July 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Can YOU Pick a Good DBA?
I've tried to get off this topic, but I keep getting dragged back in. Our own Tom Yager wrote a few weeks ago about companies not respecting the IT talent they have in-house, and it got me going again.
Here's a quick list of my recent posts that are on the same topic:
Outsourcing IT Staff
Database Apprenticeship
Important Apprenticeships
It is a problem that companies don't recognize their key talent. My last company had several excellent members in their IT staff and systematically dropped each one of them for the cheaper, less experienced models. I think the problem is two-fold. First, companies just don't care. Most companies still view their IT staff with the same eye they use for their janitorial staff. They really don't see the difference. To them, IT is simply a fancy form of record keeping that pretty much anybody could do. One DBA is just as good as the next. And if you get one that's certified, then he's surely better than all the rest. I originally started getting certifications because there were several companies who wouldn't even look at me unless I had the MCDBA after my name. This is a lot like the company about 3yrs ago who wouldn't hire me because my degree was in French linguistics instead of IS. The sad part is the hiring manager wanted me. I outshined every candidate they had, but he couldn't get the company to lift the restriction that every IT job had to have a degree in IS.... umm, OK. I even had those nice little Microsoft letters after my name. Other companies still won't hire you unless you have any kind of college degree. This is the one I'd like someone to explain to me. Like I said, my degree is in French linguistics. Can any of you guess how many times that skillset comes up in my DBA work? Go ahead, take a guess. I have a friend who does very well for himself in IT as a Cisco guy. His degree is actually in horticulture. And yet, he tells me that often times, his degree is the first thing that companies look at.
So it appears that ANY degree is all that most companies need. Because a degree in horticulture certainly means that you're qualified for a Cisco job. Just like French linguistics easily qualifies me for DBA work. This is the same mentality that made them think Michael Brown would be a good choice to lead FEMA. I mean, why not? The guy did after all run horse shows.
OK, getting away from degrees for a minute, let's look at certifications.
I'm going to tell you something that may come as a BIG surprise, but I want you to listen. This is especially for hiring managers and CIOs. Certifications don't mean a thing. In fact, they're practically worthless.
Let me tell you something about the MCDBA cert. It's so incredibly easy to cheat it's not even funny. There are several sites out there where you can download every question on the exam and ace it without any trouble. You don't even have to understand the question. All you have to do is memorize the answers. This is what a lot of MCDBAs have done. Hell, every developer I know has his DBA cert... big deal. They still don't even know the basics. I honestly can't count the number of times someone bragged to me they were certified, and then couldn't even prove the simplest of skills.
Trust me on this one... the only thing a cert means is that the guy had an internet connection and $100 burning a hole in his pocket.
The 2nd part of the problem is that companies don't know how to spot good talent. My last company hired me after what amounted to a very simple, rather pathetic tech screening. It didn't take me long to see that the guy interviewing me really didn't know that much. To him I was the best DBA on the planet, and they pretty much hired me on the spot. The tech screening lasted all of like 10mins and we really only talked about basic backup and restore ops. And the problem is he said I was the only one who answered those question right (that's a topic for another post). The problem here is that these managers simply don't know what makes a good DBA. Actually, a lot of DBAs don't either, but again, that's for another time.
It's not entirely their fault though. They're doing the best they can. They don't know anything about DBs, so how do they pick a good DBA? Think about it... what would you do if you were in charge of hiring a new accounting manager? What questions would you ask, and how would you verify that the answers were even right? Sure, they can sound right on the surface, but how do you know that he has good judgement? Hiring managers have the same problem with hiring IT staff. They have no idea whether or not their candidates really know Cisco or are just fresh out of class. What can they do, look at the resume? What good is that? It's easy to fake a resume, so that doesn't mean anything either. I don't even look at resumes anymore. I just give my candidates a tech screen and that's all I go by. I don't care if their certified, degreed, or have experience on paper. All I care about is whether they know SQL or not.
It's basically those two factors that lead to companies not having any respect for their IT staff's abilities. They consistently fail to recognize where the true talent is, and throw away people who have worked hard for them, and who have concistently produced for them.
