dreamznatcher wrote:
> On Jun 30, 8:12 pm, DA Morgan <damor..._at_psoug.org> wrote:
>> dreamznatcher wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>> I'm considering a career switch to a more database-related job, but
>>> need help on a few questions and issues. I'm a Computer Engineering
>>> graduate and have always felt most comfortable creating database-
>>> driven applications, preferably for web portals.
>>> [My questions:]
>>> 1. What are the most viable career options for me out there? What
>>> profile do I fit in?
>> You don't fit into any specific hash bucket but rather likely have
>> the ability to morph into whichever one you wish.
>>
>> Rather than approaching it from the standpoint of "I'm a square peg
>> which hole should I put myself in?" Turn it around and say "I am a
>> morphable peg and which hole would I most enjoy being in?"
>>
>>> 2. What is the current job market/salary situation for database
>>> professionals? With my current skills, what kind of job might I end up
>>> with?
>> Best place to look is dice.com, monster.com, hotjobs.com, etc. But
>> the job market today is not the job market of tomorrow. Certainly
>> there are some things that are safer bets than others. One can
>> essentially guarantee Oracle will still be around in 20 years whereas
>> one can be rather certain a large number of products and companies
>> will not be: At least not in their current form.
>>
>>> 3. What are the stuff I should focus/learn to advance my skills
>>> optimally?
>> Depends on what you want to be doing when you are 57 years old. The
>> only correct answer is asking strangers is a sure road to disaster.
>>
>>> 4. And finally, is there any university degree (MS) specializing in
>>> databases anywhere? (I'm also deeply interested in the internal
>>> mechanism/theoretical aspect of databases.)
>> What country? I'm not aware of one in the US but you might want to
>> contact Professor Carl Dudley at University of Wolverhampton with
>> respect to the EU.
>>
>>> _Please read my (following) profile before replying!_
>>> [I'm proficient in: ]
>>> - Oracle (8i, 9i), MySQL (4.1.xx), MS Access
>>> - Have working knowledge of SQL Server 2000
>>> - Intend to learn SQLite and MySQL 5 soon
>>> - HTML, DHTML, CSS
>>> - JS, PHP
>>> - Intend to learn AJAX, JSON, ASP.Net soon
>> To be brutally honest with you ... no you aren't. One of the things
>> that gets me to toss a resume into the discard pile when looking at
>> resumes is a laundry list of technologies so vast no person could
>> possibly be competent in all of them. Above is such a list and not
>> only are you not proficient in all of them neither is anyone else.
>>
>> Lists like this create an immediate negative impression except in
>> HR departments staffed by former shoe salesmen. <g>
>> --
>> Daniel A. Morgan
>> University of Washington
>> damor..._at_x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)
>> Puget Sound Oracle Users Groupwww.psoug.org
>
> Hello everyone,
> (Mr Morgan and rkc on comp.databases.ms-access:)
> I've mailed you about this a little while ago (I actually wanted to
> post it but had clicked on "Reply to author"), but don't want to
> bother you further on this and through your mailbox, so I'm posting
> this here again.
>
> Yes, I am extremely sorry for appearing so naive and having such ill
> taste, but I tried to express my situation as honestly as possible and
> unfortunately that's what I came up with. I do agree with you on the
> use of the word "proficient" -- one truly cannot be that skilled in
> anything these days. All I wanted to say was that I know a bit of
> those stuff, enough to get my work done, and not in standards
> considerably horrible by any means.
>
> I don't claim that I'm bullet-proof in any of the scripting languages
> or web stuff I've mentioned. But I do know that I can conceptualize
> (including front-end design and dealing with constraints and integrity
> issues) complex database-shouldered systems (here's one for you: I
> often fiddle with the idea of creating a singular application that can
> integrate and manage all the possible tasks, divisions and departments
> of an organization on the scale of the EU or UN in their totality)
> pretty fast (fast, e.g. I was working on this project that would
> handle $30M in the national reserve, an application that would reduce
> stagnancy of stored cash in the banking network by branching out to
> web portals that would circulate revenue. The idea is far more
> complicated than can be stated in a few lines, and was slated to be
> reviewed by the Finance Ministry. If anyone of you follow the current
> political scenario of Bangladesh, you'd know drastic political changes
> are going about here, and the project got lost amidst more realistic
> problems in the backdrop of a country where computer literacy accounts
> for less than one percent. Getting back to the time factor, the whole
> thing only took me 2 days to chalk out, including drafting the
> interfaces.) I'm no expert, but whenever I took a database related
> course in my university, literally half of the CSC department would
> crash in to watch the demonstrations. Teachers and students would
> repeatedly inquire about my project throughout the semester, and the
> whole faculty has repeatedly asked me to get serious in this business.
> These are the kind of things that have got me inspired and pushed the
> humble, stupid likes of me far enough to be seeking for your advice.
>
> As I've mentioned, I come from Bangladesh. Lots of problems abound in
> the tech domain here: lack of books and information, near-zero
> advanced expertise in specialized fields, sluggish bandwidth, fund
> crises, lack of support from the government, a dearth of firsts.
> Therefore, questions I might be asking might actually appear more
> stupid in your context than ours.
>
> By posting this post (the original one and this), I didn't and don't
> intend to appear smart, or show off (I very definitely know how
> illiterate I am in this area), or pull anyone's leg, etc. I started it
> because I am just an average mid-career guy who feels he has a knack
> for something and would like to pursue it, despite all odds if
> necessary, and just want to know what the odds are in advance and from
> people who are most certainly more knowledgable than I am.
>
> No offence, and thank you to everyone in all earnest.
> dzn
I'm impressed: If I can help you email me at the university.
--
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)
Puget Sound Oracle Users Group
www.psoug.org
Received on Sat Jun 30 2007 - 18:06:30 CDT
