If you have been following this blog or my Twitter account long enough you are aware of the Apprentice.
I started teaching him SQL Server Database Administration a few hours a week back in January 2017. Literally, starting with “What is a database?”
Much of the material and ideas have now turned into SQL Saturday presentations all over the US, or YouTube videos.
In May of 2018, I hired the Apprentice as a part-time Junior DBA, and handed him 4 entry-level clients. These typically require no more than 15 minutes a day, but for him early on, each was an hour. Different monitoring tools, different scripts, different VPNs, etc. One has only 2 servers, others 20 or more between on-prem and Azure. One has a failover cluster, replication and a huge Integration Services deployment.
He’s handled it all like a champ. Knows the basics inside and out, and escalates to me with questions.
Fun stuff that happened in 2018:
- Multiple SQL user group events
- SQL Saturday Dallas – he helped run the Dallas DBAs booth
- Got a 10% year-end bonus
- LOTS of prep for test 70-462
- Wrote a blog post
- Had his first ever performance review
Goals and fun things for 2019:
- Goal: Increase to 4 hours a day (need a new 2-hours/day client…anyone??)
- Goal: Show up on time every day (12:30 pm)
- Goal: Pass 70-462, and start working on 70-764/765 to get his MCSA
- Fun: Travel to a SQL Saturday and co-present a pre-con and/or regular session
- Fun: Blog something
- Fun: Get a raise
- Fun: Help find the next apprentice
Feel free to drop a comment of encouragement or stalk him on Twitter!
Thanks for reading!
