July 13, 2017 at 3:30 pm
Lynn Pettis - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:25 PMjasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PMSo reading the posts from Brandie about the job got me thinking (that was that smoke you were smelling...)
My Oracle counterpart here, yesterday, mentioned that she'd basically had a mentor when she was first moving into Oracle, and she was quite surprised that I didn't have a mentor (beyond initially Google and eventually here.) So, how many of you had what you would consider a mentor when you started moving into SQL? Or, like me, did you start out as an accidental DBA and go from there?And, lastly, what would you estimate the median DBA salary in your area is (in whatever monetary units are applicable, I can handle converting on Google...)
Well, I wasn't an accidental DBA, I took it on purposefully as I was interested in learning about databases and we were looking at trying to write a replacement for our COBOL/ISAM system which was developed beginning in 1980. I was learning mostly from a few books. Our SQL Server systems were the first MS SQL Server instances in our company. We had a few Oracle DBAs and developers but they were of no help with SQL Server. My first real mentor was Jeff Moden right here on ssc starting in 2005, 9 years after I started working with SQL Server.
Couldn't tell you the median in my area, but I have seen positions asking for 3 to 5 years experience offering 70,000 to 80,000/yr. I am making over 108K/yr myself.
Same here, I was pretty much self taught. When I got out of school by far my biggest weakness was sql. In fact, early in my career I relied pretty heavily on my wife to help me. We are both in our second career and graduated our second time around together. I really didn't like not being able to do basic queries and I searched to find a spot where I could learn to be self-sufficient and learn how the whole database thing worked. I stumbled across SSC and lurked for a long time. I setup a lab at home and eventually starting trying to answer questions. Many of the good folks around here prodded me into making my answers better. My mentors are virtual. Jeff, Gail, Lynn, Wayne, Steve, Grant and many others on here several years ago.
_______________________________________________________________
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Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 1 – Converting Rows to Columns - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/63681/
Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 2 - Dynamic Cross Tabs - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Crosstab/65048/
Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 1) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69953/
Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 2) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69954/
July 13, 2017 at 3:38 pm
jasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PMSo reading the posts from Brandie about the job got me thinking (that was that smoke you were smelling...)
My Oracle counterpart here, yesterday, mentioned that she'd basically had a mentor when she was first moving into Oracle, and she was quite surprised that I didn't have a mentor (beyond initially Google and eventually here.) So, how many of you had what you would consider a mentor when you started moving into SQL? Or, like me, did you start out as an accidental DBA and go from there?And, lastly, what would you estimate the median DBA salary in your area is (in whatever monetary units are applicable, I can handle converting on Google...)
DBA?
I started doing MS Access and Oracle development. Learned from people who thought they knew what they were doing (I later found out they didn't). Spent some time doing web development (classic ASP).
The Oracle and Access background meant I had no problem writing queries, so got more of that kind of work and less UI.
Got a kind of a mentor for the performance tuning. Consultant who was working on performance problems wanted member of staff to do the drudge work. Since I could write SELECT statements with more than 1 table, I got the role.
He taught me the basics of performance tuning, the rough methodology is one I use to this day. 5 years later (after a stint in the DBA team at a bank) I joined the consulting company he worked with.
I am not posting salary information, due to the currency it looks way under US standards for even a junior.
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
July 13, 2017 at 4:04 pm
jasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PMSo reading the posts from Brandie about the job got me thinking (that was that smoke you were smelling...)
My Oracle counterpart here, yesterday, mentioned that she'd basically had a mentor when she was first moving into Oracle, and she was quite surprised that I didn't have a mentor (beyond initially Google and eventually here.) So, how many of you had what you would consider a mentor when you started moving into SQL? Or, like me, did you start out as an accidental DBA and go from there?And, lastly, what would you estimate the median DBA salary in your area is (in whatever monetary units are applicable, I can handle converting on Google...)
Heh.. i definitely did not have a mentor when I started, the closest thing I had was an indian consultant who handed me a template stored procedure and said use this to do data conversion. Actually DBA was the last thing I thought I'd end up doing in college, databases was one my least favorite classes, guess that just goes to show how different the real world is from academics.
Having a mentor means getting to pick up a bunch of someone else's bad habits, not having one means you get to develop them all on your own 😀
July 14, 2017 at 12:00 am
jasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PMSo reading the posts from Brandie about the job got me thinking (that was that smoke you were smelling...)
My Oracle counterpart here, yesterday, mentioned that she'd basically had a mentor when she was first moving into Oracle, and she was quite surprised that I didn't have a mentor (beyond initially Google and eventually here.) So, how many of you had what you would consider a mentor when you started moving into SQL? Or, like me, did you start out as an accidental DBA and go from there?And, lastly, what would you estimate the median DBA salary in your area is (in whatever monetary units are applicable, I can handle converting on Google...)
