What’s Next?

What’s Next?

Over the last 15+ years as I’ve learnt more and more about SQL Server, I have come to realise how much I love working with it. The more I dig into it, the more I see a need for companies to understand how to keep their data secure, how to keep it available, and how to make it accessible. I enjoy working with Developers to come up with creative solutions to make applications run faster. I like working with storage and infrastructure people to make the data highly available.

And from spending a bit more time on this blog over the last year, I also have discovered that I enjoy explaining concepts to others. I’m not sure if I do it well, but it’s something that I want to learn to do better. It hasn’t always gone brilliantly, but I’m excited to try it again and again, and to hopefully build something in the future that others can use to learn from.

I currently have a full time job I enjoy as a Developer which also encompasses being the DBA for our company. My job regularly has new technical challenges to contend with. I enjoy having a deep knowledge of the business that I working for, to really understand all of the parts of the problem, the competing requirements that people want implemented, and being able to come up with creative solutions to try and make systems better for everyone. I’m listened to when I have ideas, I’m in a position to implement change.

I like being able to regularly get alongside younger developers, to help them work out solutions to problems. There is something highly addictive about seeing when someone gets a concept for the first time. I want to do that more.

Additionally, in the present world climate, with COVID forcing companies to close doors and lay people off, I am thankful for the stability of my current job. I love the certainty of being paid every week, the ease of budgeting when I know how much I’ll earn this month. With the pressure of supporting a young family, putting a roof over our heads, food in our mouths. As I see so many people being laid off around the world, it reminds me of how lucky I am to have the job I have.

I really do enjoy my current job.

But being employed as a developer and doing DBA work on the side also means I don’t get to have as much time with the database as I would like. There is a long laundry list of things that I know need fixing, but just aren’t a priority. There are parts of my job that I don’t want to be involved in, but are more important to the business. I’m not good at UI development, and I don’t enjoy it, but it’s something my job requires me to do.

I know that at some point I’ll need to ask the question: do I want to do this job until I retire?

In 2018, I was fortunate enough to go to the SQL Intersections conference (back in the days when travelling was a thing). I was excited by new things coming out in SQL 2019 that Bob Ward spoke of. But I was equally amazed at how important it is to get the basics right: a day with Brent Ozar explaining what you can do with indexes; a day with Paul Randal explaining wait stats and SQL internals; Erin Stellato telling me about Query Store; Jonathan Kehayias showing some really simple fixes; Kim Tripp explaining to me why I don’t need partitioning and how to know when I will need it; Tim Chapman telling me when to use ColumnStore; and Aaron Bertrand telling me simple things about dates.

And that’s just the formal training sessions. Long chats with Kevin Kline; lunch with Ben Miller; meeting and chatting with other attendees at SQL After Dark; and the highly enjoyable SQL Q&A (with Brent and Paul timing Kim’s short answers); all of those moments had opportunities to learn, but also to share back from my own experience.

And while most of those people probably don’t remember me or the conversations we had, they have had a huge impact on me – not just because of their training sessions. They have enabled me to think in new ways. That week opened my mind and made me realise that I wanted to learn more. But it also made me realise that I have something to share. My experience is unique, my story is different to theirs, and my (limited) knowledge and experience is valuable to others.

So the question right at the top, What’s Next? Where to from here? Where do I see myself in 10 years? 20 years? What should I do with this blog? Should I stay with my current employer? If not, how do I get to the next place? Do I want to be my own boss? I don’t know the answers. Paul Randal has put a call out for people who’d like his advice, and when anyone you respect offers advice, it would be mental to ignore. So I’m throwing my hat into the ring to be mentored by Paul. I’d love to hear his thoughts. I know that he can’t answer the question of what’s best for me, but maybe he can help me work out what I want to do, and provide some insight on how to get there.