I get indirectly asked this question all the time… what makes a Sr. DBA? Well, that question is gonna be answered 20 different ways by 10 different DBAs. But here’s my answer.
Aside from whatever specific qualities you assign to what a Sr should look like, here’s a stick you can use to measure yourself. You should be able to meet both of these criteria.
- 1. Are you right most of the time?
- 2. Do you handle your own problems instead of calling daddy?
Ok, let’s talk about #1 first. Nobody is right all the time, but are you right most of the time? When you get on in a crisis, do you diagnose the problem correctly say better than 90% of the time? And do you discover and deduce the problem, or do you just fall into it? Do your users come to you for answers? In other words, have you earned your place as the go-to guy?
Next, how often do you call daddy? If you’re in a shop with an existing Sr. DBA, do you call him when you have a problem or do you research and solve your own issues before getting him involved? It’s always really easy to call the Lead DBA, but it doesn’t teach you anything. And as long as you’re relying on his research skills you’ll never be the go-to guy yourself.
I remember it well. Much longer ago than I care to remember, I asked whatever male figure I had how you know when you’re a man. He told me something that stuck with me all these years. He said, you know you’re a man when you quit calling your parents when you have trouble. And I remember it hit me once when I was driving late at night and got a flat tire. I just got out and changed it and went on my way. And a year ago I would have called my folks to come help me. That was my first hint that I may have crossed into manhood. Because at some point you realize that it’s up to you.
It’s the same in the IT world. You go through these years of learning and then of getting proficient, and at some point it dawns on you that it’s all up to you and only you can solve your problems. You have to be the one to investigate and solve the blocking, or the deadlocks, or the excessive waits, etc.
And that doesn’t mean that you never need any help with anything. Nothing could be further from the truth, but how often do you need that external help?