How to Become a Database Administrator
Want to become a SQL Server DBA? It’s a great career path and I recommend it highly. I’ve gathered some of my more popular blog posts here about how to get started:
SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled
SQL Server Training Books and Tutorials We Recommend
- Recommended Books for DBAs and Developers – the books that should be on your shopping list.
- Free SQL Server Training Videos – podcasts, webcasts and videos you can get for free.
- SQL Server Compliance Guide – this ebook from Microsoft teaches you about PCI/HIPAA/SOX compliance issues that many DBAs face. Even if you don’t work in a big shop like that now, you can still learn a lot from this very well-written whitepaper.
- Primary Keys and Indexes – I explain these using a phone book as an example.
- Browse All Posts Tagged with “SQL Server Training”
How to Become a SQL Server DBA
- Should I Specialize? – lots of readers commented on this article about whether you should learn a lot of things, or just a few.
- Certifications Are the Icing on the Cake – wondering whether or not you should get a certification?
- Development DBA or Production DBA? – job duties are different for these two DBA roles. Developers become one kind of DBA, and network administrators or sysadmins become a different kind. I explain why.
- Take Ownership of Your Career – feel like you’re being treated unfairly by management? Read this.
- What Should DBAs Learn in Their Spare Time? – how to prioritize what you need to learn at different points in your career.
- Tom LaRock’s “How to Get a Job as a DBA”
Soft Skills for SQL Server Database Administrators
- Eight DBAs Talk About Their Jobs – I got interviewed by Odin Jobs on why DBA careers rock.
- Meeting Other SQL DBAs with Twitter – a social networking tool that helps you meet other SQL Server experts and see what they’re working on.
- Be the Porsche of Job Candidates – you don’t have to have an online presence to get a job – but it really helps differentiate you from everybody else.
- How to Become an MVP – wanna become a Microsoft MVP? This quiz will show if you’ve got what it takes.
How to Get a Telecommuting Job
We’ve been telecommuting off and on since 2000, and Brent’s amassed a lot of tips and tricks along the way:
- How to Get a Telecommuting Job – first hint: look in cities with high costs of living where employees are expensive.
- How Telecommuters Stay Motivated – put the TV remote down and learn how to focus.
- How to Write a Telecommuting Status Report – show managers that you’re making progress and staying busy.
- How to Get Things Done while Telecommuting – I’m a big fan of David Allen’s tricks on how to stay productive.
