All the People Smarter than Me - Editorial

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All the People Smarter than Me - Editorial

Sarah Wagner

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June 30, 2014 at 9:59 pm

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Comments posted to this topic are about the item All the People Smarter than Me - Editorial

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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004403 More actions · Answer 1

What a great history and commentary, Sarah! It's great to hear of someone so passionate about "the job", the self investment, and the people you've "met" along the way. Well done!

--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)

Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 2

I have to agree with Sarah regarding SSC. Some amazing people (Jeff Moden for one) helped kick my learning of SQL Server in to high gear when I became active on the site in 2005 having joined earlier and been nothing but a lurker.

SQL Saturdays have been great as well. Still haven't gotten to a PASS Conference yet and looks like I won't until 2015 now. But hey, can't complain about the money I am earning out here in the desert.

JudithK SSC Veteran Points: 286 More actions · Answer 3

Very well put by Sarah. I've been very fortunate to have met many of my SQL heroes, either at local events, Tech-ed, PASS, or SQLBits. My first conference quite literally changed my life! I have learnt so much from so many gifted DBAs over the years. The fact that so many are so willing to share such gems of knowledge enthuses me and made me realise early on that I had made the right choice of career. I, in turn, can't help evangelising...

3 cheers to all the speakers, bloggers, and posters out there!

Gary Varga SSC Guru Points: 82166 More actions · Answer 4

I wholeheartedly agree.

As well as all the "heroes", I also congratulate and thank the rest of us cannon fodder that ask those questions that may otherwise have remained unasked or make suggestions that other, more experienced, people constructively pull apart for all our benefit as well as sharing their experiences and knowledge on other items and areas that are no less valid.

Take what you need.

Give what you can.

[Edit: Spelling mistake corrected which was missed by the Spell Check :-S]

Gaz

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

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398908 More actions · Answer 5

Nice write up.

And you didn't say hello? Please do next time.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

Dalkeith Hall of Fame Points: 3718 More actions · Answer 6

The act of both asking and answering questions is I think a really great way of stretching ourselves and reinforcing our knowledge.

The wisdom of the masses generally means that someone has come across your particular question before.

I have yet to truly come up with an issue that someone has not already discovered and actually solved.

cloudydatablog.net

Brent Ozar SSCrazy Points: 2451 More actions · Answer 7

Sarah, you are wildly and completely wrong.

We are not smarter. We just have more spare time on our hands, hahaha. Trust me, if you read the sp_Blitz source code, "smarter" will be the last term you'll use to apply to me, heh. It's all brute-force code.

Next time you see us - any of us - say hi!

Gary Varga SSC Guru Points: 82166 More actions · Answer 8

Brent Ozar (7/1/2014)
...We are not smarter....

Depends on what you are referring to. Focus on SQL Server knowledge and dedication to imparting it? Then definitely smarter than most of us. Any other definition? Who knows!?!?!

Gaz

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

sdorris 90134 Right there with Babe Points: 790 More actions · Answer 9

Sarah, you almost lost me at "Java developer" :-), but then you pulled me back in.

Very nice article, well written, and sprinkled with a little reverence to some of the icons in the industry.

What moved me though was your initiative. We need more people like you - in any industry.

Regards,

Steve

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398908 More actions · Answer 10

I kind of glossed over the title, but thanks Brent for pointing it out...

I am NOT smarter than... oh, just about anyone. I've just been around long enough to have done a ton of stuff and made as many mistakes as possible (not intentionally, refer back to that not smarter thing) so I've had the opportunity to learn a couple of things. But it's not being smarter. I know WAY too many truly smart people to even consider putting myself into that category. I'm just experienced (or, as my kids would have it, old).

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

Andrew Kernodle SSCertifiable Points: 5314 More actions · Answer 11

I'll definitely echo Sarah's thanks to the contributors in the community :-D. I barely knew anything beyond the basics of SQL when I graduated from college and landed my first programming/DBA job, but thanks to SSC, I feel like I'm at least passably competent these days :-P. Many thanks to the frequent contributors here for all the help they provide! If I'm not asking a question about the latest coding blunder I've seen or made, I'm happily chewing on a thread or two to learn new methods and test them out.

Now to return to my thread-grazing for the day 🙂

- 😀

Gary Varga SSC Guru Points: 82166 More actions · Answer 12

Andrew Kernodle (7/1/2014)
...I feel like I'm at least passably competent these days...

SSC puts each of us in our place often enough that we know how much we don't know - pity the fools who think themselves experts ;-P

Gaz

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

david.gugg SSCertifiable Points: 6100 More actions · Answer 13

I was also at that SQL Saturday and was really excited to see "the pros" in person. Hearing Ozar, Fritchey, and Machanic (and all the other great teachers) teach me personally was a shot of excitement - I think I was walking around with a big dumb grin on my face the entire day! Also, Clash of the Row Goals was incredibly helpful - I wanted to give Adam Machanic a bear hug just for teaching me such wizardry.

I consider myself very blessed to be a DBA, and I know much of my success is due to the great system we have for sharing knowledge, and the people who take the time to share it.

Be still, and know that I am God - Psalm 46:10

Brent Ozar SSCrazy Points: 2451 More actions · Answer 14

david.gugg (7/1/2014)
Hearing Ozar, Fritchey, and Machanic (and all the other great teachers) teach me personally was a shot of excitement - I think I was walking around with a big dumb grin on my face the entire day!

What's funny is that it never gets old. I still get excited to sit in their sessions, and I've seen Grant and Adam maybe 4-5 times. Wish I could see 'em more often, but the scheduling gods always make it tough.