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Professional Development

Don't get candidates from TempDB

Who’s Hiring Database People? May 2026 Edition

Last Updated January 15, 2026

Is your company hiring for a database position as of May 2026? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a link to the full job…

Who’s Hiring Database People? April 2026 Edition

Last Updated January 15, 2026

Is your company hiring for a database position as of April 2026? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a link to the full job…

I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT ... actually I'm going to keep taking it because I get paid to take it

Who’s Hiring Database People? March 2026 Edition

Last Updated March 2, 2026

Is your company hiring for a database position as of March 2026? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a link to the full job…

Home office setup, circa Jan 2026

I’ve Been Using Macs for 20 Years. Here’s What You Wanted to Know.

Last Updated March 2, 2026

tl;dr – It’s easier because I’ve always chosen to run SQL Server VMs, so it was easier for me to switch than you might expect – but if you’re a Microsoft IT pro, I don’t recommend switching. Now for the long version. About 20 years ago, back in 2006, I excitedly blogged that my boss…

Consultant poll results

The Tech Consulting Market Isn’t Looking Good.

Last Updated February 27, 2026

After hearing the same dire news from several of my consulting friends, I put a poll up on LinkedIn: About half of the consultants out there are having a tougher time bringing in new clients than they have in the past. There are a couple things to keep in mind about the numbers. First, some…

You probably don't wanna hire these two.

I Don’t Take Private Questions at Pre-Conference Classes.

Last Updated February 16, 2026

Writing and Presenting

When I first started teaching database sessions at conferences, I noticed a pattern. When I finished the session, closed PowerPoint, and thanked everyone for attending, a big queue of attendees would instantly start forming at the podium. People would line up to ask private questions, one at a time. And simultaneously, a small audience would…

Who’s Hiring Database People? February 2026 Edition

Last Updated January 15, 2026

Is your company hiring for a database position as of February 2026? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a link to the full job…

Salaries for employed DBAs in the US

Announcing the 2026 Data Professional Salary Survey Results, And They’re Great!

Last Updated January 13, 2026

The results are in! You can download the raw data in Excel for all 10 years and do some slicing and dicing to find out whether you’re underpaid, overpaid, or what it looks like for folks who are out there looking for work. This year, I added a couple of new items to the survey…

WHO IS THIS JASON AND WHY IS HE IN MY TABLES

New Year’s Task: Quick, Easy Prep for a Raise

Last Updated December 31, 2025

Professional Development, sp_Blitz

You’re busy, so I’ll keep this short. Several months from now, you’re gonna have a salary review. Your manager is going to ask what you’ve been up to, and you’re not going to have a lot of great answers. Copilot isn’t tracking your successes for you. To help Future You™, take a moment to log…

WHO IS THIS JASON AND WHY IS HE IN MY TABLES

Are You Looking for Work? Underpaid? Overpaid? Let’s Find Out.

Last Updated December 7, 2025

Every year, I run a salary survey to help folks have better discussions with their managers about salaries, benefits, and career progression. This year, the survey is for unemployed folks, too! The first question has a new option for “Unemployed (and looking).” Note that if you’re retired, thanks, but you can skip this survey. Congrats…

Unemployed job titles

Thoughts On the Unemployed Salary Survey Responses

Last Updated December 18, 2025

In this year’s data professional salary survey, I added a new response type for folks who are unemployed and looking for data work. The survey is still in progress, but you can view the data as it’s coming in, and I wanted to take a few minutes to read through the responses of folks who…

I'm killing your query.

How’s the Job Market? Let’s Find Out Together.

Last Updated December 7, 2025

Every year, I run a salary survey to help folks have better discussions with their managers about salaries, benefits, and career progression. This year, the survey is for unemployed folks, too! The first question has a new option for “Unemployed (and looking).” Note that if you’re retired, thanks, but you can skip this survey. Congrats…

Who’s Hiring Microsoft Data People? November 2025 Edition

Last Updated September 30, 2025

Is your company hiring for a database position as of November 2025? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. I think YOU should apply. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a…

I'm killing your query.

Who’s Hiring Microsoft Data People? October 2025 Edition

Last Updated September 30, 2025

Is your company hiring for a database position as of October 2025? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. I think YOU should apply. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a…

Home Office Studio Tour

Home Office Studio Tour

Last Updated October 28, 2025

Ever wonder what it takes to do this stuff behind the scenes? I’ll show you. If you’re thinking about getting started with live streaming or training videos, don’t be intimidated by this setup. There’s a lot of gear involved, but it’s because I’ve been doing this for years, and I’ve accumulated a lot of gear…

Who’s Hiring in the Microsoft Database Community? September 2025 Edition

Last Updated June 23, 2025

Is your company hiring for a database position as of September 2025? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a link to the full job…

Who’s Hiring in the Microsoft Database Community? August 2025 Edition

Last Updated June 23, 2025

Is your company hiring for a database position as of August 2025? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a link to the full job…

[Video] Building a Brand By Sharing Your Work

Last Updated July 15, 2025

Professional Development, Videos

You’ve got a good job, and some spare time. You’re thinking about giving back to the community by blogging, presenting, live streaming, or working on Github projects – and you’d like to make your next job search easier. Let’s talk about it. I apologize for the ghosty nature of my video! I was in the…

Job Options

[Video] Job Options: Zooming Out to See the Big Picture

Last Updated June 24, 2025

Professional Development, Videos

One of my readers asked me to give a 30-minute talk to their company’s internal employees discussing the job market at large. The target audience was technical people of all disciplines – not just database administrators, but all kinds of people who worked with technology. My goal with the talk was to help people think…

Don't get candidates from TempDB

Who’s Hiring in the Microsoft Database Community? July 2025 Edition

Last Updated June 23, 2025

Is your company hiring for a database position as of July 2025? Do you wanna work with the kinds of people who read this blog? Let’s make a love connection. If your company is hiring, leave a comment. The rules: Your comment must include the job title, and either a link to the full job…