Re: It takes all kinds...

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rgaffuri_at_cox.net said...
> dont know if anyone else has noticed this, but until you reach the
> 7-10 year mark or more salaries are based more on years of experience
> than quality of work. Has anyone else noticed this? Happens more with
> recruiters than straight with HR, but its happened to me with HR. More
> and more companies retain recruiters too.

My situation is NOT typical so YMMV -- when I reached the 40 years of experience mark, my salary went down. Of course, it was by my choice. But I know a couple of other "retired" DBAs who also work for peanuts. Hey, somebody's gotta take all those jobs away from the more deserving young people! <g>

> its even more so in contracting where salary is almost directly tied
> to years of experience. Job offers are often far more based on
> experience than a good technical interview as well.

In a past lifetime (it seems, since it was a very long time ago), I was turned down for a consulting assignment because I didn't earn enuf by the hiring company's standards (they said I couldn't be any good if my hourly rate was so low). It gave me and the consulting firm for which I worked a chuckle.

> your degree seems to matter alot also. My lack of Computer Science
> degree has lowered offers to me by as much as $10k in some places.
> Also ive noticed people can get paid more(though not every time) if
> they are certified or if they have Oracle on their resumes.

I also don't have a degree (at least, not in IT). However, would it really matter? I don't have any proof, but I get the feeling that the IT world has changed a wee bit since the 1950s when I would have received that degree. Companies tend to discount all the self-education and Oracle classes I've taken since then. My first computer job was with an ancient beast ... which ran on vacuum tubes instead of transistors.

> however, experience seems to be the #1 factor, not skill. Yes, I know
> YOUR company may not do that, but alot of companies do.

Well, my company used to be about 3 times its current size. It's called downsizing. And for the life of me, I can't figure out the logic in who they let go and who they kept ... least of all me (other than the fact that I work really cheap). Some were experienced, some held advanced degrees, some were quite skilled, some were cheap, some were expensive.

Just when you think you've figured out what makes one person more employable than another, some manager pulls a stunt that makes you scratch your head.

-- 
/Karsten
DBA > retired > DBA