Why did you decide to become a DBA/SQL Programmer?
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I started as applied programmer in 80s with Modula-2 on PDP-11 Architecture (TSX-Plus, RSX11). There were couple of databases, that I can not recollect names of.
Then came emigration to Canada, large VB project in Real Estate field, where I was doing a lot of views and SPs on SQL Server, data population, scrubbing and stuff. I do some DBA, but mostly development.
Does anybody have experience in getting US H1B or T1 visas in DBA/SQL Developer fields? Could you share experiences?
Is it hard for a Canadian citizen to get a TN1 in back end development?
Generally are there contracts in DBA field or mostly full-time?
Best wishes to all,
Alexei
Alexei Akimov,
416-630-2095
CGI Consultant, SQL Server Administrator, VB and ASP System Design and Development
Alexei -
For me, the transition to DBA was just the natural progression of both my career and personal life. Coming out of school in the early 90's I was a programmer developing in whatever was the big thing at the time -- SmallTalk, VB, PowerBuilder, ASP, you name it. As a young single guy this was great as it kept things new and fresh, and I had plenty of free time to study up on each of the new latest-and-greatest tools.
Then comes the wife and kiddo. "Free time" becomes a thing of the past, and those late nights geeking out and reading tech books by the dozen go with it. Did that mean the end of fun development? Of course not! It just meant refining the scope of it. The common thread to any development project is the backend database. So, rather than trying to keep up with the constant flood of changing development tools, I decided to focus instead on development DBA roles instead. After all, I already had most the skillset for it.
This allowed me to accomplish two things:
1) I am valuable on any project, no matter what front-end development tool is used. Every project has a database, and I know databases. However, if I was purely a VB developer and suddenly the project was C#.Net, I'd be out of luck.
2) Instead of cramming my limited personal hours into learning brand new development tools, I can instead focus on just keeping up-to-date with the DBMS.
Yes, I sometimes miss the fun of the more glamorous front-end development tasks, but there's definitely something to be said about having more personal time and better job security as a behind-the-scenes database guy!
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Am I the only one who was never a programmer? Back in October of 1984 I discovered 'select * from' using SQL/DS on an IBM mainframe and I was forever hooked! My next job was an Oracle DBA on a VAX. I had never used Oracle, been a DBA, or used a VAX but I took the contract because it sounded fun. After the contract ended I took a job at a bank and spent the next few years as an Oracle DBA, switched to SQL Server back in 1994 and have been doing that ever since. I also know Sybase now. I'm not a developer but a rare, pure, corporate DBA. I've been in a banking environment since 1989. I manage server farms of databases for dozens of applications, but I never really get into the data management part. My specialty is problem solving, working with users, backup/recovery/tuning and going to meetings. I most enjoy helping teams bring an application from development into a production environment. I never wanted to do anything else!
Emily Bersin
Edited by - ebersin on 05/16/2002 06:41:47 AM
Emily Bersin -
Too lazy to work...too nervous to steal.
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Im just a trainee db atm 🙂 , and it came about as my next door neighbour how is an it director needed to take onboard someone who was quick learning and keen hence me 🙂 i currently work with ms sql 7 and 2k and mySQL i develop web solutions for the company internal and run some updates once a month lots of my knowledge comes from self learning
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To whomever asked if they were the only one with no programming experience: No, I took one programming class in college (and hated it). I have been in healthcare for 13 years, but the first 9 years were spent in, yes, finance. My last 4 years in the IT department have been spent working as a financial applications analyst. A little over a year ago, we purchased a client/server operating room management system. No one here in our IT department of almost 60 people had much experience with SQL Server 6.5 or DBMS. I had to implement the software, therefore was forced to start learning the administration aspect as the network server guys were just too busy (and less than interested). So basically, I was thrown into this with no formal education and was forced to start reading up and learning the administration side. I've since taken 2 SQL 2000 administration courses (at the hospital's expense) and am now studying for MCDBA certification. I've also had to learn Crystal Reports with no formal education. I've had some previous experience with relational databases so understanding database design was not foreign to me. Now, at the ripe old age of 40, I'm making yet another career change 🙂
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I too, have no developer history. In fact, up until January 2000 I was in the hairdressing industry - initially on the salon floor and latterly working as a consultant doing shows & seminars around the UK.
I started working towards my MCSE in August 1999 - and like a lot of newbies thought that the next step would be CISCO & networking. My first IT job was on helpdesk for a small medical informatics software house - the main product being heavily dependant on Sybase 11.x. Like some of the other posters here I "discovered" the SELECT thing and was hooked. Call me sad but I was, and still am, fascinated by how databases "work". I now have one year in my second IT job working as a DBA for a financial systems software house and ASP. I was taken on as a production DBA and promised the opportunity to acquire development skills but in reality my role for the last year has been 80% plus development. I'm now beginning to get to grips with some VBScript and a little ASP
I love what I do although I would like to be doing a little more production/operational stuff - as much to maintain and improve that skillset as anything else. Longer term, I thing my preference is for predominantly development DBA but at this time I have no real interest in getting to grips with any front end stuff.
Greg M Lucas
"Your mind is like a parachute, it has to be open to work" - Frank Zappa -
Why did I go down the DBA route? I'd been programming for 20 years, 10 commercially, and decided I needed a change, but wanted to stay in IT and put my experience as a developer to good, but different use. Looked around at what interested me back in '95, and what I wanted to know more about, be better at, what motivated me. Had been using relational databases since the early 90's and happened to be working on a project using SQL Server 4.51/6.0 at the time and liked what I was using, so made a concious decision to re-train myself as a SQL Server DBA. Most difficult thing was thinking in sets, rather than procedurally - felt a bit like learning French at first(!). Think the first two years were the hardest, probably because I was still working as a developer, and I'd moved abroad at the same time, but working in even closer conjunction with DBAs. Once I got to a level of knowledge where I found I knew as much as the DBAs I was working with, I interviewed for a DBA post, and got it, first time. All the hard work and time spent studying over admin and TSQL books and coding stored procs into the early hours had paid off. Never looked back since, still hungry, and make sure I learn something new every day. Great thing is that I can talk to developers at their level - not all DBAs can, which I found to be a problem when I was a developer, so I find this an added bonus.
Edited by - jonreade on 06/13/2002 04:25:58 AM
Jon -
I started working in a lab dealing with rubber and plastics when time came to analyse the results for the past few years I got handed Office Pro with Access. Aha the tool I'd been waiting for. Learned the program book in hand. Wrote a few more db's for experience then landed a job as Access DBA/technical advisor on a new db that a company wanted to launch. When redundancy arrived (India being much cheaper for them) set up my own business and started writing SQL server stuff for web application backends. No official qualifications but a whole load of experience (mainly the hard way!)
I'm still a relative newbie with SQL server having only been playing with it for 1-2 years. The SQL XML stuff looks interesting so I guess I'm learning that next
Ali
Ali -
I got into it differently. I have a degree in elementary education. I was a 5th grade teacher and a software company in my town asked me to do some cold fusion web development for them. I started doing this at night while teaching during the day. When school was out I started working for them as a summer job and then they offered me a full time job. WHile in a meeting, we needed some triggers created, we looked at each other and said 'Who wants to create the triggers?' I said, 'I'll try' and now I am a db programmer and enjoy every minute!
Eddie
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I am from an Oracle background and kinda got pushed into a SQL Server DBA position ( I am glad I did). I really enojoy it and have to admit the progress of my hair turning grey has greatly decreased while managing SQL Server. If I was still managing Oracle - I would have needed some hair dye by now
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