InstantForum.NET v2.9.0SQLServerCentralhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/notifications@sqlservercentral.comThu, 20 Jun 2013 00:18:04 GMT20http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Jeff Moden (6/1/2012)[/b][hr][quote][b]just_myles (5/30/2012)[/b][hr]ooohh instrumental, detrimental, potato, potatoe :)[/quote]Heh... Make fun of it if you want but it's not like the difference between potato and potatoe. I can just see the interview now. "I don't have much production experience but I believe I bring some detrimental talent to the table". ;-)[/quote]I've passed over potential new hires over that type of word misuse - particularly on resumes. I don't worry about it much in online forums, where it's more common to write quickly. But when I get a resume that reads "decimated information" rather than "disseminated information", it's a red flag about their ability to pay attention to details when those details matter.Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:43:21 GMTKiarahttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]just_myles (5/30/2012)[/b][hr]ooohh instrumental, detrimental, potato, potatoe :)[/quote]Heh... Make fun of it if you want but it's not like the difference between potato and potatoe. I can just see the interview now. "I don't have much production experience but I believe I bring some detrimental talent to the table". ;-)Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:09:33 GMTJeff Modenhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]just_myles (5/30/2012)[/b][hr]ooohh instrumental, detrimental, potato, potatoe :)[/quote]Hee.[quote]Anyway I do have a bunch of questions though.[/quote]So ask. @=)If they're related to the article, ask here. If they're related to general job hunting questions, ask in the [url=http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Group409.aspx]career's forum[/url]. If they're related to SQL Server, just click HOME up above and go to the appropriate SQL version / subforum. That's what everyone is here for. If you're willing to expend a little effort, we're willing to show you the way.Thu, 31 May 2012 04:14:01 GMTBrandie Tarvinhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxooohh instrumental, detrimental, potato, potatoe :)Anyway I do have a bunch of questions though.Wed, 30 May 2012 23:58:33 GMTjust_myleshttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxThanks for the kind words Myles and I'm glad it could help.[quote][b]just_myles (5/28/2012)[/b][hr]Anyway ranting aside, I believe your article was very informative for a struggling dude like me, and this site has been [b]detrimental [/b]for me staying on target and being motivated through these tough times.Man there is so much I want to ask, but I'll uh, chill out. Anyway good article man.[/quote]The others have asked for the clarification as well but I'm confused too... XD However, if there's things you'd like to ask, please feel free.Wed, 30 May 2012 13:29:59 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]just_myles (5/28/2012)[/b][hr]Anyway ranting aside, I believe your article was very informative for a struggling dude like me, and this site has been detrimental for me staying on target and being motivated through these tough times.[/quote]Did you mean "instrumental" instead of "detrimental"?Tue, 29 May 2012 05:59:40 GMTJeff Modenhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]just_myles (5/28/2012)[/b][hr]...and this site has been detrimental for me staying on target and being motivated through these tough times...[/quote]How has this site been detrimental to you? I find it useful.Tue, 29 May 2012 04:38:00 GMTBrandie Tarvinhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxThis has been a great article for me personally. I have been out of the game for quite some time (5 months unfortunately), so I have been focusing a lot of my time and efforts into SQL server(and other applications), but not as a DBA but for other, smaller roles like a analyst that might open that door for me in the distant future. I myself believe that a lot of my learning is gained when I am using software/hardware hands on, so for the time being after I complete my degree, I will not be rushing to get certs. I believe with my limited(:-) ) experiences that I learned in the classroom environment and the extra time I take on my own personal projects should at least get me in that door. I have been on a ton of interviews (going on 10 and i'm 0-9 :( ) and I don't believe my old resume as of last week was anything special(pm me if you want see it and laugh). However, I usually run into trouble during interviews, but that's a different issue and one that I am addressing.Anyway ranting aside, I believe your article was very informative for a struggling dude like me, and this site has been detrimental for me staying on target and being motivated through these tough times.Man there is so much I want to ask, but I'll uh, chill out. Anyway good article man.[quote]Sorry, the other guy has experience supporting the same suite of apps you do, but in addition he used to write Macros in Excel. [/quote]Funny thing, the past few data analyst jobs I interviewed for asked me a lot about that. I see suites as something that is done on an "as needed" basis pertaining to the jobs function. It is good to keep that skill up, but honestly if I am going to spend most of my non-working time on something it will be on other aspects of the job that systems/data/report writer(analyst) etc... etc.. do that can be a bit more complicated and can't be answered with a youtube tutorial, at least that is how I see it from here, not to knock on any excel guru's or anything.Mon, 28 May 2012 16:24:18 GMTjust_myleshttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/29/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]GSquared (5/27/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]I'm quite happy now Jan, don't get me wrong, BUT....just because I've moved on from the poor experience that doesn't mean I forget it. The article just brought up a LOT of bad memories.I can also assure you that most GP's in England earn comfortably something between 80 and 130K GBP, depending on location. Salaries for those in private practice are about double, then if you want to hire the specialists of the medical field, the "Rock Stars" as our friend Craig puts it, you're not looking at getting much change back out of half a mil p/a. Those figures are gross, pun only barely unintended.As for your final-job question, there are aspects of my new field that take time to develope, and there isn't anything I can do to speed the process (and though there were corners I could cut, I wouldn't). I could take a contract without it impeding on it. Lastly, I guess it's satisfaction; I don't depend on the money from IT any more, and so I'd get a big kick out of my last gig being one where I'm not in constant fear of the sack, far from it.But it WOULD be my last gig in this beastly profession. I'm just lucky to walk away with my good spirits, dignity, integrity and, most importantly, soul intact.