Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Barendd Nobeard" data-source="post: 2727905" data-attributes="member: 960">I said so.   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> Now, to reduce my FQ (Flippancy Quotient) and give you a real answer.  You really don't need to pick Oracle.  (But if you want big databases, Oracle's where to specialize.  And Oracle on Unix just rocks.)What you really should do, however, is learn Oracle + become a top notch Oracle DBA guru (you will know you've made it when you are asked to join the Oak Table) and then learn other databases (while keeping current with Oracle products).  You will be able to give clients what they really need, instead of just pushing one product line.  That's the problem today--most people push one (Oracle! Oracle ! Oracle!) or the other (SQL Server! SQL Server! SQL Server!) or the other (Ingres! Ingres! Ingres!).  But you don't need Oracle to run a building security database (10 users and a database of < 1000 people who use the building).  And you can't use SQL Server to run eBay.  Even a huge IT shop might have needs for very small databases that make Oracle less cost-effective as a solution.  But if you need something that must scale up to really big sizes, go Oracle.A word about certification:  Ick.  HR departments love certifications.  And some (most?) managers love certifications.  Real DBAs don't, because they realize that they don't mean anything.  We've all had to deal with "experts" who were certified in some product--only to discover that they didn't know what they were doing.  Certifications exist for one reason--to make a company some money.  Do you think Oracle will "sell" more certifications if people can't pass the tests easily?  Yes, this is a loaded question.Sometimes, you can't ever appease the PHB (hence, the Dilbert publishing empire).  I have seen really great people in IT get screwed by managers who had some other agenda besides doing what's best for the organization.  The best way to appease a PHB is to kiss its ass and make it (the PHB) look good.As a DBA, the best thing you can do for the organization is to bring up technical issues and back up your answers / suggestions / technical policies / recommendations with solid research.  And document, document, document.  This not only helps the organization when you leave (or are on vacation, etc.), but it's also a great C.Y.A.  Just like a financial transaction, get everything in writing.  (Like the "Get out of Jail free" card the Presidential advisor waves in Harrison Ford's face at the end of Clear and Present Danger).  If management asks you to do something really assinine, you can (1) do it, (2) do a "end run" to their higher-ups stating the dangers, or (3) smile politely and say, "Put that request in writing and I'll do it."  Or some combination of all three.  Each have their advantages and disadvantages.  It's your judgment call and the more experience you have, the better your judgments will probably be.It would be nice to have good DBAs in management; maybe that would help change some of that bad "culture" a bit (at least in places where it needs changing). <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />As for not being a PHB: we thank you for that!  I have to supervise three people (in addition to my DBA work).  And I work to make sure I'm not straying too close to PHB territory!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  I'm very lucky, because the three people I supervise are really good, so it's not too difficult. And the other two supervisors in my area help out (we give each other reality checks if we're acting stupidly).You are very welcome.  If you want anymore information, you can email me or PM me via EN World. Or just post here; I will try to check as the thread progresses....In sum, it's a great job.  But, like any job, the shop you do it in can make a world of difference!</blockquote>

Verification