Voice of the DBA

Tag: career2

  • Unlimited Vacation

    Unlimited Vacation sounds good, and maybe it works, but I wonder how much vacation people really take at Red Frog. My guess is that it’s not far off from what most progressive companies give, something like 20 days a year.

    It’s a good perk to have, and I’m sure it doesn’t get abused since the people that abuse it get let go. The people that don’t abuse it might even shortchange themselves. I know it sounds like a company would have people taking 40, 50, maybe 100 days a year off, but the reality is that if someone does that you find yourself in one of two situations:

    • their work isn’t getting done and you fire them
    • their work is getting done and you ignore it.

    There are plenty of managers that might feel they should be getting more work from someone that can take 100 days a year off and still get their work done, but what type of attitude is that? You hire someone, expect them to get xx things done in a year for yyy dollars. If they get xx things done in 2/3 year while the person next to them takes a year, why complain? If others complain, tell them to just get their work done quicker (or learn how to work more efficiently).

    I get over 20 days, plus holidays, and I struggle to take it. I’m essentially in the same boat as the Red Frog employees in that I manage my own schedule, and can take off whenever I want if my work is done. I rarely take sick days, since I can work at home when I’m sick. I have a grinding, daily job that requires regular effort, so I can’t plan on a month project, take off 2 days in the middle and catch up later. I essentially run a newspaper, every day.

    However I could take unlimited vacation. I could potentially get my work done in 3 days every week, keeping enough items scheduled, to take two days a week off. I’m just not sure that it would be vacation since I’d be stressed during those 3 days.

    If you are a professional, I think most places will work with you to get the vacation you need, whether it’s tracked, booked, managed, or not. The key, in my opinion, is to set a schedule that works for you, and a set amount of work that justifies your salary and makes both you and your employer happy.

  • DBAs in Denver

    I have a friend looking for a production DBA in Denver, so if you’re interested, email me at SQLServerCentral.

    They need a production DBA in the South Denver area, backups, config, query tuning, replication, partitioning. SQL Server 2005-2008 R2.

  • The Data Resolutions

    Happy New Year

    Making a new year’s resolution is an annual tradition for many people on January 1. Breaking those resolutions seems to be another annual tradition that often takes place during the month of January as we struggle to live up to the changes that many of us often want to make in our lives.

    It’s the last Friday of the year, and rather than ask you about the resolutions you are making overall, I wanted to ask this question:

    What would you like to do differently in your career in 2012?

    It’s easy, and I hope it makes you think a little about where you want to go ni the future. Are you looking to move to a new job, a new kind of work with SQL Server? Do you want to learn more about some aspect of SQL Server? Do you want to get out of technology?

    As you think about what you might do differently in 2012, it’s not always about growth. Perhaps 2012 is a year where you slow down a bit and maintain some skills, or even reduce your hours as you spend time on something outside of work.

    For me 2012 will be a slower year. After attending over a dozen events in 2011, I am planning on many fewer in 2012. My wife’s career will take a little more precedence over mine, and I’ll concentrate on writing more, and bringing you more news, knowledge, and training as SQL Server 2012 is released.

    Happy New Year, be safe and responsible over the weekend and I will see you in 2012.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

  • Pride and Security

    Do you love your job? I do.

    The weakest link in most security schemes is the human. We know that there are regular breaches of trust by employees, mistakes made (fat fingers, misconfigurations and more), and supposed favors done by someone with trusted access that send data to criminals. Social engineering, in a variety of forms, preys on the trusting nature of most people to gain unauthorized access, and unfortunately, it often works.

    Part of social engineering is the inherent trust for others that most of us have. Part of it is the desire that most people have to help others. However I think a part of it is also the attitude that many workers have when they aren’t treated well. When employees don’t feel they are a part of the company family and just work for a paycheck, they are less vigilant or caring about safeguarding the digital assets, and sometimes physical assets, of the company.

    If you had more pride in your employer, wouldn’t you be a little more careful in caring for the company and its assets? I think most people would. I don’t have any data on this, but I bet that the companies where people take pride in their work are more secure. Employees probably know more about each other, and problem recognize a larger percentage of the company. Workers will be a little more observant and protective if they feel that the company is “theirs.”

    One of the best things management can do to raise the level of security at the company, and build a better organization, is to ensure they are creating an environment that people enjoy and take pride in. That comes from showing respect, consideration, and fair treatment of all employees. It’s not even that hard to do, just be a decent human that does what’s best for everyone in the company, not just for the CEO.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcasts