A Work Conference

Posted on May 17, 2021 by way0utwest

I like the idea of a work conference. We’re actually having one at Redgate this week, though it’s all virtual. I’d like an in person one, and it sounds like that will happen at Atlassian four times a year when they require employees to be in the office. That’s it.

Four times a year.

They are going all in on work from home, allowing employees to be in any place that Atlassian has a legal presence for work. As someone that’s dealt with this, it is a hassle for a company doesn’t have any setup for an employee in a new locale, especially in the US. So I understand them limiting employees to places where the company has a corporate entity. Still, that’s a lot of places for Atlassian.

Many Atlassian employees do expect to go to offices about half the time, but they won’t be required to do so. I think there are lots of their staff that want to be able to go to an office, at least some time.  I do wonder how they will handle meetings and collaboration with people being able to move their schedule around and be in or out of the office. At Redgate we’ve said remote first, but sitting at my desk for a meeting with one person that’s at their desk in the same room and one person that is remote feels strange.

Getting everyone in a region together a few times a year is a really interesting idea. It will feel like a SQL Saturday or other event when you know everyone will show up. I can see this generating some excitement. Especially if those days are different from normal workdays.

It’s something I think I’d be interested in, and perhaps excited by. I think I’ll suggest each Redgate office have a few days a year, and then see if I can get invited to each office on those days. Fingers crossed that it happens.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher, Spotify, or iTunes.

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Daily Coping 17 May 2021

Posted on May 17, 2021 by way0utwest

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag. 

Today’s tip is to make sleep a priority tonight.

I need more sleep. It’s been a long weekend and I’ve been running hard for quite a few days before today. It was fun, but I’m worn out.

It’s Sunday night. I need some rest before the week, and so I’m making it a point to go to sleep early. I’ll spend a little time with my wife, and then read a bit. She tends to want to watch some TV to unwind, but that typically doesn’t bother me, and after 20-30 minutes of reading, I can roll over and go to sleep.

My aim is to call it a day by 930p, or 1000p at the latest. Hopefully I make my goal.

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Career: Talk To References

Posted on May 14, 2021 by way0utwest

As we try to get through these strange times in the world, I am starting to see a bit more career movement in 2021 than I saw for much of 2020. Whether this is companies starting to hire more and get back to work or people getting tired of their routine and looking for new positions, I’m seeing more people changing jobs.

Networking has been a great way for people to find good jobs, but you might not have someone that can help you for any particular job. Instead, you might lead an employer along by giving them references that you pick. While some employers might not ask for them or look at them, you can emphasize their importance and value in your career during any interviews, which might convince someone to call them.

Preparation is Key

In addition to you being ready for an interview, it is helpful to contact your references and help them get prepared.

Give them a call, catch up on life, and be sure to remind them of things you did well or want them to emphasize in any call. Giving them a thing or two to think about puts those thoughts in their mind. When a potential employer calls a reference, they can be distracted or otherwise occupied. The things you’ve talked with them about will cue them to highlight what you want them to say.

There is some good advice in this column, and it’s what I’d do if I needed a new job. It’s also similar to discussions I’ve had when someone has asked me to be their reference. We usually spend 5-10 minutes ensuring that we’re on the same page and I am ready to highlight what’s important to them.

I don’t mis-represent people, but I do want to focus on the things that are helpful to advancing their career. It’s helpful for me to be prepared, as a colleague and friend.

If I don’t feel someone is qualified, I’ll tell them and let them decide if they still want me to be a reference.

Every bit of help you can get in a job search is good. There is a lot of competition out there, so keep working on your network and remember to use it when you are seeking new employment.

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The Gift of Asking Stupid Questions

Posted on May 14, 2021 by way0utwest

I am a fan of teaching someone to fish, rather than giving them fish. But when teaching someone, I want to allow them to make mistakes and not just dictate how they work. I want them to learn how to solve problems themselves, gain knowledge, and improve skills.

I was watching some of the Pluralsight Tech Skills day recently and in the Scott Hanselman interview, I really appreciated his answer on how to approach a problem. He talks about asking bisection questions at scale, asking lots of yes/no or querying questions that lead you towards the solution.

From here, he notes that experienced or senior developers often know the questions to ask because of their past. For junior developers, they need to be encouraged to ask questions and solve problems. However, they need to be able to do this safely, meaning that we encourage and help lead them to answers without berating them for asking questions.

This is one of the things we’ve tried to do at SQLServerCentral. We have a few guidance articles (etiquette and examples) on how to post a question, but often we ask people what they’ve tried, what works, what results they get, and try to help them find answers. Not all of us, but many of us do this. I do too often see someone posting code as a solution without explaining or helping someone learn, but it’s less often than I see a response trying to help someone learn and think.

I’ve always disliked the RTFM answers I see on the Internet, but I really hate seeing this inside an organization. I get that some people will take advantage of others and avoid work, but often someone wants to learn. I do think that it’s good to allow someone to ask about a topic once or twice, or even about how to learn. Give them ideas, and remind them to put forth some effort, but don’t automatically discourage questions.

Like Scott Hanselman, I had the gift of being able to ask stupid and silly questions. While I was sometimes abused for these, most of the time someone helped me increase my knowledge. I haven’t always been a good listener for others’ questions, but I have been working on being more patient and understanding with others. I’ve also started to appreciate how hard it can be to search out some answers, so I remember that when I see the same question again and again from different people. They’re all trying to learn and I want to give them the gift of being able to ask questions, no matter how simple they might seem to me.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher, Spotify, or iTunes.

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