[/quote]I definitely feel for you. I know plenty of people who are in jobs they hate, and feel chained to them. You escaped, and that's a good thing.My experiences as a DBA haven't been anywhere near so bad as yours. For one, I'm making a very good income for the amount of work I have to do. For another, and much more important to me, I have a good employer and a good job and really enjoy the work.I thought about going into medicine, many, many years ago, but after a few months as a volunteer EMT, I decided it wasn't for me. I love helping people, and am not at all squeemish about the human body's more interesting features and failures, but an experience with someone wanting to "keep his options open" (regarding the potential to sue me over saving his life), kind of soured me on the field. I literally saved the guy's life, and he was looking into legal options because his nose might be slightly disfigured by what I had to do to keep him from bleeding to death. I haven't run into anything like that in the DBA world. Not yet, anyway.So, you're getting out of IT/DBA work for similar reasons to why I never really got all the way into medical work. I definitely sympathize with that. I guess anything can be wrong for some people.Best of luck and success in your new endeavor. May it be all you hope for. Best of your past surpassed by worst of your future, and all that.[/quote]Many, many thanks indeed for the kind wishes. Computing is something I learned, but never loved, and I was never one of those kids who would look at code that had nothing to with me, and yearn to understand it. I have no bitterness to Microsoft, the product or anything technical, nor the chaps overseas who do our jobs, but rather what market forces have reduced our role to (here at least, you seem to be well insulated over there in the US). They say before you make peace with a bad experience, you need to understand why it happened. I'm just finishing up working it all out now, and I've always had a pretty good bounceback from anything.And in fact, I will still be using SSIS, but for my own purposes. And there's nothing to say that if I do take that last contract, I won't post up here an issue I came across!I daresay you may have been a bit premature with that incident of the chap threatening to sue you. You weren't being paid, hadn't been trained, therefore you didn't owe him any duty of professionalism. I also daresay one of your colleagues got you to pinch his nose precisely because you could get away with those things they can't, and that nasal disfigurement, when caused by rushed emergency circumstances, is neither an uncommon occurrence nor easily avoided. And if I'm right, then the most grievous injustice is that none of your colleagues told you the score afterwards - but again, it's just me guessing here.As for the fella himself, I imagine he was just reacting to the advice given to him by the bowtie who you saw running after you through the back window of the vehicle. He might have stood to make a few years coin on the back of a maladjusted nose. I doubt he meant you personally any ill-will.Did he end up suing, or didn't he? And if not, did you ever find out why not?[/quote]Nothing to do with any colleagues. None around till afterwards.Guy was in a car crash, and hit the bridge of nose on the steering wheel. Was bleeding out because of bone fragments piercing a small artery, and I had to stuff his nose with wadded up cotton gauze, and get him to lie down on his stomach so nothing would drain into his lungs. He was lucky the bone fragments didn't kill him outright (prefrontal lobes are right there), and it took a lot of care to keep from making things worse while I stopped the bleeding. I was first on the scene, made all the decisions and took all the actions on my own. ER docs afterwards informed me that most of them would have been scared to do what I did, but that it definitely saved his life, and nothing else would have. But it did end up distorting the shape of the bridge of the nose a bit. Possibly more than the impact had already done, possibly not.The guy didn't need a lawyer chasing an ambulance, this was in Los Angeles, California, the world capital of frivolous litigation. He ended up not suing because I convinced him to sign a waiver. (Mild durress was involved, including a strongly worded request for him to return my gauze.)Anyway, it makes a great story, but it did leave a sour taste in my mouth regarding the whole field of endeavor.Tue, 31 May 2011 06:35:50 GMTGSquaredhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]GSquared (5/27/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]I'm quite happy now Jan, don't get me wrong, BUT....just because I've moved on from the poor experience that doesn't mean I forget it. The article just brought up a LOT of bad memories.I can also assure you that most GP's in England earn comfortably something between 80 and 130K GBP, depending on location. Salaries for those in private practice are about double, then if you want to hire the specialists of the medical field, the "Rock Stars" as our friend Craig puts it, you're not looking at getting much change back out of half a mil p/a. Those figures are gross, pun only barely unintended.As for your final-job question, there are aspects of my new field that take time to develope, and there isn't anything I can do to speed the process (and though there were corners I could cut, I wouldn't). I could take a contract without it impeding on it. Lastly, I guess it's satisfaction; I don't depend on the money from IT any more, and so I'd get a big kick out of my last gig being one where I'm not in constant fear of the sack, far from it.But it WOULD be my last gig in this beastly profession. I'm just lucky to walk away with my good spirits, dignity, integrity and, most importantly, soul intact.[/quote]I definitely feel for you. I know plenty of people who are in jobs they hate, and feel chained to them. You escaped, and that's a good thing.My experiences as a DBA haven't been anywhere near so bad as yours. For one, I'm making a very good income for the amount of work I have to do. For another, and much more important to me, I have a good employer and a good job and really enjoy the work.I thought about going into medicine, many, many years ago, but after a few months as a volunteer EMT, I decided it wasn't for me. I love helping people, and am not at all squeemish about the human body's more interesting features and failures, but an experience with someone wanting to "keep his options open" (regarding the potential to sue me over saving his life), kind of soured me on the field. I literally saved the guy's life, and he was looking into legal options because his nose might be slightly disfigured by what I had to do to keep him from bleeding to death. I haven't run into anything like that in the DBA world. Not yet, anyway.So, you're getting out of IT/DBA work for similar reasons to why I never really got all the way into medical work. I definitely sympathize with that. I guess anything can be wrong for some people.Best of luck and success in your new endeavor. May it be all you hope for. Best of your past surpassed by worst of your future, and all that.