Just when I thought I might be getting my chaste back, I got tagged again, this time by SQLChicken. Just the thought of chicken wrapped in bacon being served on a skewer at the Rodizio Grill was enough to make me want to respond to this latest web chainpost. Honestly, I love being on top of the food chain. It took my ancestors millions of years to get me here, no way I am going to disgrace their memory by not eating meat, especially tasty pieces of pork.
Anyway, the question is easy: How did I get started as a DBA?
It is a fair question, one that comes up infrequently, but always makes for a nice trip down memory lane. And while I cannot pinpoint the exact moment I decided I wanted to become a DBA, I can recall a series of events that led me to this very seat.
First, I was always good at mathematics. Not that being good at math has anything to do with being a DBA. Rather, being good at mathematics led me to refine my analytical skills, and those skills are quite valuable no matter what your profession. Along the way as I grew older I was fascinated by computers to varying degrees. I went to graduate school to get an MS in mathematics and then landed a job as…a programmer. Yep, working the Powerbuilder on top of Informix. You got a problem with that?
Now, as I learned more and more about programming, I also learned more and more about databases. I started putting together my own little databases for various scenarios, just to understand more about how they worked. I was sent to a Sybase ASE class (I still have those manuals!), and after some time I took that knowledge to my next job, which was now Powerbuilder on top of Oracle.
Have you ever heard about the salaries that Oracle DBA’s get? At some point I expressed an interest to my supervisors that I wanted to know more about Oracle database administration. More importantly I wanted to know more about how to make more money than the scraps they were paying me. Needless to say, that never happened. After my brief stay there I landed here, still working as a programmer (Powerbuilder on top of Sybase this time), and still wondering about database administration.
After a year or so my manager mentioned that they were looking to bring a DBA on board, and I went to the manager responsible for hiring the DBA’s and told her I wanted the job. She laughed in the most polite way possible and told me they were going to bring in someone else. However, they were looking to get some people trained as junior DBA’s, and she would keep me in mind for that. The person they brought in was Frank, my mentor, who proceeded to offer me valuable in-house training to help me get started.
After about a year or so, Frank moved on. Actually, he and the other DBA we had at that time both gave notice during the same week. I was offered the chance to take on the DBA responsibilities. That was over five years ago. Since then I have attained my certifications, been involved with PASS, and met some truly wonderful people.
So, how did I get started? Well, I was able to find the things I was interested in (database design, performance tuning, etc.), and then find ways to get training in those areas, and then find an opportunity to apply that training. Once I got my foot in the door, I have worked even harder to keep my skills sharp, always looking to improve upon what I know today. When I go home at night I ask my children if they learned anything new today, the same question I ask myself when I am driving home, because I always want to be moving forward.
It has not been easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is, right?
