August 17, 2009 at 7:19 am
Hi Guys,
Stumbled upon this forum and looks like its full of SQL pros, just hoping to get some career guidence..
I am a windows sys admin with about 5 yrs desktop and server support experince, have an IT degree and from certification point nearly there for MCSA, I have always been quite keen on databases and am considering to develop myself as a DBA as my next career move, being a complete novice to SQL i was trying to find out where should i start from, i can't get any sql/db experince on job so i will have to start from taking some self funded training and certification to move to a junior db role and then make my way up. It will be great if i can get any advise/opinion on where to start, 2005 or 2008 etc.
Thanks.
H
August 17, 2009 at 7:34 am
The first question is what aspect of DBA work are you interested in? Coming from your background, I'd assume actual administration, as opposed to writing database software, but that's an assumption and subject to the usual errors.
Are you planning on aiming for a DBA job with your current employer? Or on an employment change as well as a career change? Or are you self-employed and just want to add another revenue stream by adding another available service? Or something else?
All of that will matter in determining where to start and what destination to aim for.
A good place to start gathering information would be whomever you'll be working with on getting a junior DBA job. If, for example, you'll be working with local recruiters, you could ask them what skills are in the biggest demand and what potential employers are looking for. They'll have a list. Same kind of questions can be asked of your HR and lead DBA, if you're looking for an internal move within a company.
As always, one of the best pieces of advice I can give someone on this is spend time on this site. See what kind of questions come up, work on getting the skill necessary to be able to answer well in the forums here. Pay attention to the people who know what they're writing about to get an idea of how they think and what they know.
Another good piece of advice is get a copy of Dev Edition. 2008 is fine. Build and maintain some databases for your own use, or to test concepts you run into while educating yourself. Data comes from study, knowledge comes from doing, and you need both.
Does that help?
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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August 17, 2009 at 7:49 am
Definetly helpful.
on the first bit, yes i am interested in actual administration and maintenance side of things, if i like my work then in future i may think about BI and all.
No i am not aiming for an internal move so it will be an employment change and bit of a career change, even most sys admins these days are required to have some sort of SQL exposure and knowledge so i can either get a junior DB role as my next move or a sys admin role where i can further develop skills on SQL.
I am hoping to come across some senior dbas here as i dont know anyone personally, with my previous experiences i think certifications definetly help so quetion at the moment is where to start from. I may be able to fund a small course where i can see sql in operation and learn some key functions and enough knowlege to take me through to next job where i can learn SQL properly. hope it makes sense!
H
August 17, 2009 at 7:53 am
As GSquared said, there are a lot of different DBA types you could be. But my personal opinion is that you can't be any of them without understanding the basic Admin DBA position. (Others might disagree).
So I would start by getting some texts on basic administration, getting yourself a cheap computer to play on and installing an eval copy of SQL Server. The Sybex press cert books helped me a lot when I was originally studying SQL Server. So did learning how networking and server OSs worked.
The best way to learn SQL Server is to try and break it. Create yourself a project. Build a database to track your video games or music CDs or book collection. That will teach you the basics of design. Then administer that db. Learn how to back it up, corrupt it, recover & restore it. Once you have all the admin basics (more than I just listed) down pat, try your hand at replication, database mirroring, reporting and building SSIS packages. And don't forget jobs, email, etc.
This will give you a good idea if you just want to be production admin guy, development guy, BI guy, etc. And then you can go from there.
August 17, 2009 at 8:11 am
http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2009/04/how-to-get-a-junior-dba-job-part-1/
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
August 17, 2009 at 8:21 am
Nice link, Gail! Thanks for sharing.
August 17, 2009 at 8:31 am
Nice link.
So if i am buying books or enrolling myself on a training course and aiming for some certification (MCTS eventually before i get my first dba job i guess) should i concentrate on 2005 or 2008?
August 17, 2009 at 8:56 am
hshah (8/17/2009)
Nice link.So if i am buying books or enrolling myself on a training course and aiming for some certification (MCTS eventually before i get my first dba job i guess) should i concentrate on 2005 or 2008?
2008
You'll need both, but 2008 has a higher current shelf-life than 2000/2005.
I recommend checking the job market in your area. Recruiters will know how many employers are looking for 2005 vs 2008 (or vs 2000, for that matter).
Actually, since you're just starting out on the DBA path, I'd recommend checking how many are looking for MySQL, Oracle, DB2, etc., before you commit to MS-SQL. Could be there's a better market for one of those in your area.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
August 17, 2009 at 10:36 am
Thanks,
MsSQL is in demand, i can see lots of jobs on the job boards, so if i go for MCTS 2008 does that mean someone looking for 2005 would discount me and vice-versa?
Does anyone know if there is a big differnce between 2 versions...! or is it just shelf life i should be worried about!
i thought its same technology may be slightly different features...same way i would say some one who can manage a server 2003 can also manage 2000 without much problem..!
H
August 17, 2009 at 10:44 am
The differences between the two are slight. When 2005 came out, Microsoft emphasized the developer tools over the admin tools. They've rectified this with 2008 having some T-SQL enhancements and added DBA Admin tools. Aside from this, I believe they've improved the SSIS process, encryption and added compression.
That's about it. Most of the stuff is the same.
August 17, 2009 at 12:03 pm
As far as certs for 2005 vs 2008 go, it's doubtful someone would discount a 2008 cert if they're running 2005.
First, certs are really mainly a way to get in the door for a technical interview. All that matters to most HR depts is that you have some alphabet soup after your name. They'll generally know just enough to be happy that you're certified in the most recent version, as opposed to an "out of date cert".
Second, 2008 is (mostly) a sort of super-service-pack for 2005. 2005 was truly a new version of the software compared to 2000. Lots of differences, plenty of things you have to watch out for when upgrading, and so on. 2005 to 2008, not so much. So, a 2008 cert won't hurt there either.
If you're the type of rare person who actually learns useful things from cert training (it sounds like you are from your posts), then you might have an advantage in studying for both, but it will be a minor advantage and probably not worth the increased cost. In that case, I'd go for the 2008 version, for the above reasons, and then just get familiar with the differences between 2000, 2005, and 2008. Microsoft lists those differences on MSDN, and you can always search for more data online pretty easily.
Most of what you learn for 2008 will apply to 2005. Much of it will apply to 2000. Those are the versions you're likely to run into in the wild. I'm seeing a fair number of companies upgrading from 2000 to 2008 right now in the area I'm in, and they're skipping 2005. But the company I work for just got rid of its last 2000 box, and is now fully on 2005 (with a bunch of Compatibility 80 databases still in use), with no real plans for 2008. So it'll vary a bit.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
August 18, 2009 at 4:14 am
Thank you all.
All the responses very very helpful.
At this point i have decided to go towards 2008, plan is to start from learning about SQL language, transact and general querying stuff and then move towards mcts 2008 material, hoping to take a training course so i can actually see things in operation and ask questions and hopefully learn enough to get me in to a junior dba role, certification and go from there.
I am sure i can come back here to learn more about sql and ask any questions i may have.
Thanks again.
H
August 18, 2009 at 5:43 am
hshah (8/18/2009)
I am sure i can come back here to learn more about sql and ask any questions i may have.
Absolutely!
Glad we could help.
August 18, 2009 at 6:46 am
You're welcome.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
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