[/quote]Many, many thanks indeed for the kind wishes. Computing is something I learned, but never loved, and I was never one of those kids who would look at code that had nothing to with me, and yearn to understand it. I have no bitterness to Microsoft, the product or anything technical, nor the chaps overseas who do our jobs, but rather what market forces have reduced our role to (here at least, you seem to be well insulated over there in the US). They say before you make peace with a bad experience, you need to understand why it happened. I'm just finishing up working it all out now, and I've always had a pretty good bounceback from anything.And in fact, I will still be using SSIS, but for my own purposes. And there's nothing to say that if I do take that last contract, I won't post up here an issue I came across!I daresay you may have been a bit premature with that incident of the chap threatening to sue you. You weren't being paid, hadn't been trained, therefore you didn't owe him any duty of professionalism. I also daresay one of your colleagues got you to pinch his nose precisely because you could get away with those things they can't, and that nasal disfigurement, when caused by rushed emergency circumstances, is neither an uncommon occurrence nor easily avoided. And if I'm right, then the most grievous injustice is that none of your colleagues told you the score afterwards - but again, it's just me guessing here.As for the fella himself, I imagine he was just reacting to the advice given to him by the bowtie who you saw running after you through the back window of the vehicle. He might have stood to make a few years coin on the back of a maladjusted nose. I doubt he meant you personally any ill-will.Did he end up suing, or didn't he? And if not, did you ever find out why not?Sun, 29 May 2011 04:47:36 GMTJake Sheltonhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]...there are aspects of my new field that take time to develope,... [/quote]If you stated it, I'm sorry I missed it. Which new field did you jump into?Sat, 28 May 2011 22:22:49 GMTJeff Modenhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]I'm quite happy now Jan, don't get me wrong, BUT....just because I've moved on from the poor experience that doesn't mean I forget it. The article just brought up a LOT of bad memories.I can also assure you that most GP's in England earn comfortably something between 80 and 130K GBP, depending on location. Salaries for those in private practice are about double, then if you want to hire the specialists of the medical field, the "Rock Stars" as our friend Craig puts it, you're not looking at getting much change back out of half a mil p/a. Those figures are gross, pun only barely unintended.As for your final-job question, there are aspects of my new field that take time to develope, and there isn't anything I can do to speed the process (and though there were corners I could cut, I wouldn't). I could take a contract without it impeding on it. Lastly, I guess it's satisfaction; I don't depend on the money from IT any more, and so I'd get a big kick out of my last gig being one where I'm not in constant fear of the sack, far from it.But it WOULD be my last gig in this beastly profession. I'm just lucky to walk away with my good spirits, dignity, integrity and, most importantly, soul intact.[/quote]I definitely feel for you. I know plenty of people who are in jobs they hate, and feel chained to them. You escaped, and that's a good thing.My experiences as a DBA haven't been anywhere near so bad as yours. For one, I'm making a very good income for the amount of work I have to do. For another, and much more important to me, I have a good employer and a good job and really enjoy the work.I thought about going into medicine, many, many years ago, but after a few months as a volunteer EMT, I decided it wasn't for me. I love helping people, and am not at all squeemish about the human body's more interesting features and failures, but an experience with someone wanting to "keep his options open" (regarding the potential to sue me over saving his life), kind of soured me on the field. I literally saved the guy's life, and he was looking into legal options because his nose might be slightly disfigured by what I had to do to keep him from bleeding to death. I haven't run into anything like that in the DBA world. Not yet, anyway.So, you're getting out of IT/DBA work for similar reasons to why I never really got all the way into medical work. I definitely sympathize with that. I guess anything can be wrong for some people.Best of luck and success in your new endeavor. May it be all you hope for. Best of your past surpassed by worst of your future, and all that.Fri, 27 May 2011 08:34:10 GMTGSquaredhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Kiara (5/27/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]I'm quite happy now Jan, don't get me wrong, BUT....just because I've moved on from the poor experience that doesn't mean I forget it. The article just brought up a LOT of bad memories.I can also assure you that most GP's in England earn comfortably something between 80 and 130K GBP, depending on location. Salaries for those in private practice are about double, then if you want to hire the specialists of the medical field, the "Rock Stars" as our friend Craig puts it, you're not looking at getting much change back out of half a mil p/a. Those figures are gross, pun only barely unintended.As for your final-job question, there are aspects of my new field that take time to develope, and there isn't anything I can do to speed the process (and though there were corners I could cut, I wouldn't). I could take a contract without it impeding on it. Lastly, I guess it's satisfaction; I don't depend on the money from IT any more, and so I'd get a big kick out of my last gig being one where I'm not in constant fear of the sack, far from it.But it WOULD be my last gig in this beastly profession. I'm just lucky to walk away with my good spirits, dignity, integrity and, most importantly, soul intact.[/quote]I guess what I don't understand is why you're bothering to hang out here on a SQL Server forum if you've left the field, had a bunch of bad experiences in it, and don't want to work in it any more.[/quote]Like I said, satisfaction. The article popped up in my Inbox, the title piqued my interest, I read it and replied. Not every member of this website spends 37.5 hours per week handcuffed to an instance of SQL, or even per month.Fri, 27 May 2011 08:03:37 GMTJake Sheltonhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]I'm quite happy now Jan, don't get me wrong, BUT....just because I've moved on from the poor experience that doesn't mean I forget it. The article just brought up a LOT of bad memories.I can also assure you that most GP's in England earn comfortably something between 80 and 130K GBP, depending on location. Salaries for those in private practice are about double, then if you want to hire the specialists of the medical field, the "Rock Stars" as our friend Craig puts it, you're not looking at getting much change back out of half a mil p/a. Those figures are gross, pun only barely unintended.As for your final-job question, there are aspects of my new field that take time to develope, and there isn't anything I can do to speed the process (and though there were corners I could cut, I wouldn't). I could take a contract without it impeding on it. Lastly, I guess it's satisfaction; I don't depend on the money from IT any more, and so I'd get a big kick out of my last gig being one where I'm not in constant fear of the sack, far from it.But it WOULD be my last gig in this beastly profession. I'm just lucky to walk away with my good spirits, dignity, integrity and, most importantly, soul intact.