Stuck in a Rut

  • CGSJohnson (10/29/2014)


    Excellent post, Steve!

    +1

    I find the questions posed here to be a source of ideas for where I can improve my skills. By looking at the answers I can see any functions that I haven't heard of then play around with them. So if ever my boss thinks I just browsing the web - I am in fact learning 😀 (shame I can't use that excuse for all my browsing history)

    -------------------------------Posting Data Etiquette - Jeff Moden [/url]Smart way to ask a question
    There are naive questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand (the world). There is no such thing as a dumb question. ― Carl Sagan
    I would never join a club that would allow me as a member - Groucho Marx

  • Steve Jones - SSC Editor (10/29/2014)


    Steven.Howes (10/29/2014)


    You need a pic of yourself in this shirt Steve...

    [/url]

    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    Is that in reference to the improper use of the IFCode or the joke that testing occurs in production? 😛

    BTW I am sure I saw some SQL luminary sporting such a T-Shirt in a photo. If memory serves me well, which it rarely does, I think that it might have been Grant Fritchey.

    EDIT: Problems writing in my native tongue :w00t:

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • This is part of "continuous learning" value I believe in. It does not just apply to your job. It means being engaged in your job and in the world at large. If I wasn't trying to learn all the time I'd wouldn't know that measles is 17 times more infectious than Ebola.

  • Robert.Sterbal (10/29/2014)


    Steve,

    You mentioned the following things a bored DBA could do when stuck in a rut:

    Why learn Biml

    build an SSIS package

    write running totals

    find gaps in data stream

    replication

    DR

    HA

    tune a query

    I was just adding baselining to that skill list

    Ahh, sorry. Misinterpreted your post.

    That would be a great one to practice.

  • John Hanrahan (10/29/2014)


    This is part of "continuous learning" value I believe in. It does not just apply to your job. It means being engaged in your job and in the world at large. If I wasn't trying to learn all the time I'd wouldn't know that measles is 17 times more infectious than Ebola.

    And now that you have shared that, I know it too!!!

    This site rocks even more now :smooooth:

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • Feeling stuck in a rut is your inner professional yelling at you telling you that it is time to get back to seeking the dreams and goals you once had and leave this other stuff behind. Not saying everyone is born for greatness, but that each should seek to achieve all that they can. You owe it to yourself and to those who love you.

    M.

    Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!

  • The need and desire tend to wane as one nears retirement.

  • Iwas Bornready (10/30/2014)


    The need and desire tend to wane as one nears retirement.

    I have no problem with that as long as there is someone ensuring that emerging best practices are followed by all. The less time one has until they stop the more focused they can be on a narrowing remit.

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • EDIT: Deleted duplicate post created by my actions due to being on an out of support OS and an out of support browser complaining that somethings (probably images) are coming over HTTP whereas the URL is HTTPS :'-)

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • Ah retirement. The Day I go from looking homeless to being homeless. 😛

  • Iwas Bornready (10/30/2014)


    The need and desire tend to wane as one nears retirement.

    Andy D in the Shawshank Redemption


    I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.

    After decades of learning and understanding in a field where more white hairs are needed, the one nearing retirement must decide if they are going to use all that skill and experience to do as much in the last year or two as they may have done in the first ten, or just walk out the door and forget it all. Some do not retire at a certain time, they throw in the towel early and sit and wait till the time is come.

    If one decides they will retire in so many months and starts watching the clock, they may lose focus and will soon lose their way. But if one works from one project to the next, and decides near the end of one that it is time to go, they can remain productive and keep the desire and dream much longer. This allows them to still have fun doing what they have always wanted to do.

    Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!

  • Miles Neale (10/30/2014)


    Iwas Bornready (10/30/2014)


    The need and desire tend to wane as one nears retirement.

    Andy D in the Shawshank Redemption


    I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.

    After decades of learning and understanding in a field where more white hairs are needed, the one nearing retirement must decide if they are going to use all that skill and experience to do as much in the last year or two as they may have done in the first ten, or just walk out the door and forget it all. Some do not retire at a certain time, they throw in the towel early and sit and wait till the time is come.

    If one decides they will retire in so many months and starts watching the clock, they may lose focus and will soon lose their way. But if one works from one project to the next, and decides near the end of one that it is time to go, they can remain productive and keep the desire and dream much longer. This allows them to still have fun doing what they have always wanted to do.

    Well put. Better than me.

    Gaz

    -- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!

  • I'll take bored over stressed any day. At least boredom is in your control and can be remedied by seeking alternative uses of one's time. Certification, mentoring, interning in different dept, startup a pet project that will benefit the company (predictive analytics anyone?)...so many good outs.

    Aigle de Guerre!

  • Not all free time is created equally; especially when emergencies are frequent. Fireman can polish the engine, but over-hauling the engine may not be a good idea when there's no backup and the alarm rings. Training, learning, testing new technologies takes a certain amount of uninterrupted time that you can't always find and rarely plan on having.

    Putting out the same types of fires can get boring and many companies/departments lack the will to put the resources towards preventing them.

    I'm thankful, my job allows me to explore new things. We're going to have BI and a Data Warehouse and few people in our firm have ever heard of it let along request it.

  • I've just finished reading Patrick Lencioni's "3 signs of a miserable job". He says that the 3 characteristics of a job that are likely to make for a happy workers are

    • Having a way to measure yourself and your achievements
    • Seeing how your work is relevant
    • Seeing your work making a difference to someone else

    If you are stuck in a rut then what is your manager like? Unambitious? Unimaginative? Uninspiring? Underemployed?

    Your manager should always be looking to support the corporate goals and that means improving things or finding new things that represent progress. If they are not leading or driving you forward then they are not doing their job.

    You often here managers say "people are our greatest asset" as if it is something they have been taught to parrot by HR. Well if all they are doing is parroting it then the joke is on them because it is true and implicit in that is that you are an asset. Your worth is your knowledge, skills and experience. If you are on this site then the chances are you have recognised this fact either implicitly or explicitly and chosen to invest time in yourself to develop yourself as an asset.

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