I started out lost in the world of life and dead-end jobs.
Then I decided to take a massive pay cut and go into programming, as it was something that I enjoyed from the "old" days, and started from scratch as a full stack developer.
Soon, I realised that I preferred the DB over the pretty pictures for fickle users. It was all self-taught. I thought I was into big data when one client had a SQL DB that hit the 100MB mark. Then I got involved with a BI project, which was way beyond my ability, so consultants were brought in. THANK YOU GAIL and your mentor - You finally got me to stop thinking in loops.
I would like to be the best developer that I can be. However, I find myself immersed in the day-2-day job, which is very high volume, but narrow in scope. So I use SSC to try and keep up with what's happening out there.
July 14, 2017 at 1:33 am
Chris Harshman - Thursday, July 13, 2017 12:14 PMThom A - Thursday, July 13, 2017 7:59 AMdoes anyone know where you find SQL Server 2012 Developer?I don't think developer edition was available for free until 2014 version:
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2016/03/31/microsoft-sql-server-developer-edition-is-now-free/
We have one instance at the moment, so it definitely is/was. 🙂
Thom~
Excuse my typos and sometimes awful grammar. My fingers work faster than my brain does.
Larnu.uk
July 14, 2017 at 6:39 am
FREE MS ebooks/pdfs.....you may find a few that interest you
https://www.codeproject.com/News.aspx?ntag=19837497608916451&_z=14286868
________________________________________________________________
you can lead a user to data....but you cannot make them think
and remember....every day is a school day
July 14, 2017 at 6:42 am
[/quote]
I don't think developer edition was available for free until 2014 version:
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2016/03/31/microsoft-sql-server-developer-edition-is-now-free/
[/quote]
We have one instance at the moment, so it definitely is/was. 🙂
[/quote]
It wasn't.
It was free if you had MSDN subscription (or probably volume licensing too), otherwise it was a $10 purchase (supposed to have a license per developer). From 2014 onwards, it's free.
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
July 14, 2017 at 7:19 am
jasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 11:03 AMBrandie Tarvin - Thursday, July 13, 2017 10:42 AMjasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 10:07 AMBrandie Tarvin - Thursday, July 13, 2017 9:18 AMYou know, I love you people. You're smart. You're willing to admit when you don't know something. You help out each other (and me) when you can...This is such a WONDERFUL place...
(she says after a phone interview in which the interviewee recognized her name as being here and her boss made a joke about her spending too much time here. @=)
Take that, BossMan!
/Me immediately fires off a resume to Brandie's place of work with her listed as a reference
We've got a 9 month contract open. @=) Unfortunately, it's not remote and it's not contract-to-hire. Just 9 months for project and coverage.
Oh, well in that case, I'm going to need to turn down that generous offer from your employer that I never got.
😀
Jason, the commute would have killed you. You'd have to turn around to return to work before you made it home. 😛
July 14, 2017 at 7:19 am
GilaMonster - Friday, July 14, 2017 6:42 AMThom A - Friday, July 14, 2017 1:33 AMChris Harshman - Thursday, July 13, 2017 12:14 PMThom A - Thursday, July 13, 2017 7:59 AMdoes anyone know where you find SQL Server 2012 Developer?
I don't think developer edition was available for free until 2014 version:
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2016/03/31/microsoft-sql-server-developer-edition-is-now-free/
[/quote]
We have one instance at the moment, so it definitely is/was. 🙂[/quote]
It wasn't.
It was free if you had MSDN subscription (or probably volume licensing too), otherwise it was a $10 purchase (supposed to have a license per developer). From 2014 onwards, it's free.[/quote]
$10? Strewth, I feel ripped off. I paid about £40 for it back in the day...
Thomas Rushton
blog: https://thelonedba.wordpress.com
July 14, 2017 at 7:24 am
jasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PMSo reading the posts from Brandie about the job got me thinking (that was that smoke you were smelling...)
My Oracle counterpart here, yesterday, mentioned that she'd basically had a mentor when she was first moving into Oracle, and she was quite surprised that I didn't have a mentor (beyond initially Google and eventually here.) So, how many of you had what you would consider a mentor when you started moving into SQL? Or, like me, did you start out as an accidental DBA and go from there?And, lastly, what would you estimate the median DBA salary in your area is (in whatever monetary units are applicable, I can handle converting on Google...)
I first started with desktop applications development. When I moved to databases full-time, I started in Oracle development and did have a mentor. She gave me to a developer who taught me a lot. When I reached his level, she took me back and she went nuts. She had been a DBA forever (loads of experience) and taught me so much about design and how things work; there was a lot but I loved it.
