June 27, 2014 at 1:20 pm
I've worked in the data realm for close to eight years now, starting off by immediately being thrown to the wolves and into a DBA-esque position.
The position I accepted after that one was for a data analyst, but shortly after hire, I began designing the ETL solutions that were desperately needed, since it was something I had a lot of prior experience with. Eventually, an ETL Developer title was created just for me, and things were pretty straightforward following that. 60 hour weeks, back and forth with the data modeler in designing the DW, and eventually that glorious day where everything begins clicking in place and the nightly loads run flawlessly.
Anyway, the downside to all of this is...for my entire career, I have never had to put up with anyone stepping on my toes. I wouldn't say that I'm a prodigy by any measure, or that I'm difficult to work with (though I'm not discounting that as a possibility, either), but I would say that I don't know how to handle the prospect of having a second ETL Developer on the scene, as may be the case soon.
Anyone I work with would say that I am overworked and overstressed, and adding another person is a natural part of a growing company, which I understand. However, the title being hired for is "Senior ETL Developer"...and unexpectedly, I felt pretty miffed about it. "Wait, why are they hiring for a SENIOR position? After ALL I have given?" and even when I was scheduled for an interview, "Why should I have to interview? I should just be given the position!", amongst the many irrational thoughts going through my entitled head.
Anyway, I have gained a bit of perspective, and deflated my ego a bit, and realized that I am thinking like a completely spoiled brat. The fact is...I would like to have the promotion, but I have never had any co-worker, friend, relative, etc. that has been in this line of work at all, and honestly I have no way of knowing how I stack up against what typically qualifies one to advance to the senior level. I have designed the entire ETL architecture that the company runs on, pulling data from flat file, RDBMS, MUMPS, LDAP, etc. sources, cleansing, normalizing, creating some of the most beautiful star schemas you've ever seen too, and pushing into our DW. I've studied the material so damn hard, read the Sql Server Central newsletter every morning, and eventually created the system that moves around 2 TB of data over the course of 6 hours.
My interview is about a week away, and though I'm not looking for a "what do I say to sound really smart?" solution, I would like to hear from others who have had similar experiences, and figure out "how do you know if/when you are ready for a senior level position?" Given my mental outburst, I am afraid maybe that's the biggest indicator that I'm not ready! 🙁
Any and all input would be appreciated. Thanks!
September 23, 2014 at 11:11 am
I just found this post so it is a bit too late to offer any advice.
What happened with your interview? Are you the senior ETL dev?
November 23, 2014 at 10:43 pm
Sorry, I just saw your reply. It has been quite an eventful past few months!
To answer your question, no, I didn't get the senior position. It went to someone much less qualified. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed working with the guy, but after my discussion with the CIO for both my annual review and the news that I didn't get the position, I decided it was time to leave and accepted a position with another company. Similar title, but 30% increase, much more autonomy, and (best of all) only 40 hours per week.
I have actually stayed in contact with the senior ETL architect at the old place to help him along. Funny enough, a handful of people from that team followed me over to my current employer. Whoever said that the BI landscape has produced a mercenary culture nailed it on the head.
November 24, 2014 at 5:39 am
You don't sound like a spoiled brat. Based on what I've read, it seems that you've done a lot of good work for your company even though they've chosen somebody less qualified for the position. I guess politics were involved and it just goes to show that hard work will not necessarily get you promoted.
Nonetheless it seemed that things worked out for the better: 30 % pay increase + (2/3) the work time; if you work out the math, your hourly rate has doubled :-D. It seems to me even though you weren't treated fairly at your previous company, you're the winner here.
Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply