Jeff level enthusiasm, Image by zoegammon from Pixabay
Jeff (b|t) and I have been friends since sometime in 2003. He was the worship leader at my church at the time. Most recently Jeff and his wife have been running a graphics design firm. Websites, book covers, textbook layout, WordPress development, etc.
Earlier this year when the graphics biz was slumping he asked if I needed any help at Dallas DBAs. After some discussion I offered him a 3 month apprenticeship – full time at offensively low hourly rates. I would be teaching him and letting him self-teach through whatever means he could get his hands on.
Inside that 3 months he was already getting on customer servers and doing daily checks (with my guidance of course). We have a process for this.
He currently has primary DBA responsibility for 5 hourly clients and one Pocket DBA™ client, escalating to me as necessary.
As of this month, Jeff’s efforts are driving enough billable hours that he is COVERING HIS ENTIRE SALARY! SQL Dork (b|t), the other Junior DBA here has been self-covering for a long time due to only working part-time.
I would like to tell you all of the steps Jeff took along the way…but he already blogged the whole trip.
For your reading pleasure:
The Ironic DBA Files
- Prequel: The Ironic DBA—Starting a New and Unexpected Career
- Episode 1: You Back That Up?
- Episode 2: Attack of the Corruption
- Episode 3: Revenge of the Index
- Episode 4: A New Primary Key
- Episode 5: The Maintenance Plan Strikes Back
- Episode 6: Return of the TSQL
- Episode 7: The Backup Awakens
- Episode 8: The Last Rebuild
- Episode 9: Rise of the Clients
- Review One: A SQL Story
- It’s Hip to Be Square
- Rock Around the Clock
- Failure is Always an Option
- Back to Basics
Thanks for reading!