[/quote]I guess what I don't understand is why you're bothering to hang out here on a SQL Server forum if you've left the field, had a bunch of bad experiences in it, and don't want to work in it any more.Fri, 27 May 2011 06:16:30 GMTKiarahttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxI have to honestly say that I got into IT right as, and after, the big IT crash and right before the DotCom bubble burst. This was the point where people realized a lot of "experienced DBAs" were getting their qualifications by going to boot camps and reading brain dumps before passing their certification exams. Where I came from, we called them the PaperCerts. People who had the creds, but not the knowledge to back it up because they'd forgotten everything.This was the beginning of the end of the high-paying, willing to pay you while you sit on the bench, contracts waiting in the pipeline era of DBA work. The backlash in the States was horrendous. And for good reason. Many good IT people ended up out of work for no other reason than companies just started cutting everyone. Most of the bad ones ended up without a job too and never got their foot back in the door.Yet, I got in just at this point because I did work my tail off to learn SQL Server, not just study it. That being said, I have to agree that doctors, lawyers, etc. do work a lot harder in their professions (especially in the States) than the 1 & 1/2 years that it took me to get my MCDBA. It is harder to get a DBA job now, for several reasons. 1) You have to prove you know your skills instead of just providing the certificate proof of your skills. 2) DBA skills have evolved into more of a blue collar worker skill set instead of the white collar skill set of the old days. Anyone can learn SQL Server and the proof of that is that it's being taught in college and cert books can be found in any bookstore.3) Most employers these days aren't putting up with the arrogant "I'm a god and you have to treat me well" attitude of DBAs. They'd rather hire someone hungry to learn who can work with a team and has a decent amount of social skills then hire an expert. Do not underestimate the importance of the "soft skills" in today's IT world. It's becoming more and more relevant as time goes on.So, yes, salaries are going down as more people enter the workforce. It happened with programming, now it's hitting the database sector. In the States, it has just happened with welders. I remember when the Tulsa school of Welding would promise newly graduated welders salaries of $70k to start. This year, they're advertising starting salaries of $40k. That's how many highly-skilled welders they've put out in the workforce.The same thing happens (in cycles) to doctors and nurses. Lawyers bill by the hour (I have relatives who are lawyers), so good ones can make a mint while average or poor lawyers make less than some fast food employees. It's all a matter of perspective.Fri, 27 May 2011 04:51:17 GMTBrandie Tarvinhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]sherifffruitfly (5/8/2011)[/b][hr]re: certs - what would be a good one or ones to get?Me: Street programmer, dotnet/sql, got advanced degree in math, put the word "programmer" on my resume, and have been working (and learning furiously to not get fired lols) ever since (approx 5 yrs).I never EVER want to be a dba, but I love programming sql, coming up with solutions to fit new and ever-changing business needs. I want to eventually get into database business intelligence (turn some of those math skills into data mining etc. routines).But I'm sure there's a jillion "holes" that I have that could be filled in with some "book learning". What would be relevant certs along these lines?[/quote]Since Craig didn't really answer your question yet...There are two different cert paths you can go. SQL Server Developer, which requires the programming skills as well as the T-SQL Skills (this is the one you sound most qualified for at the moment), or SQL Server Business Intelligence.Understand, BI is not as programming intensive as the Dev path. Yes, you need to have some programming skills, but BI is more about logic and data manipulation using interface objects (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS) than it is about actual coding. While coding does require logic and the ability to manipulate data, it's not as visual as BI is. And honestly, I don't know how to describe it in more detail.I would honestly recommend the SQL Server Developer route for you, since you love the coding so much. It's better to take the path of your passion than it is to go another route. You can find more details at: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-sql-server.aspx#tab3[url=http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-sql-server.aspx#tab3][/url]Fri, 27 May 2011 04:38:20 GMTBrandie Tarvinhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxI'm quite happy now Jan, don't get me wrong, BUT....just because I've moved on from the poor experience that doesn't mean I forget it. The article just brought up a LOT of bad memories.I can also assure you that most GP's in England earn comfortably something between 80 and 130K GBP, depending on location. Salaries for those in private practice are about double, then if you want to hire the specialists of the medical field, the "Rock Stars" as our friend Craig puts it, you're not looking at getting much change back out of half a mil p/a. Those figures are gross, pun only barely unintended.As for your final-job question, there are aspects of my new field that take time to develope, and there isn't anything I can do to speed the process (and though there were corners I could cut, I wouldn't). I could take a contract without it impeding on it. Lastly, I guess it's satisfaction; I don't depend on the money from IT any more, and so I'd get a big kick out of my last gig being one where I'm not in constant fear of the sack, far from it.But it WOULD be my last gig in this beastly profession. I'm just lucky to walk away with my good spirits, dignity, integrity and, most importantly, soul intact.Thu, 26 May 2011 19:26:02 GMTJake Sheltonhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxHi Jake,From what I read you have gone through quite some frustrations, and I'm sorry to hear that. Just one or two things. You said[quote]Doctors, Actuaries etc commonly make six figure salaries here in the UK (GBP)[/quote]I'd tend to disagree with Doctors earning that much. I am assuming you are talking annual take-home? That would be somewhere between 8000 and 80000 GBP per month gross (quite a big spread)? I can't imagine that the high-end bracket is very realistic except for a very few specialists that are in high demand because of their reputation and (hopefully) track records. My wife is a private Paediatrician in South Africa (more than ten years in private practice), and she struggles to make 50000 Rand a month. Now multiply that by twelve to get to annual and divide this back by twelve to get to annual GBP? Now that compares quite well with what doctors in the UK earn when they are working through National Health.[quote]Hey, if a good DBA assignment comes up NOW, I will take it - but it's gonna be my very last, and not for more than 3 months, likelier 2.[/quote]You mentioned "I'm just glad as I am to be getting into something so much better". But you are still entertaining the thought of going back to a DBA job? Why? Why would you take up a 2-3 month job as a DBA for some company, unless it is a fire fighting job that can be solved within that timeline? Why not bite the bullet and go for that other golden opportunity? And come to think of it, why would an employer give you a permanent job if he knows beforehand that you are only going to stick around for two to three months in the first place?But as you said yourself[quote]And as long as you're HAPPPY doing what you're doing, that's all that counts.