As for median salary, I don't know what it is, but since we're in the same metro area, I'm sure you do. If you know it, would you post it along with the source?
July 14, 2017 at 7:36 am
ThomasRushton - Friday, July 14, 2017 7:19 AM$10? Strewth, I feel ripped off. I paid about £40 for it back in the day...
I think it was 10. May have been 50. Some 'not too high but not zero figure'
I always got mine from MSDN sub.
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
July 14, 2017 at 7:45 am
GilaMonster - Friday, July 14, 2017 7:36 AMThomasRushton - Friday, July 14, 2017 7:19 AM$10? Strewth, I feel ripped off. I paid about £40 for it back in the day...I think it was 10. May have been 50. Some 'not too high but not zero figure'
I always got mine from MSDN sub.
Thanks guys. Hadn't actually realised that 2012 was still a paid for licence for Dev (misread Chris' post, thought they said there wasn't one rather than a free one). In the same breath that I've asked for some Windows Server licence costs, I've asked our Software Vendor for them to add in 2 SQL Server 2012 Dev licences.
Thom~
Excuse my typos and sometimes awful grammar. My fingers work faster than my brain does.
Larnu.uk
July 14, 2017 at 8:31 am
jasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PMSo reading the posts from Brandie about the job got me thinking (that was that smoke you were smelling...)
My Oracle counterpart here, yesterday, mentioned that she'd basically had a mentor when she was first moving into Oracle, and she was quite surprised that I didn't have a mentor (beyond initially Google and eventually here.) So, how many of you had what you would consider a mentor when you started moving into SQL? Or, like me, did you start out as an accidental DBA and go from there?And, lastly, what would you estimate the median DBA salary in your area is (in whatever monetary units are applicable, I can handle converting on Google...)
When I started out? Neither. I did all my studying myself because I was in a completely different industry. Then I started hopping onto websites like this and Tek-Tips to read and attempt (poorly) to answer questions with my newly gained knowledge. In fact, I don't think I ever really had a SQL mentor through my entire career, though I've tried to give back both locally and online. Somehow I muddled through and got jobs anyway. @=)
Median salary in Jacksonville FL ... Hrm... I don't know. I'd have to look it up on Salary.com or something. I would guess approximately 80k, but I could be way off. And... Googling it, Glassdoor tells me $71,634. But remember that's median and I know several DBAs who said they were working 6 digit salaries. Of course some of them were working for real DBA-type sweatshops too with little PTO too. So there's always that trade off.
EDIT: I should mention Glassdoor differentiates between different DBA levels. I think the above was "regular" or possibly junior DBA. Senior DBA is registering around 89k-91k median.
July 14, 2017 at 8:46 am
jasona.work - Thursday, July 13, 2017 2:13 PMSo reading the posts from Brandie about the job got me thinking (that was that smoke you were smelling...)
My Oracle counterpart here, yesterday, mentioned that she'd basically had a mentor when she was first moving into Oracle, and she was quite surprised that I didn't have a mentor (beyond initially Google and eventually here.) So, how many of you had what you would consider a mentor when you started moving into SQL? Or, like me, did you start out as an accidental DBA and go from there?And, lastly, what would you estimate the median DBA salary in your area is (in whatever monetary units are applicable, I can handle converting on Google...)
I started as a full stack developer using VFP and SQL Server before getting out of college (before getting my A.S. degree) and my boss was also a teacher at my university. He was my first mentor, but also the one that taught me how to code using cursors. After some years, you guys became my mentors. I have to thank Gail, Jeff, Lynn, Dwain, Sean, and many others.
I agree with Gail,right now I'm probably making more money than many directors on my previous company in Mexico, which offered good salaries. However, I don't have the purchasing power they have.
EDIT: I also need to thank you for getting me to a position where I crossed the six figures salary line. I now have to check if I can get to seven. :hehe:
July 17, 2017 at 7:37 am
Ed Wagner - Friday, July 14, 2017 7:24 AMI first started with desktop applications development. When I moved to databases full-time, I started in Oracle development and did have a mentor. She gave me to a developer who taught me a lot. When I reached his level, she took me back and she went nuts. She had been a DBA forever (loads of experience) and taught me so much about design and how things work; there was a lot but I loved it.As for median salary, I don't know what it is, but since we're in the same metro area, I'm sure you do. If you know it, would you post it along with the source?
So, similar to Brandie I took a quick look at salaries in the metro-Detroit area...
Glasdoor reports ~$72k/yr for a SQL DBA, Payscale.com reports ~$101k/yr for a Senior SQL DBA.
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