Re: Can I, too, become an overpaid Oracle DBA (reissued in English)

Hi,

Over the past few weeks, I have basted myself in Hotsos: "Method R", the profiler and the whole nine yards. I've uploaded a trace file to their website, and used the profiler report to pinpoint and optimize processes. Along the way, I've stumbled across evidence that makes me question if I should bill my clients $550 US / hour, rather than the 1/10th or thereabouts (depends on the current US/CAD exchange rate) I currently bill.

Let me explain ...

I have almost 25 years of experience in the computer field. It all started in 1981 with a 6502 assembler and lots of late nights throughout high school.

In 1989, I got my start with Oracle developing the prototype for "Oracle Spatial" on a "borrowed" Microvax II at a research center in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. (See
http://www.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/review/1996/Forbes/Forbes_e.html for more information.)

A few years later, I learned C++ and wrote Truetype Explorer (http://www.unicode.org/onlinedat/resources.html). My most recent project was a reincarnation of a portion of Oracle's spatial engine written in Java. It is currently hosted at (http://216.58.12.214) and cranks out Canada road maps in a vector format (they're the most accurate available anywhere, but quite ugly to view).

Since 1998, I have worked as a consultant with a large brokerage house in Toronto. During my stay, I have programmed in PRO*C and PL/SQL, did analysis, testing and everything else short of project mgmt. I also do some DBA work now and then (my current task is to evaluate Hotsos' and their method).

Which gets me back to my original question:

While reading about Hotsos, I got onto threads about Cary Millsap which begat Tom Kyte. I soon realized much of what I knew about Oracle performance tuning was flat wrong. Humbling. I then stumbled across this article

http://asktom.oracle.com/pls/ask/f?p=4950:8:::::F4950_P8_DISPLAYID:38264759390157

Which begat Mike Ault and Don Burleson. I visited their web site, and felt comfortable again: they spoke of Oracle tuning as I remembered it before Cary & Tom. Then I saw Don's billing rate: $550 / hour.

So, perhaps Mike and Don are the nicest guys and treat their clients nicely, but I do that too. And, at Don's insistence, I can wear a suit and comb my hair, ride a horse, etc.

So, is there some reason why I, too, can't command $550 / hour ?

Seriously, I notice that when someone is some combination of DBA / Oracle / Expert / consultant (or all four) their billing rate goes through the roof. And if they've written a book, their rate goes up even more. It's like putting a rocket under your bank balance and lighting the wick.

Am I selling myself short?

Thankyou

Kevin
Aspiring to become an "Expert Oracle DBA Consultant"[:delete:] and author" Received on Mon Apr 25 2005 - 22:58:53 CDT