This also leads to the next insult bestowed on IT. There's a huge movement for professional development where IT staff is encouraged, and in some cases even required to go back to school and get a business degree. Apparently, we're so useless that we now have to be experts in both business and in IT. And all of this while the business user is allowed to remain as stupid about technology as he likes. I have seen some companies offer computer training for their users, but I've really been hit in the face recently with the real solid push for IT guys to become business people too.
I've been asked easily more than a dozen times how much I know about the business of a prospective company, yet I'm sure it wouldn't go over very well for me to ask a hiring manager how much he knows about SQL because I don't want to be plagued with stupid questions and unreasonable requests. For some reason, it's necessary for me to know the company's business but it's not necessary for them to know mine.
Anyway, I guess what it boils down to is companies really need to start looking at who's important in their IT staff and try to do what it takes to keep them. These are the people who know your business model and the histroy of your servers and applications, and you can't just throw them away for someone cheaper and expect to keep doing business like you have been. Change your mentality about IT. Once you start seeing us as the viable part of the business we are, then you'll not only start keeping us around longer, but you'll start recruiting better talent to begin with.
Good Luck.
Posted by Sean McCown on July 17, 2006 07:42 AM
RATE THIS ARTICLE:
-
- COMMENTS
No arguments here. I have seen most of what you describe outside the Dilbert universe.
As a variation on your theme, some companies move people around into new categories or job functions. These round people, into the square holes. You square guys...you're working on round holes from now on. I have seen this kind of switch amongst DBA and client programmers. You with the 7 years of SQL Server experience; Oracle project for you. Only guy in the company with any .NET experience? Take this nifty little Access job. This is a faster and more systematic way to demoralize someone, as you can then follow up with a lousy performance review.
Posted by: LeeH at July 17, 2006 11:38 AMYeah, Lee... I completely forgot about that angle. I've seen those switches too. How come they never ask us to be CEO. My best one was I was on contract at this place, and they had me in there sweeping the server room for $60/hr. Whatever, it's your dime.
Posted by: Sean McCown at July 17, 2006 11:54 AMAn old friend of mine named Rob Williams has a pretty cool answer to this type of problem. Check out Ontometrics.com.
Posted by: Tim Rohde at July 20, 2006 08:14 AMGreat posts! I 100% agree! However, it's also a BIG problem outside IT. Many companies don't effectively recognize, utilize, or reward their talent in any of their functions. I was in IT for several years and left to go to the "other side": the business user side. Gasp! I have to admit the technical knowledge really comes in handy and I gladly liaison and translate for my coworkers, but I thought I would share with you that I don't feel like the grass is any greener over here...even after I got my MBA.
Posted by: Heather at July 20, 2006 10:38 AMI would like to always recieve the latest updates from you.
Thanks for all the details that you have always provided.
Nice regards from Luke in Uganda.
Posted by: Luke at July 24, 2006 12:30 AMGreat Article.Atleast there is one true DBA like Sean who talks for all DBAS like us. I never claimed to be a great .NET Developer yet I was asked to do Business case requirements and .NET development and other things which are not a package of a DBA's role. Unfortunately the whole performance review structure revolves around the fact whether you can write those apps inspite being DBA. Thats so detrimental to our careers that eventually we become Jack of all trades and a master of none. we neither become good DBAs nor good Business managers nor good .NET Developers. Pretty pathetic when I think about it. Wonder when companies will start seeing the real truth...
Thanks sean. your article is an eye opener.
Best Regards
AK
Posted by: Ankith at July 24, 2006 03:46 PM"Certifications don't mean a thing. In fact, they're practically worthless."
No. Certifications are not worthless. *MCDBA* certifications are worthless, but when you extend that experience to every other certification out there, the only thing you manage to do is show off your own ignorance of what's going on in the field.
On the subject of college degrees: Not everyone needs one, but in my experience as a hiring manager those that do have one tend to be faster at picking up on the theory and are better at critical thinking in general. That's of course a generalization, but when you need to shortlist a pile of CVs, it's statistically one of the better criteria. It should, of course, not be used as a criteria in the home stretch.
