Voice of the DBA

Tag: career

  • Goal Progress for September 2021

    I set goals at the beginning of the year, and I’m tracking my progress in these updates during 2021.

    Not a lot of progress in September. I think this is a bit of a symptom of life for me, as I find myself in a career lull as I get near the end of summer each year. Perhaps a learning item for me is to tackle more things earlier in the year, or later, as I find the end of the year slow.

    I’m also starting to think that my goals should be for part of a year, with a re-assessment at some point. Perhaps 2022 ought to be six month goals, or even 4 months goals and then create new ones, or leave some off.

    Current Grade: C-

    I’m leaving the same grade. Minor things accomplished. Mostly I think September was time away from work spent on life. A new car, chores before winter, and some time with my wife. No regrets here, other than my career stalled.

    Reading

    I did finish Lights Out, and I purchased Thanks for the Feedback. I opened it and got started. I also write a Lights Out review.

    Here’s the current progress:

    Technical Skills

    No real change here.  I have done much coding outside of work.

    Projects

    No real changes here. Minor updates, but not enough time spent on these items.

  • Thank a Mentor

    “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” — Steven Spielberg

    I saw that quote posted on Twitter with the request that people tag a mentor that had helped them. Since then, a few people have posted their thanks to someone, and I’ve been tagged a few times. I’m honored that people think I’ve helped them somehow, as that’s been a portion of my career for the last twenty years. I make an effort to do help others have a great career and become better at their jobs.

    I’m not looking for lots of people to post anything about their mentors here or thank me. Instead, I am asking that you stop and thank someone that has helped you in your career.  Let them know they made a difference and how they did so. It’s good for them and for you.

    We all need help, support, and encouragement at times to help us move forward. We can all use someone that can give us an independent view of our decisions, our choices, and more. Their thoughts and observations help us keep perspective on the way forward that best suits us. Certainly, I know I need the perspective, as well as  the advice from others.

    There have been many people who have influenced my life, but two that have made a huge difference in my career are my wife and my former business partner. Those are people I’ve talked with nearly every week for the last twenty years and who have influenced me more than anyone or anything else in my life.

    Life can be challenging at many times and finding the right path forward for ourselves can seem uncertain. A mentor can be an advisor, confidant, cheerleader, and support system. When you find someone(s) that meets those needs for you, treasure them and be sure to thank them for impacting your life.

    Steve Jones

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

  • Poor Work Management

    The future of how we will work is uncertain. Every time I read something or talk to someone, I hear different thoughts and experiences, which influence how I feel. Actually, I’m not sure how I feel. Some companies are pushing back their office openings (Google, Microsoft) to a future time, while others are bringing people back part or full time. I had lunch with some friends working at a financial institution, and they are allowed to work at home a day or two a week, but otherwise, they’re in the office every week. I know some other people that are back in the office five days a week.

    There are mixed feelings among many people. While I don’t know many technology people that want to be in the office every day, some do want the option to go periodically to the office. Depending on your commute, you might feel differently, as there are plenty of data pros that want to remain at home full time. Both groups, however, feel that we can be effective at our jobs while working remotely.

    Not all management feels thtat same way, for various reasons. I ran across this piece that speculates that poor management is more likely to fear remote work than embrace it. The example in the piece, from Cathy Merill, certainly seems to indicate this is the case. While I’ve seen some great managers, I feel many managers aren’t good at adapting to dramatic changes and struggle to change their own view of how to do their job.

    I do think culture suffers when we can’t get together in person. Hallway conversations and chats over coffee aren’t as easy remotely, and we don’t build the same bond we get in the office. Working separately at home can work, and we’ve had a lot of success at Redgate, but I also feel more separate from lots of co-workers and miss the chance to get together and catch up. The remote meetings are not the same, and scheduling a quick call is much more of an intrusion than being able to walk by someone’s desk or stop for a minute when I see them in the hall.

    Perhaps it’s the energy from being around lots of people that CEOs and other management miss. It can be invigorating and exciting when lots of people are working together towards a common goal and succeeding. Perhaps management prefers to look someone in the eye and put pressure on them for a lack of performance. That is harder to do virtually, and I know lots of managers that work through intimidation.

    There’s also the investment made in offices. Over the years I’ve seen various configurations and amenities in offices, often to encourage more work and comfort away from home. I know plenty of CEOs and leaders that feel this investment needs to be used by staff for lots of hours each week because of the cost, which seems like a poor excuse to me. That money is spent. These days I suspect more employees push back on longer hours, as they should, and find comfort at home, which might also bother management.

    This issue is complex, but I do know that whether we’re remote or in an office, we can be effective and get work done in teams. Management should know that and use it to try and build an environment that gets the most out of all their staff, whether in the office or remote.

    Steve Jones

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

  • Help Your Manager

    Most of us have some sort of review with a manager on a regular basis. It might be once a year, once a quarter, or even monthly. Some of us like these, and some don’t (me), but the review is often a way to assist your manager in evaluating how you are performing in your job. This is quite common, and I’ve gotten used to this, though I never really like the process.

    I do know reviews are important. This is a time when you have an opportunity to shape your career. A good impression here can help you with a raise, a promotion, even the choice of a project or work you want to do in the future. I learned early on in my career that these reviews were important.

    I also learned that my manager often wasn’t up to date on what I’d done across the last time period. I used to have annual reviews, but even with quarterly reviews, managers have their own career (and review) to worry about, other employees to worry about, and they can lose track of your accomplishments.

    I saw a link in the Brent Ozar newsletter listing things that your manager might not know. Not everything on the list would be things that I cover in a review, but these are things to think about as you look to tailor your job to suit you. If you want something fixed or are having issues, make sure you explicitly call these out to your manager. Not imply something is bothering you, but directly state what you want or what is wrong.

    Read the list, but for me, the important things are to track the extra things I’ve done, the things that impact the company, or that help other people. If I save the company money, or better, increase revenue in some way, I want to make a note and bring those notes to my review. If I spend extra time to make someone else’s job easier, bring that up.

    Your manager often doesn’t know the details of what you do across time. Usually, they do track the current tasks, but they often don’t remember at review time what you did 3 or 6 months ago. Often I don’t either.

    That’s why I keep notes about my successes. They help me drive my career forward in the direction I want it to move. It can help you as well but start keeping track of things today, as a way to prep for review time.

    Steve Jones

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