Not sure if this will be a series, but it could be. Or not. Names may or may not be changed to protect the innocent. Stories may be edited or embellished as I see fit, and for your amusement…
A young person (minor) that is not really sure what he wants to do for a career came to me asking about what I do. He’s an enthusiastic gamer and self-declared introvert (with a few very extrovert qualities). Not particularly fond of school, but does well due to a high intellect. Like off the charts IQ high…
After explaining what I do as a DBA (automate everything so I can nap…), we decided to enter into an apprenticeship arrangement, wherein he learns and I exploit him for profit and untold riches.
What I didn’t realize is how much training material I would be creating along the way. I am hoping this can be re-used for others that have seen the DBA light and want to enter the fold.
I have a rough outline of the path I intend to take him down, with the goal of him being able to get a Uber-Junior DBA position when he hits 18-ish. Part-time if he starts college classes, full-time if not. I will probably deviate from this quite a bit to keep it fun and fresh.
Lesson one: we started with “Database Fundamentals for n00bs”…definititions, history, basics. There’s a PowerPoint, but its not published yet…I may use it for presentations someday.
Lesson 2: Super basic installing SQL Server Dev edition video. This went smoothly on my laptop (see video), but not on his…we installed and uninstalled a dozen times, including backing up to SQL 2014 Dev. Eventually we got a clean install (5 days later).
Lesson tres: “A guided tour of SQL Server Management Studio, but only the stuff you will use the most frequently.” Long title, short class.
Lesson IV: “Hey, lets create a database, back it up, mess it up, and restore it!” We probably had way more fun making and breaking this than we should have. Hint: database name was MORECAKE. Clearly, it stored music information with Artist and Song tables.
Lesson 6 minus 1: I sent him a link to a MVA Database Fundamentals video, with instructions to make notes on anything he didn’t understand.
That’s all so far…keep coming back for more as I remember to write them.
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