Voice of the DBA

Tag: career2

  • T-SQL Tuesday #30 – Ethics

    TSQL2sDay150x150This month the topic is hosted by Chris Shaw, and his topic is ethics.

    The blog party is the second Tuesday of each month. There is a theme and it is hosted by a different blogger every month. I’ve got a complete list of topics on my blog if you want to read about the past entries.

    It was started by Adam Machanic and if you want to host one, let him know. It can be fun, though a little busy as you compile a summary of the posts from the month.

    Ethics

    I thought this was a great topic, and I’ve actually written on it before. Chris asks a few questions about ethics and they are good ones. I’d like to think that most people have a good code of ethics, but I also think many people haven’t really thought through what their ethics are on this situation. You should do your job, and do what you’re told, but I think breaking the law, or performing an action that violates your moral principles is a no-no.

    However when you get into more subtle issues, like the one Chris talks about with regard to security, what do you do?

    Overall you have to follow your moral compass and use The Test.

    • If you have any doubt about what you’ve been asked to do, seek a second opinion, and get a confirmation from your boss (or their boss) in writing.
    • If you are sure it’s wrong, don’t do it, give you reasons, and let them get someone else to do it.
    • If it’s illegal, you should report it.

    I know sometimes this puts you in a bad situation, and you may fear for your job. That’s natural, and understandable, especially if you are the sole breadwinner for your family.

    However you also have to live with your actions, and they reflect on your soul daily. I would ask that you make the right decision, even when it’s not the most popular, profitable, or palatable one.

  • The Best Way to Learn

    Kindle
    How can we help you learn better?

    I constantly see people asking the question about how they should learn more about some aspect of SQL Server. We have lots of articles here on SQLServerCentral, and there are any number of other sources on the Internet, but I’ve typically recommended that people buy a book. I’ve been an author, and I like to support authors, but that isn’t why I recommend books.

    When you try to learn some new topic, say Reporting Services, there is so much information you can find on Google, but it’s all unorganized. It can be hard to learn without a plan, and books are usually organized in a way to walk you through a technology. That along can be valuable, and you can supplement chapters with articles you find around the web. This was the inspiration for our Stairway Series of topics, which we’ll eventually compile into books at some point. The Stairway on Reporting Services, by Jessica Moss, is excellent, and if you read through it, you’ll see what I mean.

    The book market is evolving, and e-books are exploding. I see more and more Kindles and other e-readers everywhere I go and it seems there’s a resurgence of reading, at least for some people. I know that technical books haven’t necessarily been popular on e-readers, but I’m sure that will change over time. I still think books are one of the best ways to tackle some new technology, but I think the static way we present information in most books could be improved. This week, I wanted to get some ideas from you.

    What would you like to see in an e-book that would help you learn?

    Would you like to see video included, or demos/screencasts of some feature being used? Should reference implementations of functions be linked from the book, or perhaps you’d like to see more interactive questions, puzzles, and evaluations of your knowledge as you proceed. One thing I thought might be interesting would be a pre-chapter quiz that could let you know if it’s even worth reading that section.

    I suspect that we’ll start to see more integration of platforms, perhaps even allowing you to sync your e-reader with an application on your desktop that allows you to cut/paste code from the book into SSMS while you have your e-reader on the desk. Give us your ideas today for ways that might make is easier for you to learn.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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

  • Living a Dream

    It was a little over a year ago that I stood on stage at the Rocky Mountain Tech Trifecta and gave a keynote speech in which I said these words:

    “My wife works in the mobility/cellular phone industry right now, but she really wants to train horses for a living.  In the short term, which might be the next few years, she’s a little "stuck" in her current job. However we spend time and money every year improving her skills, and I support her in doing the "professional development" she needs to do in order to be a horse trainer some day. I know she’ll get there at some point, and I am sure she’ll be ready for her next career with all the work and training she is doing now.”

    As I write this today, my wife is finishing her last day of work in corporate America. She resigned a month ago, and today, May 4th, is her last day working for her company. She had a farewell dinner with her boss last night. She is packing up her equipment and shipping it back. She’s having final calls with co-workers and saying good-bye.

    Her dream has been to work with horses for a living. She has been working part time for years boarding and training horses and people to work with them, and we’ve been working for years to try and adjust our life so she could work on her dream full time.

    That starts tonight, as one job ends and she commits to building her business full time, and with a passion that amazes me. I have no doubt this will be a success for her, and for our family.

    We know there will be an adjustment, and finances will get tighter, but we all think it’s a trade that is worth making. Life is short, very short, and you only get to live it once. We have lost a number of friends in the last year, all too young to leave this Earth, and it’s helped to make us realize that it’s important we don’t delay this change any longer than we need to, even if it’s uncomfortable.

    Life is short, but we never know how short it will be for each of us. Any of us could leave this life at any time. Remember that each day, as you choose your path in life.

  • Work to Live

    Me and my son skiing
    Balancing work and life as best I can

    I’m halfway through my career, having spent about 20 years since college working in technology with another twenty to go. The rest of the community is probably spread out around me, some older, some younger. It doesn’t matter what part of your life you are in, there are a few things about work that I think always apply. The first is that we work to live, and don’t live to work. The second is I like to hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

    It’s all too common for people in this business to overwork themselves, work very long hours, and neglect the rest of their life. I have rarely seen someone that is retired or late in life complain that they didn’t work enough over their lifetime, and I’d caution you to keep that in mind as you go through life. There will always be more work, more things to do, and more requests from clients and customers. Keep a balance in your life, and remember to enjoy it along the way.

    The second part of my advice can apply in many parts of our career, but it ought to apply to our finances and our retirement. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a few articles like this one that notes many people have not funded their retirements well. We all have expenses, and it’s easy to delay the investments in our life until later, but that is a bad idea. Whether it’s your IRA/401K or your health, you’d be better off sacrificing a little today for a little more security later.

    In the US, many employers match contributions and you ought to take advantage of that. There are all sorts of options for retirement, like ROTH IRAs, that it seems many people aren’t aware of. I also meet many people that don’t realize they can borrow against their 401K as well, taking a loan whose interest goes back to your own account. There are few excuses to not plan for the future. Enjoy today, but plan to live a long time and to enjoy your retirement.

    How much money you might need depends on your lifestyle, and that’s something you should spend time thinking about and talking with your family about. Many of us may not be able to retire at 65, or count on social security, but I’d hate to have to work longer than I want to because I cannot afford to retire.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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