Programming Training

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Programming Training

bpowers

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June 10, 2009 at 12:42 pm

#210532

I am looking at picking up a couple of training classes this fall in programming. What do you experienced dba's recommend? I would like to take classes that will make me more marketable in the future. Currently I have intermediate VBA and T-SQL programming skills. I was thinking maybe VB.NET or XML. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003894 More actions · Answer 1

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic695088-149-1.aspx#bm695796
bpowers (4/13/2009)
Not quite sure how to go about the suggestions. To say I am a novice is an understatement. Here is the table I put together. How do I implement the suggestions into my table?

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic712216-149-1.aspx
bpowers (5/7/2009)
What is the best approach, for a novice, to move the two tables from my existing database and set them up in a new database? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

bpowers (6/10/2009)
I am looking at picking up a couple of training classes this fall in programming. What do you experienced dba's recommend? I would like to take classes that will make me more marketable in the future. Currently I have intermediate VBA and T-SQL programming skills. I was thinking maybe VB.NET or XML. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

I know this sounds mean but as a person who conducts such technical interviews and based on your recent history, if you go into a technical interview claiming "intermediate" knowledge of SQL Server, you may have a couple of surprises that you didn't expect. I recommend a more in-depth study and practice on the basics to increase your marketability.

All kidding aside, many of the DBA's sleep with Books Online, attend technical seminars, attend the local PASS chapter, and participate heavily in forums just like this one. They also have a copy of the SQL Server Developer Edition on their laptop or home PC and spend a little time each day practicing the "SQL piano".

They also have a huge amount of experience. How do you get that kind of experience before you get a job to experience? Again, forums such as this one (researching and answering questions) and maybe doing a little free work for charities that can use the help.

Again, as a person who does technical interviews, I don't really care how many letters you have after your name nor how many classes you've attended. I'm going to find out what you have actually done whether on the job or in some intense hands-on self study.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

bpowers SSCertifiable Points: 5483 More actions · Answer 2

Thanks for the constructive critisizm and honesty. I appreciate it.

Randy-574768 Ten Centuries Points: 1385 More actions · Answer 3

A job in a software support position might be just the thing.

In my last job, I worked intensely with Oracle (but SQL - by and large - is SQL). I already had a few years' experience when I went in. Some people, though, were just coming out of school and they were incredibly teachable and did very well. I mean, they didn't always get the basic SQL structure questions right, but enthusiasm and some idea what was going on was enough in that position. The nice part about support for them, too, was that it was mostly repetitive. They got some basic syntax drilled into their brains. And as they got better, they could do more to help the customer.

Look for something like that and be upfront with them - tell them you're entry-level and ready to learn.

Randy

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003894 More actions · Answer 4

bpowers (6/11/2009)
Thanks for the constructive critisizm and honesty. I appreciate it.

That's actually the first step towards making yourself more marketable. 🙂 Thank you for not taking what I said the wrong way. 😉

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

bpowers SSCertifiable Points: 5483 More actions · Answer 5

I have a bachelor's degree in MIS and have currently been in a dba role for two years with a small aerospace company. I have picked up a lot in two years, but I still have a long way to go. I figured some additional programming classes may help me in the future. I appreciate all the responses and will keep on learning as I go.

David Korb SSCrazy Points: 2505 More actions · Answer 6

I would recommend taking at least an intro level database theory course. There's a lot of bad architecture out there because people can't be bothered to learn about E.F. Codd's relational model.