Re: Are Oracle DBAs trivialized?

"HF" <h.frisch_at_uq.edu.au> writes:

> I am a new DBA and still in training, however my company pays for all my
> training and ensure i have enough time in a day to learn. It is an
> expectation that all dba's senior and junior thake the time to do at least
> an hour a day of reserach/training to keep them up to date and continually
> improving their skills. Is it the fault of an overworked DBA who doesnt get
> the time in work hours for training so that they can do their job better.
> Why should it be an expectation that a DBA must do addition hours at home so
> that he can do his job better for his disgruntle employer, who makes no
> effort in looking after his employees. At what point did work become part of
> the home life?
>

Work has been part of the 'home life' for a long long time. I think that if you want to reach the same level of 'professional' clasification as medical doctors/specialists, barristers/lawyers, architects etc, then there is an expectation of some personal professional development. If on the other hand you want to look at professionalism in the vain of plumbers, carpenters, middle managers etc, then there may be less requirement to do as much 'at home' learning - but then again, the rate of change in these professions tends to be a lot slower than in IT. However, what really frustrates me is the fact too many employers seem to want professionals in the vain of Barristers and doctors, but only want to pay the salary of middle managers or less!

I guess it all depends on what you want to aim at and what really matters to you. I do feel there is too much of a trend towards longer work hours and too much encroachment on our personal lives by our professional lives and employers are all too often expecting too much - I guess its all about what the market will bare!

-- 
Tim Cross
The e-mail address on this message is FALSE (obviously!). My real e-mail is
to a company in Australia called rapttech and my login is tcross - if you 
really need to send mail, you should be able to work it out!