October 7, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item The General
October 8, 2007 at 5:39 am
I am also a generalist, who happens to know a bit more about databases than other subjects. I started out on mainframe, did some work on OS install and security before spending over 15 years first writing than designing appilcations on a variety of kit. I then moved into DBA work and am now an Architect.
What I have done in the past is very often relevant to the work I do today. I sometimes struggle to get my W2003 and W2008 domains working as well at home as the professional infrastructure people do at work, but this helps me understand the infrastructure stack and present better quality solutions in my day job.
However, I find very few companies value a generalist, even though generalists are often the centre of innovation in the way things can be done. Most job adverts specify such specialised skill sets that even specialists have trouble meeting them. Very few ads explicitly target generalists, so few people want to become one (or admit to being one). To me, this is part of the short term business outlook that means companies prefer to ship in new staff from overseas than train in-house staff who have valuable busines knowledge. I guess (for now) that's life.
Original author: https://github.com/SQL-FineBuild/Common/wiki/ 1-click install and best practice configuration of SQL Server 2019, 2017 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008 R2, 2008 and 2005.
When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor they call me a communist - Archbishop Hélder Câmara
October 8, 2007 at 5:53 am
I, too, started out on a mainframe and still do a little work there today. Then I was introduced to Windows NT 3.5, networking and SQL 4.2.1. since then there has been ASP, .NET, XML, a smattering of Java, desktop and server setups, various SoftwareAG products (no, not a product plug and I have no financial interest). Not to mention learning obscure details about the businesses I support.
To me the true specialist went out with the old-time IT Ivory Tower, the one where analysts analyzed and programmers never saw the light of day, much less ever communicating with the actual customer (customer refers to internal as well as external consumers of data/information).
The generalists, I believe, are the ones who have the most success in making major deployments because they understand some of the relationships between their SQL world and the operating system, network, firewalls, etc. It is much easier to either request change or identify a problem if you understand something about how technologies outside your primary area affect and are affected by what you are trying to accomplish.
As observed in a previous post, companies do themselves a disservice if they aim primarily at specialists. In the end, the wind up calling for outside help to clean up the mess. And the outside help? Mostly, they are generalists with more background in certain ares than others.
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Buy the ticket, take the ride. -- Hunter S. Thompson
October 8, 2007 at 6:08 am
The fact not so many have joined this debate perhaps is because there are very few generalists, so the silence speak for itself I guess. 🙂
Hanging around my dad’s workshop, building things already at the age of 10, using welding-machines, and other "not so safe" equipment thought me many, many things. I built a car for myself at age 13, including engine, parallel steering and so on being inspired by LEGO. Me and my friends had a lot of fun with it, until we were caught by the cops.
I now realize also by working with computers since 1982, affects how I think about things, working my way through Basic 2, ISAM, DOS, Windows 2, 3, 95, Quick-basic, VB 1, Linux, and with all other names there are.
I am also surprised how narrow many people are in their reasoning, especially in the IT-field, thinking about my earlier posts here on SQL server central. I think this narrow thinking is very unfortunate for the individual. Too many seem more interested in attacking others instead of being interested in understanding others, and willing to look at surprising and sometime uncomfortable information.
October 8, 2007 at 7:04 am
I definitely agree with your bit about learning things in school you never thought you'd need. Just recently I was working on some programming that involved a bit of linear algebra. I only had one class of this in college and have largely forgotten it. But since I was exposed to it I knew just enough to understand my problem better, and more importantly where to look for more help.
October 8, 2007 at 8:24 am
Generalist to specialized generalist ... Mainframe, DEC/PDP, DEC/VAX, BSD Unix, Altair, PC's, Xenix, Client Server. This background has given me the foundations upon which to build my house. I also have one additional 'amazement' about postings - how to get a single quote in a string. My word, I learned that in BAL (IBM Basic Assembler Language) back in 1983. Those quotation rules regarding 'literal' strings work in every language I have used up to the present !
RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."
October 8, 2007 at 8:52 am
I think my generalist mistake in sticking this in the author discussion and not the editorials messed up some of the discussion 😛
How many people know how to redirect output from a command executable? Like DTSRun, SQLCmd, or something else without using a parameter? I'm amazed how many specialists can't do this?
Or that don't realize DTSRun in a SQL Agent job isn't some weird command. It's a command line utility.
October 8, 2007 at 9:04 am
Hey how many people here are really experts in SQL Server? I learn something new everytime I come here. The same can be said of any programming or IT forum I go to. I need specialists to help me be a generalist. I'd rather be a specialist and just have to concentrate on SQL Server, but I have always worked in small shops where I needed to know VB, ASP, .NET, Active Directory, SQL Server, javascript. I tried to specialize, but had to at least be competent to debug and fix porblems from the OS forward. I was always glad there were specialists out there that I can get information from.
Jack Corbett
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October 8, 2007 at 9:07 am
Here's one better:
stdin std.err
RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."
October 8, 2007 at 9:49 am
Yikes, haven't worried about stdin or stdout in years.
I like being a specialist. It's been good to me (and profitable), but it certainly has helped to be a generalist overall and specializing on one area.
October 8, 2007 at 11:14 am
"specialisation is for insects"
I get bored if I stick to one thing for too long. I keep my hobbies varied and try to work on different types of projects when I can. I'm always open to suggestions about new ways to do things, although I wouldn't consider myself an 'early-adopter'. One thing I've learned in the many fields I've worked, is that new stuff isn't always better, but sometimes it really is a lot better and is always worth a try.
So far in my life, I've been: a delivery person, a grocery store manager, construction contractor, chemistry researcher, chemical process tester, water treatment technician, database designer/programmer, Windows Application programmer, web designer, systems engineer, and greenhouse manager. I have a degree in Biology, but have really only used it in a couple of those jobs. My hobbies at the moment are RC airplanes and simple robotics. In past I've also done auto racing, boating, fishing, golfing, singing for tips at bars, playing guitar, flute and piano, and fashion modeling.
I think the wide range of experiences allows me to relate to people in a better way. I'm not an anti-social geek. I don't like sports though, which makes it hard to relate to the guys sometimes...
October 8, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Jasmine D. Adamson (10/8/2007)
"specialisation is for insects"I get bored if I stick to one thing for too long. I keep my hobbies varied and try to work on different types of projects when I can. I'm always open to suggestions about new ways to do things, although I wouldn't consider myself an 'early-adopter'. One thing I've learned in the many fields I've worked, is that new stuff isn't always better, but sometimes it really is a lot better and is always worth a try.
I think the wide range of experiences allows me to relate to people in a better way. I'm not an anti-social geek. I don't like sports though, which makes it hard to relate to the guys sometimes...
I'm definitely a generalist, and I can relate to Jasmine's philosophies. I started out with programming internships and landed in tech support over the phone upon graduation. From there, I moved to "Systems Support Analyst" - which gave me programming, reporting, desktop support, systems administration, and database administration duties. And now, I'm back to where I started - programming 😀 Before all of this, I worked as a pharmacy tech and a babysitter.
I may one day get into specializing, but I find it handy to know a little of everything to get me through things. Like Jasmine said, it allows us to relate to people in a better way.
October 9, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Working for a large (very large) consulting company, the only way to go is as a generalist. In just the past year alone, I have worked on Oracle, DB2 (Mainframe and AIX), and now back to SQL Server. I have no idea what platform my next project may use, but that's where the fun is!!!
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