April 25, 2016 at 9:58 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Specialist or Generalist
April 26, 2016 at 12:26 am
It depends on the company you keep.
One place an MVP I worked with was very impressive on the latches and clerks, but when it cam to disk layout must have been stood behind the door when the crib sheet was passed out. Sadly there wasn't the call to do the tuning based on the real low level stuff so couldn't learn as much as I would have liked off from them.
Currently working in a place that is trying DevOps with everyone seems to be an self proclaimed expert. Whereas they are really generalists who know how to use google. The downside is that they come along when there is an issue and state that they know the solution and sql server has to be reconfigured. I don't mind the input and it does keep me on my toes. The irritation is when some state an irrelevance as the cause, and when asked for proof they produce one of the broad brush comments from Brent Ozars webcasts as fact or they quote a popular comment from Stackoverflow. Don't know about you but producing something off the internet is not proof on what is happening inside sql server. May suggest a point to monitor but its not proof.
So for me, it depends.
April 26, 2016 at 12:40 am
Two important maxims that I learnt in school are: 'Know something about everything and everything about something' (thank you, James O'Brien) and 'Always be learning'.
Because one can't know everything about SQL Server, choices have to be made. I'm alternating between broadening my skill base and deepening my knowledge of specific areas. I'm studying for the 70-461 exam at the moment and I was surprised how little I knew about Full-Text-Indexes and XML until I through the relevant chapters of Itzak Ben-Gan's wonderful book. Once that is finished, I intend to throw myself headlong into In-Memory-OLTP version 2 (namely SQL server 2016).
In short, I say do both - be a generalist and specialise in certain areas (rather like medical doctors).
April 26, 2016 at 12:54 am
Don't chase the money. That way lies misery.
I have seen people trapped in a niche or stuck with a skill set that the market has reduced to near zero because they saw the £££s flashing in the sky. It didn't seem to matter to them at the time that they didn't enjoy the work, weren't very good at it nor was there much of a long term market for it.
Almost without exception, people I know did this blew the extra money to appease their mental state, half of them ended up being on the bench for at least 6 months (often significantly longer) when the work dried up and almost all seemed to have lost a large part of their soul in the process.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
April 26, 2016 at 3:22 am
Specialist, in something you enjoy, not the latest thing that pays well. But keep in mind that specialise doesn't mean you know nothing about anything outside of that speciality. You must know enough about the broad area to know what you know well and know what you don't know well and know what you don't know at all, and never get those confused.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
April 26, 2016 at 4:06 am
I am a "jack of all". Bits 'n' bobs of SQL Server Core, Azure, elements of BI, C# .
Not sure if its a good thing or a bad thing..
April 26, 2016 at 6:30 am
Though I specialize in one area and do have some knowledge in lots of others, I have discovered something knew as I train my replacement. I have techniques that I use to do things, ways to reduce risk, that had become second nature to me. They show up as I train and I am able to share them. I'm forced to state why I do something a certain way and realize why I had adopted the practices.
April 26, 2016 at 6:36 am
I used to be more of a "generalist", working on both web and desktop client/server applications (as well as being a SQL developer and pseudo-DBA). However, over time I have become an "expert" in developing software to support the electronic warfare mission for the US Air Force. Now I focus solely on the desktop client/server application that supports the EW mission. While my web development skills are now unfortunately years behind, I'm also now in a unique position in that it would take someone a few years to get to my EW software knowledge point. I get paid quite well for being in this unique position, so I think I'll stick with this for a while. 😉
April 26, 2016 at 7:39 am
The real problem is that employers want generalists who are specialists in everything.
Dave
April 26, 2016 at 7:58 am
Great Editorial Steve!
-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001
April 26, 2016 at 8:26 am
Microsoft has made SQL Server so big that even "generalists" are usually "specialists". I know of few people who are experts in the DB engine, AND SSAS, AND SSIS, AND SSRS, as well as all of the other ancillary technologies MS has bolted into the product -- just too much technology to become a master at. You might be a generalist across the DB engine, but you also have specialized in the DB engine as opposed to reports, or ETL, etc.....
April 26, 2016 at 8:57 am
Generalist all the way over here. I wanted to specialize, but there is a little market for it and not as fun over the years. Too many exciting technologies to explore and most companies want someone who is a hybrid these days. The specialist will always have their place, but it's a huge risk if your specialty becomes null and void or not as popular due to the changing landscape.
April 26, 2016 at 9:04 am
This article brings up a topic which I thought about for a number of years. We get into our work and find the things that we really enjoy and other things not so much. I think it is good to determine to become really proficient and experienced in an area of specialty but at the same time one needs to be sure they don't OVER-specialize and become so narrowly focused that you are left out of the mainstream of what is happening. This is especially true in the area of keeping up with changes and developing those skills also. While is might be appealing to be the 'go-to' person for one particular area, I would not want to become isolated. As new challenges come along you don't want to be overlooked for opportunities for fun and challenging things just because 'it's not your area'. This might also negatively affect your promote-ability and get you overlooked for advancement, especially if you have more highly skilled or higher seniority co-workers in your specialty in the best positions. If you aspire to management, you most likely need to be a generalist. However, I found that after 11 years of management I wanted to and did go back to being a 'techie' so it was good that I had stayed technically competent and up to date, and I loved the rest of my career. Basically, you really need to be both generalist and specialist to keep your best options open. I know it can be difficult and consume lots of your own time, but I think it is worth the effort.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
April 26, 2016 at 2:47 pm
Alan.B (4/26/2016)
Great Editorial Steve!
Thanks
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 23 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply