Re: Entry Level Programmer Wanted

In article <69r92s$m50$1_at_mainsrv.main.nc.us>, <scott_at_softbase.com> wrote:
>Garrison K. Foshee (garryf_at_nettally.com) wrote:
>> The requirements for the job are C/C++, Oracle, SQL Server
>> or equivalent.
>
>"Or equivalent"? I've found radical differences between SQL Server,
>Oracle, and other databases like DB2, Sybase, etc. Skills honed for
>one don't necessarily apply to the other! Particularly at the C API
>and call level. A recent college graduate would probably appreciate
>the problems even less than someone experienced. (I can
>see an interviewer asking, "which one doesn't have row-level
>locking, and why is that a bad thing?".)

Of course there are radical differences, but couldn't someone who's sloughed through one work their way through another? You just have to adjust your expectations that the person will have a learning curve. It's not anywhere near as steep as the first time. It's only the details that don't transfer, the skills may (although some skills may be a negative across databases, particularly doing everything manually, certain dba functions especially). I've found working on different db's really gives depth to ones view of how things should be. A manager should try to get workers with a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

Try training a COBOL person on an RDBMS, and you might appreciate how nice it is to at least come from a common theory.

>
>Scott
>--
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