[/quote]So get the positive attitude back, you once were there, and I'm sure you can get back to it.PS: Yes, Phoenix is in Arizona, US of A. And no, I'm not American.Thu, 26 May 2011 16:48:33 GMTJan Van der Eeckenhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]Hi Craig, glad you replied and I was pleasantly surprised you were around to do so as quickly as you did.[/quote]I cheated. I get notifications when this thread is responded to, along with the ones in my other articles. :-)[quote]Phoenix? The one in the US I presume? :)I ask (partly because I'm poking fun at your very american presumption I'd know what nation Phoenix is in!!) partly because your economy varies from state to state, even county to county, let alone from ours. [/quote]Yep. PHX, AZ, USA. I do make that assumption though. When your fat butts take up half a continent, you forget others don't. ;-)[quote]IT has been in utterly dire straits here in the UK since '07, and although in the last few weeks there is a recruiting upswing in progress at the uppermost levels of the Investment Banking sector, you still need skillsets longer than my schlong to benefit from it.[/quote]Ah, a shame. I hadn't heard much about that but then I don't track the foreign IT markets. You're quite right that our economy has almost its own ecosystem, and it does vary widely.[quote]Doctors, Actuaries etc commonly make six figure salaries here in the UK (GBP), but barely 5% of DBA's do, yet we must study a lot more on an ongoing basis (and that is a cost not merely in materials but mostly time).[/quote]Same here, actually. Actuaries are CPAs to us. However, having a family member who's a CPA, another brother in trial law, a buddy in defense law, and a few doctors in training still trying to finish up... one of them owes me mightily on beers, by the way, the cheap student he is... We don't have anywhere NEAR the volume of enforced training they do. You know what you need to do to get a job (not keep, just get) as a DBA? Show up and con the interviewer. If you pull off the job, to keep doing your job you need to do... absolutely nada. There's no official boards. No certs. No malpractice suits. If your company is happy with you sailing along with 20 year old tech... you're good to go.My brother spends 10k+/year to keep his licenses current, because of mandatory training. That's not new things, that's showing that he remembers what he says he does. CPAs have 2 (or 4, if it's important I'll go find out for sure) cycles where they have to go through the motions with the government to keep their status. I know some of that is paid coursework, most if it is keeping up with new tax laws and changes. I can still write SELECT * FROM table without caring what a cross apply is. If they don't know that I have to pay a new economic charge for not having my water hooked to my solar panels and I still deduct, we're both in for a world of crap.We're not gods. We're workers, code monkeys. We handle the day to day data loads for the applications the end users need... like CPAs, Doctors, and Police (who get paid the worst of all four of us, and get shot at). We need to be good at what we do, sure. But noone's sitting on us. If you want to prove you're better, sure, you need to go do that. For 3 years I didn't pick up a book except as a reference, I just sailed along training while I was working.[quote]Now, all that said - you claim being a DBA is working out for you, and if that's the case, more power to you. Hey, if a good DBA assignment comes up NOW, I will take it - but it's gonna be my very last, and not for more than 3 months, likelier 2. All I can say is - if I were to stay in IT long term, I'd move to Phoenix, take you out for "Beer, wings and pool" on those Friday nights when I'm not on the prowl, and plod happily on for another couple of decades.[/quote]You wouldn't be happy then here, either, except for the fact that you could find work. The doctors and CPAs still make more then I do. ;-)[quote]And as long as you're HAPPPY doing what you're doing, that's all that counts.[/quote]I like the (legal) money, the happiness is secondary. It's what I do.Thu, 26 May 2011 16:08:05 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxHi Craig, glad you replied and I was pleasantly surprised you were around to do so as quickly as you did. I'm not setting out to justify my experiences in any way, I'm simply reporting them. I'm also glad you've had more luck with databasing in the last 3 years than I've had. Given how things have gone here during that time, I'd have every right to be bitter, but I'm not. I'm just glad as I am to be getting into something so much better.Phoenix? The one in the US I presume? :)I ask (partly because I'm poking fun at your very american presumption I'd know what nation Phoenix is in!!) partly because your economy varies from state to state, even county to county, let alone from ours. IT has been in utterly dire straits here in the UK since '07, and although in the last few weeks there is a recruiting upswing in progress at the uppermost levels of the Investment Banking sector, you still need skillsets longer than my schlong to benefit from it.Doctors, Actuaries etc commonly make six figure salaries here in the UK (GBP), but barely 5% of DBA's do, yet we must study a lot more on an ongoing basis (and that is a cost not merely in materials but mostly time). Doctors still organise soiree's amongst themselves so they don't end up marrying gold-diggers. We DBA's don't go to balls so we can pair up with other DBA's (thank God!). People were gonna have heart attacks whether in 2006 or in 2010, but the number of people hiring DBA's, the number of projects signed off, the number of billable hours the self-employed among us enjoyed fell of a damn cliff in that time.Now, all that said - you claim being a DBA is working out for you, and if that's the case, more power to you. Hey, if a good DBA assignment comes up NOW, I will take it - but it's gonna be my very last, and not for more than 3 months, likelier 2. All I can say is - if I were to stay in IT long term, I'd move to Phoenix, take you out for "Beer, wings and pool" on those Friday nights when I'm not on the prowl, and plod happily on for another couple of decades. And as long as you're HAPPPY doing what you're doing, that's all that counts.Thu, 26 May 2011 15:35:56 GMTJake Sheltonhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Jake Shelton (5/26/2011)[/b][hr]First off, apologies in advance for the long rant, but this is from spending two years largely on the bench (albeit the last 9 months phasing out into something far more lucrative).No insult at all to Steve/Craig, but the article quite honestly makes me feel sick. Back in the late 90's agents would FIGHT over us, we would have several gigs lined up a couple of weeks ahead of leaving our existing one. We had respect, authority, and back then, the "A" part in DBA really meant exactly that - WE were the authority, not the PM, not the Developer, and hell, often not even the client.[/quote]No insult taken, I don't know you. :-D However, I'm not sure why an article in helping people get involved in databasing and ways to prove their skills to potential employers when they're new would strike up this reaction from you.