Posted by: John at July 25, 2006 12:21 AMVery interesting article Sean and one I can totally relate to. I have gone through my IT life learning by doing (with a bit of reading). I am currently in the process of getting my MCDBA..and that is only because companies will not look at you unless you have it. I know a number of MCDBAs who I would consider unfit to manage a production environment...but they've got jobs purely on their certification and lucky interviews.
I also agree about the point of hanging onto established staff who know the system. It seems businesses still have a way to go in understanding the nature of IT work and the value of experience over bits of paper...that's life I guess.
Graeme
Posted by: Big G at July 25, 2006 01:53 AMJust to be a devil's advocate, IMHO, it is important for IT people to have a business perspective. When IT works on smug island, it has been my experience that nothing useful to the business develops.
Conversely, it is important for business people to gain an IT perspective. This allows for more realistic expectations and a better grip on project and system maintenance costs.
So, a modicum of knowledge in the opposite discipline is really necessary to work effectively. That said, requiring a business degree for IT folks is going way overboard, especially when business folks are not likewise required to gain an IT degree.
Posted by: d fitz at July 25, 2006 07:05 AMI feel like I learn a little something every time I take a cert test. Of course, much of that knowledge goes away over time as you may or may not use that new feature you've just been tested on, but still, I think the exercise of studying, and sometimes memorizing, answers to certification tests is beneficial. Every now and then I actually use something I learned from studing for the test.
Posted by: Joseph LeMay at July 26, 2006 10:58 AMIt's been my experience that if an IT employee knows about their company's business (not necessarily about all business in general), their job takes on a new significance. It helped me connect the work I was doing to how it actually benefitted the other employees ability to make better sales forcasts, or save and analyze the results of their QA tests. I must admit I was fortunate in the environment I got my start in. The IT managers I worked with were great. They knew how their efforts supported users (engineers, lab techs, sales, order entry, etc.) and helped me to learn that too. You don't (shouldn't) need a degree to learn that.
Posted by: Mark T at July 27, 2006 10:57 AMAs someone new to IT I'd like to put my 2 cents in. I recently got my MCDBA and found it to be very helpful. Being relatively green, I had to spend many hours in front of a computer learning the ins and outs of SQL Server and Windows Server (2000 in both cases). I found that it was a really good way to ramp my knowledge up quickly and the certification was a nice way of proving my knowledge to my employer. Sure, not everyone will pursue the path I did and many people will cheat - but I also had many friends in college who paid to have their papers written - so should we write off every person who earns the degree one of these people did? Should we write off every college grad with an IT degree because someone was weak enough to hound people on the various help groups (i.e., Tek-tips, Usenet) for answers to their homework? Some people will always take the easy way out, and that's just the way it is. To me, it's a personal choice and I can sleep a lot better knowing that I earned what I have instead of cheating my way to it.
Posted by: Rufus B at July 27, 2006 11:48 AMHi this article is the true reflection of the industry. In my present company i am totally frustated . First they failed to realize that i am fresh out of college and what good i will do serving as DB2 DBA.Second , in one year i have learnt so much that now i am in competition with my team lead.Third i am wondering if i can get into a new firm with a different profile atleast not into support because i have realized that good DBAs are very few, rest wld just hang around and get the experience.Well life just gets harder.
Posted by: bhardwaj at October 6, 2006 04:21 AMhi
how to take backup using RMAN and recovery in oracle 9i
TOP STORIES
Hyperconnected users growingSteve Jobs to keynote WWDC
CSC settles kickbacks case
MS previews SMB software
What does HP-EDS really mean?
Mac Office 2008 SP1 released
HP buys EDS for $13.9 billion
Corporate IT spending slows
MS targets smartphone market
Sun to clarify JavaFX plan
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Application Security: Threats and How to Counter Them
- Why Linux Threats Mean Business
- Virtualization: A Step by Step Approach to Success
- Is your smaller organization ready for High Availability?
- Is system maintenance doing more harm than good?
- Virtual Test Lab Automation: Manage development infrastructure
