The old IT conundrum (how do I get from here to there)

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The old IT conundrum (how do I get from here to there)

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mcook115 SSC Rookie Points: 37 More actions · Answer 1

Well, I just walked up to the director and made some small talk, then:

"So, what do you guys look for when you want to bring someone onto the team?"

"Basically, 3 to 5yrs experience or a certification"

"Certifications pull that much weight around here"

"Somewhat, if a guy has the cert with little training, we can train him the way we like. Some guys don't like learning new ways of doing things"

I don't know if it's like that in other shops, but that's very promising for someone with little experience (like me)

Matt Miller (4) SSC Guru Points: 124210 More actions · Answer 2

Then - focus on getting the cert, and then perhaps ask him what kinds of things you should focus on (there are several "kinds" of DBA's and not every shop is the same): should you bone up on administrative stuff? Should you focus on performance improvement? Do you really need to focus on maintenance aspects, or writing stored procs?

And - work on those areas while you wait for a position to open up...

good Luck!

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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?

Brandie Tarvin SSC Guru Points: 173068 More actions · Answer 3

That's a promising conversation indeed! And I completely agree with Matt. Find out what sort of stuff their DBAs do.

Regardless, you'll still want to learn Security (BIG ISSUE no matter what type of DBA you are). Also, you might consider learning a little bit about Active Directory and how it interacts with SQL Server. It's not a "must" for being a DBA, but knowing the basics of AD has saved my bacon several times when other people have been floundering around trying to figure out why SQL Server is doing X instead of Y.

Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

mcook115 SSC Rookie Points: 37 More actions · Answer 4

Thanks guy. I work with AD quite a bit now, mostly with group policy.

I'll keep you updated.

EdVassie SSC Guru Points: 60472 More actions · Answer 5

Some people suggested buying SQL Developer Edition. If you have the cash, get a TechNet Plus subscript (about USD $350). I have this, and it gives you all the MS server software (apart from Datacenter Edition) and MS Office.

At home I run multiple W2003 EE partitions with SQL 2005 EE. This gives you a more sophisticated environment than running on SQL XP or Vista.

For fun, TechNet has also provided the Vista Ultimate & Office 2007 Ultimate partition I run on my 64-bit box. (PS Vista can be fast... running it on a 4GB 2 x Xeon5148 2.3 GHz CPU 64-bit box is as good as XP on a 1.5 GB single AMD xp2200 (1.8 GHz) 32-bit box. No worries!)

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