[quote]I've been asked for experience configuring Cisco Routers, for Christ's sake![/quote]Yeah, some shops can be like that...[quote]You don't see Lawyers, Doctors or even Teachers fighting for jobs. [/quote]I would be forced to disagree here, due to a few reasonings. Most teachers don't get paid enough that there's an overwhelming desire have their jobs. Doctors, good ones, are constantly trying (and probably falling behind, like the rest of us) to stay up to date on the newest techniques and findings to help their patients. Lawyers are required to take a certain amount of paid-for training yearly. [quote]Back in the day you could tell a girl in a bar, "I'm in IT", and she'd coo and be all over you.[/quote] Apparently I'm too young to remember this. "I'm in IT" usually got me "Wow, you can actually party and you're fun to be around. Are you sure?"[quote]Try finding another tech in a bar on a Friday night these days![/quote]C'mon down to Phoenix. :-) Try finding me home on a Friday night. :cool:[quote]What really annoys me is that the pimps who recruit us often earn more than we do, and don't get me started on management, especially PM's...[/quote]That's a matter of not going through headhunting firms and doing your own work towards it. I know that the recruiter doesn't make more than me off the top of my personal billings, but add them up and they can. I don't begrudge them that. A good recruiter/headhunter can open a lot of doors and they keep me well employed. And paid.[quote]But ours is a profession that requires us to study MORE than Doctors, and we shouldn't be made to feel like the fools we are for making a quarter of what they do.[/quote]Think that through for a moment. Really. Now think about the volume of college and studying that a doctor has to do before he can hang up his placard. I've been in IT about 11 years, and never had to pay for the proof of education. I wouldn't even be out of my doctorate if I was a doctor, most likely. Nevermind starting up a practice, paying for nursing staff, etc. Half of what a doctor earns at first goes back to the edumacation system. Sure, there are superstar plastic surgeons and the like out there, but think more about your local dentist or general physician. That's the majority of them. Comparing the leading sports doctor to them is like complaining what Buck Woody or Paul Randal can bill compared to you.[quote]Personally I'm getting the hell out of it all. I'm sick of T-SQL, sick of SQL Server, sick of DB management, and sick of IT, at least, what it has morphed into these last 3-4 years. Lest I be accused of being bleak, things are looking better than ever, I just got back from 10 days on the Caribbean, I was buyin OTHER people Bellini's again, the smile is well and truly back on my face at last, but that's NO damn thanks to IT.[/quote]Well, that's your choice. I haven't really seen much change across the last 10 years, but that may be simply my perception. I've been gaining traction as I go, and have improved tremendously. It may simply be the perception from where you were and came into this economy, and the fact that I've fought my way through it, having only two years in when 9/11 rolled around and started the ball rolling.I wish you well, good luck! At least you've found another option you prefer.Thu, 26 May 2011 14:36:38 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxFirst off, apologies in advance for the long rant, but this is from spending two years largely on the bench (albeit the last 9 months phasing out into something far more lucrative).No insult at all to Steve/Craig, but the article quite honestly makes me feel sick. Back in the late 90's agents would FIGHT over us, we would have several gigs lined up a couple of weeks ahead of leaving our existing one. We had respect, authority, and back then, the "A" part in DBA really meant exactly that - WE were the authority, not the PM, not the Developer, and hell, often not even the client."Don't piss off the DBA!!" was the cry. We were on £550 a day and nobody DARED argue our rates.Then things got tighter with the financial crash. The contracts dwindled to nearly zero. My last gig in September paid the princely sum of 2k, for 4 weeks work, which involved a pressure-cooker environment, a client whose morals were just a couple of notches above child-molestation, having to re-write 400 lines of code for the 10th "emergency" that week, last thing on a Friday night, when most of the management were in the pub. Nowadays we get a dozen emails per week in our inboxes, dressed up as "Opportunities", telling us we need to plough through the latest 50page article that will keep us current with our competitors. Articles telling us, "Don't worry about going on vacation and being jobless 1 week later when they realise they don't need you". We get agents telling us, "Sorry, we had another candidate with 10 days more experience" or "He lives 10 minutes closer than you". "Sorry, the other guy has experience supporting the same suite of apps you do, but in addition he used to write Macros in Excel. I've been asked for experience configuring Cisco Routers, for Christ's sake!You don't see Lawyers, Doctors or even Teachers fighting for jobs. Back in the day you could tell a girl in a bar, "I'm in IT", and she'd coo and be all over you. Try finding another tech in a bar on a Friday night these days! A friend of mine teaches IT to 7-11 yr olds, and while being a Teacher was always an ardous task, he has not spent a single day unemployed these last 4 years. While I don't begrudge him his "success" (and in fact, I've given him many a shoulder to cry on during that time through a messy divorce), it's a bitter thing that I know 10x what he does, yet he has stayed paid and I haven't. What really annoys me is that the pimps who recruit us often earn more than we do, and don't get me started on management, especially PM's...I'm lucky, I don't have a wife/kids, and although I don't want them, that's not the point. It's every man's absolute RIGHT to be able to provide for a family, and there's no damn way I could have provided for one after 2007.Yes, I'm aware of the financial crunch, doh. Yes, I'm aware that many of the repetitive DB tasks have been (foreseeably) offshored to countries where techs live with their parents in houses that cost less than my car until they die (usually the parents I mean, but with our profession that's certainly no given). But ours is a profession that requires us to study MORE than Doctors, and we shouldn't be made to feel like the fools we are for making a quarter of what they do.Personally I'm getting the hell out of it all. I'm sick of T-SQL, sick of SQL Server, sick of DB management, and sick of IT, at least, what it has morphed into these last 3-4 years. Lest I be accused of being bleak, things are looking better than ever, I just got back from 10 days on the Caribbean, I was buyin OTHER people Bellini's again, the smile is well and truly back on my face at last, but that's NO damn thanks to IT.:-PThu, 26 May 2011 14:14:07 GMTJake Sheltonhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Rahul The Dba (5/13/2011)[/b][hr]Hi nice article, can you help me.....???I have done DBA cerification in SQL 2005 in 2009, my bachelor degree will be done by june of this year, i want to do some higher course (i want in-dept knowledge in sql) from a good university or some good institution,,,, so what shall i do now????????Plzzzzzz replyTHanks[/quote]Honestly, I'd