I was on the Data Exposed: MVP Edition show recently, talking about SQLCMD. I’ve written a few articles on the topics as well, and a blog post about setting up a node HTTP server, which I show in the demo.
Check out the show below:
Read these articles for more info:
I’m very lucky in that I get to travel all over the globe for work and see many places. It can be hard, and this year has been a challenge. Through the first six months of the year, I’ve taken 13 trips (not all business).
However, this week I’m off on vacation. In a new place I’ve never been: Alaska. My wife and I booked a cruise and we’re somewhere today on our way to a state neither of us has ever visited.
Enjoy the week, and I’ll be posting pictures if you follow me anywhere else. I might write about it there, but I’m offline the rest of the week.
For the trivia nerds, and because I like data, this is my 46th state. Four to go. Here’s my list:
Are you ready to get a new job? I’m not talking about you deciding you want a new job and working towards that goal, but rather getting surprised by a layoff or termination today. If your boss called you into his/her office in the next 10 minutes and told you that you were being terminated today, are you ready for that? Kendra Little wrote a nice post recently asking who might be prepared.
Most of us aren’t. In fact, in my branding presentation, one of my slides has a screenshot of a post from LinkedIn. A friend noted that they walked into work and found out his company had been purchased. It wasn’t a good day because they were also notified they were being laid off, hence the post on LinkedIn letting others know of their need to find one.
The modern work world, especially for technology workers, isn’t stable and certain. While we have lots of positives in our jobs (work environment, low physical needs, remote possibilities, etc.), many of those can be detractions. Outsourcing IT jobs is something many companies do, and whether it’s a good idea for the company or not, it’s a reality. We also have lots of acquisitions in different spaces, and when sets of IT groups come together, there isn’t always the need to keep everyone employed. Even with double the workload, many in management would rather save money and give more responsibility to fewer people.
Side note, this is one reason a good knowledge of DevOps, ITOps, GitOps, etc. is valuable for your career. When a manager is trying to decide who to keep, those with these skills may stand out.
Unless you are ready to retire and merely padding your assets, you ought to have a plan for changing jobs. Even if you like your job, circumstances might force that upon you and when lots of people are scrambling for new jobs, competition can be fierce. Like Kendra, I don’t know you need a detailed plan, but documenting some skills growth and keeping your resume or CV up to date is always a good idea. I recommend everyone touch their resume every quarter. At least spend 5 minutes looking over it and thinking about it.
Kendra has other suggestions, and I like them. In fact, I’m looking to think about a few of these. Not that I want another job, but you never know what might happen, and I’m not that close to retirement. Close, but not close enough. Certainly thinking through a few options at a high level is something I want to do with my wife.
And make sure my resume is up to date.
Steve Jones
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licotic – adj. anxiously excited to introduce a friend to something you think is amazing – a classic album, a favorite restaurant, a TV show they’re lucky enough to watch for the first time – which prompts you to continually poll their face waiting for the inevitable rush of awe, only to cringe when you discover all the work’s flaws shining through for the very first time.
I’ve felt this quite a few times, often with my kids. Usually it’s an older movie or show that I loved and I try to introduce to them. Only to realize that in my naiveite of youth, I loved it more than it deserved and ignored the shortcomings.
I also think that the cinematography and storytelling in media has improved so much over the years that many shows I loved as a kid don’t resonate anymore because the skill of media has grown.
From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
Voice of the DBA 