One of the things I’ve blogged quite a bit about is what makes a good Sr. DBA.  Well, forget that for now.  What I wanna talk about this time is what makes a good Jr. or Mid DBA.

Not that anyone really works their way up anymore, but I’m going to talk about it anyway.  In my estimation, a good Jr. basically shuts up and does what he’s told.  I know that sounds harsh, but at this stage your job is to learn and do the grunt work nobody else wants to do.  This is how you learn the basics.  Don’t expect us to include you in on intricate HA/DR discussions, or in advanced security meetings, but also don’t expect us to give users readonly access to the DB either.  It’s not like we’re really above it, but we know how to do that stuff.  I remember when I started, I was definitely a Jr. and I loaded flatfiles with BCP almost exclusively for about a year.  I learned all about how to check files for dupes, and about PK violations, and about non-logged ops, etc.  The funny thing is, I was never bored with it… not even for a second.  I always found it interesting the different ways people found to mess up flatfiles, and controlling the logging, and back then the files didn’t autogrow so I learned all about file size management, and all kinds of things.  So if you pick the right beginning, it can teach you all kinds of things you need to know.  And if you’re in the hands of someone who knows how to guide you then you’ll definitely learn what you need to know.  And I”m not meaning to come off like a conceited jerk.  If you’re a true Jr. then you’ve got a lot to learn, and free thought isn’t what’s required.  You’re supposed to learn.  Keep your mouth closed and your ears open and practice-practice-practice.

Now as a mid, you’re kind of in between so you’ve got a foot in both camps.  You’ve also got a lot of learning to do, but at the same time I expect you to be coming to the table with more ideas.  Your job is to expand your horizons and step out and learn a lot on your own, and not only suggest things for you shop, but maybe even surprise me with a couple mock-ups for pet projects you’ve taken on to make something better.  That project can be anything from a management website, so a set of SSRS reports for something we need, or maybe put a cube around some of the metrics we’re recording, or something.  My point is that your job is to really start learning how to think like someone who wants to lead the shop one day and you’ll never do that unless you practice it.  Being a leader doesn’t come over night and neither does coming up with solutions.  And I did say leader, cause there’s a big difference between a manager and a leader.  You don’t care much about being a manager, but you do want to be a leader.  And to be a leader, people have to follow you, and nobody will ever follow you if you don’t know what you’re doing.  And once again, if you have a good Sr. he’ll know how to take you to that next level.  At this point it’s all about being challenged.  You’re learning how to lead people, and how to lead an entire company into their database future.

There’s one more thing I wanna throw out there for you… Winners want the ball.  So when the boss is handing out projects, raise your hand… esp for the ones that are slightly above you.  Get out of your comfort zone and force yourself to learn something under fire.  Sure, go to the other guys for help if you get stuck.  That’s what they’re there for.  But try something on your own that you haven’t done before.  It’s the only way you’ll really learn.