talk to your professor(s). They'll be in the best position to know about follow up courses in your area to continue your education. I don't know of any college/university that has "SQL Server DBA" as a graduation item. You usually have to do it on your own, tracking down training and the like.Fri, 13 May 2011 11:05:23 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxHi nice article, can you help me.....???I have done DBA cerification in SQL 2005 in 2009, my bachelor degree will be done by june of this year, i want to do some higher course (i want in-dept knowledge in sql) from a good university or some good institution,,,, so what shall i do now????????Plzzzzzz replyTHanksFri, 13 May 2011 04:30:45 GMTRahul The Dbahttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Koen Verbeeck (5/11/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Anipaul (5/11/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Craig Farrell (5/10/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Anipaul (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Good article. I think a few more sample questions would have help the freshers more.[/quote]Anipaul, what do you mean by sample questions here? I didn't provide any sample interview questions or the like, so I'm not sure what you mean.[/quote]Your topic coverage is fine. I just said if you could provide some SQL topics from where a candidate most likely could face some questions in Interview then this article would become more helpful to freshers.[/quote]Look for the blog of MVP Pinal Dave, he has some SQL questions for beginners.[/quote]Yeah, it is exhaustive list...Thu, 12 May 2011 00:59:37 GMTAnipaulhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Anipaul (5/11/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Craig Farrell (5/10/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Anipaul (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Good article. I think a few more sample questions would have help the freshers more.[/quote]Anipaul, what do you mean by sample questions here? I didn't provide any sample interview questions or the like, so I'm not sure what you mean.[/quote]Your topic coverage is fine. I just said if you could provide some SQL topics from where a candidate most likely could face some questions in Interview then this article would become more helpful to freshers.[/quote]Look for the blog of MVP Pinal Dave, he has some SQL questions for beginners.Wed, 11 May 2011 11:39:40 GMTKoen Verbeeckhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Craig Farrell (5/10/2011)[/b][hr][quote][b]Anipaul (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Good article. I think a few more sample questions would have help the freshers more.[/quote]Anipaul, what do you mean by sample questions here? I didn't provide any sample interview questions or the like, so I'm not sure what you mean.[/quote]Your topic coverage is fine. I just said if you could provide some SQL topics from where a candidate most likely could face some questions in Interview then this article would become more helpful to freshers.Wed, 11 May 2011 07:08:46 GMTAnipaulhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Anipaul (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Good article. I think a few more sample questions would have help the freshers more.[/quote]Anipaul, what do you mean by sample questions here? I didn't provide any sample interview questions or the like, so I'm not sure what you mean.Tue, 10 May 2011 22:43:49 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Craig-315134 (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Good article, Craig, thank you.[/quote]Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.[quote]I do have what I hope isn't a 'stupid question', please. To be a competent SQL Server DBA, how good should my T-SQL skills be? I know some DBAs gravitate more toward development work, which I imagine would require good T-SQL skills. But what about DBAs who are more on the admin side? Do they still need to be reasonably proficient at T-SQL?[/quote]It depends on how that company handles DBA work, because the title DBA is far too generic these days. In a large shop, knowing T-SQL isn't as important if you're merely doing the rollout work for the development teams and the majority of your administrative job is to handle all of the background maintenance. Reindexing, backup/restore testings, etc. If however there is a call for Optimization, which isn't unusual because your devs simply can't see Production most of the time, and certainly don't have access to the necessary tools, then you're going to need some solid background in T-SQL optimization. Knowing execution plans, concurrency issues, index methodology, etc. There's really no way to avoid it. However, most DBAs end up optimizing without the level of knowledge as the development teams do about the data. You simply can't know that much about that many servers and databases. So it's more a generic methodology which you'd send back to the developers if necessary.In smaller shops, you're going to be doing a lot of everything. If you want to specialize like that, you almost have to go for a very large shop. The good news is in larger shops, they can more easily afford junior/mid to 'take a chance on' in the business.Tue, 10 May 2011 22:16:00 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Peter Trast (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]One of the most important things I have done is to create and maintain a LinkedIn presence. I get so many inquiries because of that site. I have my ACTUAL job experience and resume information. You would be surprised how many recruiters are looking there. Even with my relatively low experience (compared to the people who frequent this site) I regularly get called for decent and even some high end positions. So there is definitely a web marketing aspect but just be as honest as you can. Many people over or undersell themselves.[/quote]An excellent suggestion, and one I tend to overlook. I need to get more involved with LinkedIn. When it started I had expected it to be just another social site so I completely bypassed it for a number of years.[quote]Many people will disagree with me about certs, but they work well IF you can back them up with real skills.[/quote]I would disagree with you here, Peter. As you say, certs are a powerful way to show booklearning. The problem is the number of crammers who use braindumps who devalued the power of a proper certification. If you can back them up with real skills, they are absolutely a great tool.Tue, 10 May 2011 22:10:09 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]yan-160997 (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Craig,I have been working for a financial company for over 10 years as a system analyst. During those years I have managed many SQL server both in production and dev environment. I have done the followings: installation, upgrade, backup, restore, create maintaiance plan, create queiries, sp, gereate reports, database tuning, system troubleshotting....etc. I want to concentrate on SQL Server as a true SQL DBA rather than a system analyst who does many other tasks. I know that I need to gain more knowledge to be qualified as SQL DBA, but it is hard for me to swich from System Analyst to SQL DBA because interviewer read my resume and question my position: "you are system analyst not dba? we need SQL Server expert" What