Re: DBA Skill tree
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 2009 12:28:18 -0400
Message-ID: <a8fc8d940904030928h2e09700dib43bb486b55d6e1e_at_mail.gmail.com>
Hi All:
That's a good point, that is, all that experience or certifications do is provide evidence of expertise. This evidence can then be shown to be accurate (or inaccurate) by interviewing the candidate and, assuming the interview is successful, hiring the candidate and reviewing their work over time.
Personally, I think its a matter of looking at a combination of experience, education and certifications to determine good candidates to interview and then asking the same set of detailed, technical questions of all candidates to be able to compare skill sets. However, the proof is always 6 months after the person is hired and you see how they recover a corrupt database!
I have also seen several exceptions to any rule: I recall the traffic on this list many years ago ridiculing a candidate who said the equivalent of "5 years' experience with 11g" today and one of the best Pro*C-PL/SQL Developers I ever worked with was handed the version 6 SQL Language Reference when he boarded the plane in India and came off the plane an expert (I found this out years later, when I saw the person at another place that he'd never seen Oracle before he read that book on the plane!).
Just my $.01,
Jonathan
On Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 12:14 PM, Bobak, Mark <Mark.Bobak_at_proquest.com>wrote:
> Ok, fair enough. It’s probably more accurate to say “competency”.
>
>
>
> -Mark
>
>
>
> *From:* Dan Norris [mailto:dannorris_at_dannorris.com]
> *Sent:* Friday, April 03, 2009 12:08 PM
> *To:* Bobak, Mark
> *Cc:* kerry.osborne_at_enkitec.com; Oracle L
> *Subject:* Re: DBA Skill tree
>
>
>
> I'd again have to disagree on using experience as a measuring tool of
> anything. I think instead of experience, you mean proficiency or competency
> (hope I'm not putting words into your keyboard). I'm sure we can all think
> of people we've known or worked with in the past that were "experienced" but
> not competent to perform the tasks that were part of their job. At least I
> can. Part of my work is made possible by those fine individuals :).
>
> Dan
>
> Bobak, Mark wrote:
>
> Going along w/ Kerry’s comments about a certain threshold of experience
> being important, it seems to me, the best people are the ones who have at
> least some level of experience as C programmers and unix admins **before**
> entering the DBA arena.
>
>
>
> Honestly, if someone asked me the required skills to be a great DBA,
> they’d be:
>
> Good solid understanding of algorithms and data structures
>
> 3-5 years experience as a C programmer
>
> 3-5 years experience doing unix admin
>
> 2-3 years doing storage admin
>
> 2-3 years doing Oracle development (SQL, PL/SQL, Pro*C, Java, etc)
>
>
>
> If someone starts with that base of experience, and can manage to enter the
> DBA field and still be curious and interested in learning, they’ll soar to
> the top in no time. Then, it becomes a matter of staying there. Staying
> engaged, interested, and ready to learn more. Cause you know the next
> Oracle release is always around the corner, and ready to unleash a bunch of
> new features.
>
>
>
> -Mark
>
>
>
-- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-lReceived on Fri Apr 03 2009 - 11:28:18 CDT