Tag: career2

Today we have an editorial from Aug 8, 2007 that is being republished as Steve is on holiday.

You wouldn’t think that it would take much to woo interns to Silicon Valley, especially for Google. My guess is that Google and Microsoft get to fight over the top candidates, and neither of them is really a loser. It’s all the other companies out there that end up getting the less highly rated interns.

Which is cool with me. It would have given me lots of other choices if I were graduating 🙂

Still, how cool would it be to get to the Bill Gate summer BBQ while in college?

I had the chance to intern at Virginia Power a long time ago and it turned out to be a great experience. I was an EE graduate student at the time and ended up in the maintenance group learning how to schedule maintenance and giving input for work that was actually being done. Done by someone else, of course. It was, after all, a nuclear power plant. You can’t have interns running around with wrenches tightening reactor bolts. It is rightie-tightie, right?

However I ended up moving over to the IT group and writing a scheduling application that my old department actually used to manage their work. I stayed in IT, switched to computer engineering, and the rest is history.

I think interning is a great idea and it gives you the chance to groom someone for your company. It’s a chance for students to learn, do real work, and you to find out who fits and doesn’t fit in your organization. And it brings a new perspective to your group, with the addition of someone that isn’t set in their ways. After the recent Revisit What You Know, maybe that’s a really good thing.

I think there are less IT people to choose from overall, especially as salaries stagnate a little and the layoffs continue, but there is still a demand for people that’s hard to fill. If your company doesn’t look to hire people right out of college, maybe they should.

Investing in yourself is key to growing in your career and enjoying the rest of your life. You should invest in your knowledge, and I’ve written about the need to constantly improve your skills over time. I know you need to think about your financial future as well and make sure you are looking forward to the day when you might not want to work full time in technology. I’ve also written that you need to make some personal investments in your health to be sure that you are around to enjoy a long life.

I saw this post about finding exercise in life’s margins. Taking the stairs, or walking while on the phone. Small things that allow you to fit in some movement around the rest of your life. That’s a great way to improve your health without making drastic changes in your life. Consider a standing desk, something I’m experimenting with, but look to find ways to take care of yourself while balancing the most limited resource you have: time.

The idea of finding ways to exercise in the margins of your life makes me think this might be a good way to improve your knowledge as well. Are there margins of time in your day when you can learn something? Perhaps you can take 5 less minutes at lunch a few times a week and browse through forums, looking to answer some question on your own and try to improve your T-SQL. Maybe you spend an hour on Sunday morning, browsing through Database Weekly and reading a few blog posts about topics that interest you. Maybe you take the last 10 minutes of the day and read a book on T-SQL. It might take you all year to get through the book, but that’s one more book you’d finish this year. If you have a commute, download the MCM videos from SQLskills and listen on the way.

Life is busy, and life is hard, and life is often something that happens when you’re making all kinds of other plans. It’s hard to fit in big projects or concentrated efforts to improve your career, but maybe you can find a little time in the margins and find a way to improve your skills without taking too much time away from the rest of your life.

Steve Jones

The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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

• Watch the Windows Media Podcast – 22.6MB WMV 
• Watch the iPod Video Podcast – 19.0MB MP4 
• Watch the MP3 Audio Podcast – 3.9MB MP3 

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.

• Watch the Windows Media Podcast – 21.7MB WMV 
• Watch the iPod Video Podcast – 17.3MB MP4 
• Watch the MP3 Audio Podcast – 3.6MB MP3 

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.

• Watch the Windows Media Podcast – 21.8MB WMV 
• Watch the iPod Video Podcast – 17.8MB MP4 
• Watch the MP3 Audio Podcast – 3.6MB MP3