should I do? Thank youYan[/quote]Hey all. My apologies, I came down with a bad case of flu so I fell off the internet for a bit. Allow me to catch up a bit with y'all... and thanks for the well wishes.Yan, your best bet here may be what they call a skills based resume. Instead of describing your duties at each job, you list your skills first, and then do a job listing that you highlight certain items at that position for. In this case, you'd list your SQL skills in the primary position (and only those), and then (bluntly) bury your system analyst title into the 'where I worked' area under it. In that area, try to highlight one or two things you did for SQL at each company to help the interviewer with talking points.If they ask about the titles or the system analyst work, downplay it, and try to slide the topic back to sql server. Never lie, but you can manipulate the resume. Remember that leaving something OFF a resume is perfectly viable. Your resume can have nothing but your name if you choose. It's only when you start adding things you didn't do that you can get in trouble.Tue, 10 May 2011 22:07:19 GMTEvil Kraig Fhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxNice article CraigTue, 10 May 2011 18:07:15 GMTSQLRNNRhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxCraig,It's an Excellent artilce!!!!! Tue, 10 May 2011 00:19:07 GMTkiran.konankalhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]sherifffruitfly (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Koen: Thanks for the pointers to relevant certs.I think one reason I haven't yet jumped into the cert game is that it appeared to me from the outside like they (MS) simply changed the cert tests and stuff waaaaay too often, so that the moment I ponied up my $1k (or however much it costs), they would have changed it, and I'd be left holding a big bag of nothing.Is that perception on my part mistaken?Thanks again![/quote]Just so you know, I hold certs in multiple levels of SQL, Windows server and clients, infrastructure, AD and so on. I re-certify with every new version for the last 9 years and it only costs about $135, not $1000 per test ($67 if you are MCT as I am, except the MCT which is $400 per YEAR :-) ) and it only takes one or two tests to upgrade each cert once you have them. They even have 2-for-1 specials on the cert tests. The ROI from certification is huge. I make about 15% more than the IT pros I know with the same amount of experience and no certs. Plus, certs are important to the companies I want to work for.Basically each certification on my transcript is worth about $900 a year EACH if you average it out compared to my peers, way more than I dared hope 9 years ago when I got my first certification. And the weekly offers are amazing. But that is my experience. Your mileage, as they say, may vary...And for the record, MCITP DBA and/or Dev are probably where you want to start to progress as a DBA/Dev.Mon, 09 May 2011 20:23:57 GMTPeter Trasthttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspx[quote][b]Craig-315134 (5/9/2011)[/b][hr]Good article, Craig, thank you.I do have what I hope isn't a 'stupid question', please. To be a competent SQL Server DBA, how good should my T-SQL skills be? [/quote]For practicality, I recommend that you at least be better than the weakest developer at your work. Otherwise you are almost certain to be held in contempt by the devs - especially when they have company policies that FORCE them to come to you for various tasks. They will be saying in their heads "wtf do I have to waste my time going to this idiot when I could do it 10x faster, and right the first time, myself?".This is just my own experience with devs at a couple of locations - possibly it is not representative - others with more experience could speak to that.-sffMon, 09 May 2011 14:10:54 GMTsherifffruitflyhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxGood article, Craig, thank you.I do have what I hope isn't a 'stupid question', please. To be a competent SQL Server DBA, how good should my T-SQL skills be? I know some DBAs gravitate more toward development work, which I imagine would require good T-SQL skills.But what about DBAs who are more on the admin side? Do they still need to be reasonably proficient at T-SQL?And what about DBAs working in small shops? I would guess you have to wear more hats and specialize less than in a big shop - and again, I'd guess T-SQL skills would be important.What do you think?Mon, 09 May 2011 14:00:37 GMTCraig-315134http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxKoen: Thanks for the pointers to relevant certs.I think one reason I haven't yet jumped into the cert game is that it appeared to me from the outside like they (MS) simply changed the cert tests and stuff waaaaay too often, so that the moment I ponied up my $1k (or however much it costs), they would have changed it, and I'd be left holding a big bag of nothing.Is that perception on my part mistaken?Thanks again!Mon, 09 May 2011 11:42:47 GMTsherifffruitflyhttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxCraig,I have been working for a financial company for over 10 years as a system analyst. During those years I have managed many SQL server both in production and dev environment. I have done the followings: installation, upgrade, backup, restore, create maintaiance plan, create queiries, sp, gereate reports, database tuning, system troubleshotting....etc. I want to concentrate on SQL Server as a true SQL DBA rather than a system analyst who does many other tasks. I know that I need to gain more knowledge to be qualified as SQL DBA, but it is hard for me to swich from System Analyst to SQL DBA because interviewer read my resume and question my position: "you are system analyst not dba? we need SQL Server expert" What should I do? Thank youYanMon, 09 May 2011 11:14:36 GMTyan-160997http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxOne of the most important things I have done is to create and maintain a LinkedIn presence. I get so many inquiries because of that site. I have my ACTUAL job experience and resume information. You would be surprised how many recruiters are looking there. Even with my relatively low experience (compared to the people who frequent this site) I regularly get called for decent and even some high end positions. So there is definitely a web marketing aspect but just be as honest as you can. Many people over or undersell themselves.Certs help ALOT, too. While many people have more experience than I do, having alot of certs usually indicates someone who is getting "book" educated on the technology. I cannot tell you how many experienced DBA's I have met who are unaware of the available feature sets of the newest version, and even some older ones. While experience gives you the most valuable knowledge, that does not negate book knowledge and many HR people agree. In the end, you have to interview and do the work so no shortcuts on certifying.Many people will disagree with me about certs, but they work well IF you can back them up with real skills.Mon, 09 May 2011 10:23:58 GMTPeter Trasthttp://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic1105191-2864-1.aspxone of the easiest ways is to use a product like Operations Manager or some other management software that requires SQL server. play around with the small databases and get some experience to pass an interview in a small environmentMon, 09 May 2011 07:15:24 GMTalen teplitsky