RE: DBA - Job boundaries & perks

Thanks for your post Rachel... it's helping me to re-acquire perspective... ONCE AGAIN! Basically I conclude that all stress is self-imposed. Sure, the bozo's at work sometimes make my life more difficult than it should be but how I react is completely under my control.

The ultimate job boundary is between work and home so I curse the bozo's at work while driving home during the commute. Before I cross the mote into my castle I forgive them in my heart and then, as I raise the drawbridge and enter my personal sanctuary, I forget about them, my kids come to greet me and all is well with my soul. When the phone rings we let the royal attendant, i,e., the answering machine do its job. If the pager chimes in I check to see if anything is really threatening the bozo fiefdom. On the rare occasions when the vandals are actually pounding at the gates, I say a quick prayer, donne the protective armour, mount my steed and charge out to slay the dragon. After an arduous yet victorious battle I return to my humble little kingdom for another refreshing of the spirits. ;-) The kingdoms of this world may be a strong, powerful, and great economic force, but my humble kingdom at home is much more valuable.

Peace on Earth to All Men and Women of Good Will.

Glad Tidings and Good Cheer,
Steve Orr

-----Original Message-----
From: root_at_fatcity.com [mailto:root_at_fatcity.com]On Behalf Of Rachel Carmichael
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 6:45 PM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L Subject: Re: DBA - Job boundaries & perks

Sean,

Great question, especially since I was nagging, er, lecturing, er, discussing this same point with a friend just last night (he knows who he is)

And the answer is, as with everything Oracle, "it depends".

Depends on:

1. your internal sense of responsibility
2. your tolerance for guilt (internally or externally generated)
3. your belief that the company will fall apart if you don't do everything everyone asks immediately
4. whether or not you are getting paid by the hour
5. how sure you are of yourself and your ability to get another job

for me, I have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility, a Jewish mother so I guilt very easily. I know, as another friend has told me, that there is only one DBA job in the world and I have it, and if I don't do everything that everyone wants, they'll get rid of me.

Seriously.... you say "I'm going home". You remind yourself that the world will not end if something is done tomorrow, not today. You get them to get you other people so you can take turns being on call.

And you remember that if you should get hit by a truck, the company will survive.

>From: "O'Neill, Sean" <Sean.ONeill_at_organon.ie>
>Reply-To: ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com
>To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com>
>Subject: DBA - Job boundaries & perks
>Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 08:39:09 -0800
>
>How do you protect your "private life" time from your role of DBA?. Do you
>have formalised detailed job contracts with your employer covering such
>issues?. What perks/incentives do you receive for going that bit extra or
>being on call "just in case". Do you get to take your holidays or is that
a
>ficticious clause in your job contract?. It seems to be that DBA's are
>expected to "be there" whenever required, but heck there is life outside
>Oracle DBAing (for some of us at least I hope!). I'm not griping here, as
I
>know there is usually satisifaction in resolving problems and recovering
the
>database if required yada yada yada.
>
>Sean :)
>
>Rookie Data Base Administrator
>[0%] OCP Oracle8 DBA
>[0%] OCP Oracle8i DBA
>[0%] OCP Oracle9i DBA
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>Organon (Ireland) Ltd.
>E-mail: sean.oneill_at_organon.ie [subscribed: Digest Mode]
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>
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Received on Thu Dec 21 2000 - 11:23:32 CST