On one hand it's amazing that people can advance so quickly in their careers in technology. It definitely has helped drive the explosion of new talent into this field. Many people are drawn to the idea of making a good salary, and making a difference because of their talent with computers.
On the other hand, I think we often end up with a group of people that lack depth, miss out on some of the fundamentals, and don't appreciate where they are because they haven't paid their dues. Too often I see people thrown into jobs that they have to teach themselves about as they go along, or they have success in one area, like desktop administration, and find themselves running another system, like a database or mail system.
It seems that people adopt one of two attitudes when they find themselves this situation: they understand their ignorance and work hard to overcome it. They visit sites like SQLServerCentral, sign up for training, and ask lots of questions. They adopt a very positive attitude and look to improve their skills.
However many people think they know more than they do and struggle to accept advice when they have a question. They often want a quick answer to a particular problem and don't necessarily try to learn from their experiences. They often just want to survive them, and measure success by their longevity within a position.
In the former case, people with lots of experience are happy to help the newcomers learn more. In the latter, we wish they would change careers.
I would like to think that most of us are continually looking to improve our skills and do a better job tomorrow than we did yesterday. I know that's not always the case, and many people just want to get their work finished, collect a paycheck, and move on with their lives.
I don't begrudge people the chance to make a good living in technology, even if they don't have a passion for it. I would just like to have them to have a positive attitude, put in a little effort, and smile. Especially when you are asking for help.
Steve Jones
The Voice of the DBA Podcasts
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