To be honest, I took the article by very surprise.

Currently I am working as an Application Support (IT section) in a Shipping company. From the 6.5 to 2012 I have been worked as sql developer and no matter how many times I have asked my reporting manager "to change me in to the higher role on the SQL side" and it is a still no. I have seen myself derailed from my main interest and from past last 2 years I have not worked on SQL at work, as my role and support does not allow me to do. So I am planning to quit my current job and start all over with the SQL, and this has been by resolution of this year and my future career.

I do all the stuff on SQL what you have mentioned... downloading, installing... last week I spent all the off time is installing the XP on the VM and configure each OS for each SQL version. I have now like 8 OSs (including MySQL)

" Is it more important to download SQL Server 2012 on your home computer and learn it than working on a hobby that you enjoy?" this is the most interesting thing for me, as now SQL has become my hobby.

From my current work it is hard to spend the time with family and I miss most of the things happens around and even some peopel hate me for showing/spending so much of time on the work. This was me last year, and this year I have changed a bit and no matter what I always make some time to be with family people around. After reading this article, I understood one thing that even SQL jobs are not easy for managing time. But some people go and do exactly what they feel. Being at one side is hard, even after spending some time with family it becomes boring and you feel like go back to work and do some thing new and vise-versa. I have never found a proper balancing thing between these two.

On twitter I follow few people and see them work and enjoy their life both at the same time and everytime i see their new tweet I feel how are they doing this? And one day when I was reading their interview on how they got in to SQL I came to know these are the people who do not work for money and nor for name, they work because they love their job and each task is like a fun to them and they enjoy doing what they do.

The bottom line is "enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy" if you take work as a work and it really becomes as work (as-in stress), if you take work as fun and interesting, it does not feels like work and it feels like you are having fun. As long as you are happy on what you are doing, I guess this should not bother to anyone.

(now its time to put some extra hours into my hobby 🙂 )