how much time someone spends formatting, changing fonts, or customizing their work in Word, Powerpoint, etc. when they could be applying knowledge to a process.

    Technology is a great enabler, but too often we think that just enabling someone with more options, choices and settings is a worthwhile exercise. Technology ought to make things easier, and allow us to concentrate more on the work we need to do. If  it requires more work from us, especially because it’s given us too many choices, I’m not sure it’s been implemented well.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.

  • Create Your Own Intense Interview

    Are you unhappy in your job? Do you work too many hours? Is the work environment causing you stress or unhappiness? In all of those situations, I counsel people to look for another job. Make a plan to move on to another position, or even another career field or industry. It can be hard, it can be a struggle, it can take time but we work to live, not the other way around.

    It always amazes me how quickly people settle for jobs, choosing the first position they can possibly get, regardless of the potential pitfalls or even known problems with the position. I know many people have bills and obligations, but you will spend a lot of your life in a job. Doesn’t it make sense to try and find a job that you enjoy, or fulfills you in some way. Or at least a job you enjoy going to most days?

    It’s hard to find a new job. It’s hard for companies to find employees that will fit into the organization and stay a long time. I’d think that most of us on either side of the interview table would want to be sure that we are entering into a good relationship. Companies ask lots of questions to try and learn about the candidate; candidates should do the same thing. Create an intense interview, one where you probe the company as hard as they probe you to determine the shape, scope, and size of the position. You don’t need to be adversarial to do this, but be thorough and do not be afraid to ask questions.

    I heard from a friend recently that went on an interview, and had done some research beforehand. This person jotted thoughts and questions in a notebook, took it to the interview, and made notes as the session progressed. I had never done that, but it makes sense, and I think I’d do that in the future.

    I do not treat interviews as some contest I have to win by impressing people. It’s a mutual meeting to determine if we want to do business together, and that mindset has served me well over the years.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.

  • A Break from Data

    The Avengers
    The Avengers is an excellent movie

    This Friday is the start of the Memorial Day holiday in the US. Many companies allow employees time off, making this a long weekend to celebrate the start of summer. Cooking outside and camping have been ways in which my family has enjoyed the holiday in the past, though this year we are likely to spend most of the weekend tending to the plant life around the ranch. For me that means hours in the tractor seat as I try to get the grass under control.

    One of the other traditions we have had is seeing a movie over the weekend. This is one of the times that potential blockbusters are usually released. The Avengers movie opened a few weeks ago, and my kids were excited to go see it. In fact, we saw it twice in two week and enjoyed it immensely. This weekend, I suspect that Men in Black 3 will receive a few votes from the kids for a family outing.

    It’s Friday, and many of you will be looking forward to a break from work for a few days, and I wanted to ask what you might recommend to everyone else out there for a break.

    Which science fiction films, either in theaters or at home, would you recommend from the past year?

    I haven’t seen Battleship, but I did enjoy The Hunger Games earlier this year. I saw Lockout with my son, and while it wasn’t much of a movie, it was entertaining for us. Prometheus is on the horizon, and looks interesting. For now, I have to recommend The Avengers if you haven’t seen it, and perhaps the third Transformers movie, which I watched a few months ago.

    Let us know what you like. I will also recommend the remake of Battlestar Gallactica, which I have been watching on Netflix over the last 6 months or so as a run sci fi series that entertains me.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

    We publish three versions of the podcast each day for you to enjoy.