Leah:

Muidugi:

I've heard about EE textbooks when I was in college, but never seen one.  

I always told the truth that I was tired of doing the same thing day in day out and wanted my job to be more fun and more challenging.

As far as hours go, it really depends on the company. At some companies DBA are working from home and nobody remembers how they look like and in some companies they live in the office. SQL databases usually are less critical and thus require less attention and time.

Did you hunt for the first job in new field on your own or use a recruiter/headhunter?

Working from home would make scheduling easier, especially for taking classes, but I don't think I'd want to work from home all the time.  I've done it before and I got lonely, isolated, and had no good excuse to buy shoes.  I think I need the stimulation of other humans.  :)

As with any job hunting, any resource is good. I used a headhunter and was hunting myself. I ended up with two offers, one came from a job headhunter found for me and one that I found myself.

_Sergey_:

Leah, if you go DBA (Data Base Administration) path you can forget about your personal life. You'll be 365x24x7 on call. Network administration is a little better but your work will be closing tickets all day long. Very boring and tedious in my opinion.

I think reporting is more interesting since you need to know your data, work with people (well, that's a questionable advantage) and you get to know how business works. Also you do not have crazy hours, have weekends and holidays and at any time you can open a ticket for a network administrator and yell at DBA because database is slow

In 12 years of my Network\System administration only once I had a job where I had to close tickets all day long. I quit that job very quickly. Network Administrator job can be very interesting and exciting you wouldn't believe you get paid to do what you do.

Muidugi:

_Sergey_:

Leah, if you go DBA (Data Base Administration) path you can forget about your personal life. You'll be 365x24x7 on call. Network administration is a little better but your work will be closing tickets all day long. Very boring and tedious in my opinion.

I think reporting is more interesting since you need to know your data, work with people (well, that's a questionable advantage) and you get to know how business works. Also you do not have crazy hours, have weekends and holidays and at any time you can open a ticket for a network administrator and yell at DBA because database is slow

can be very interesting and exciting you wouldn't believe you get paid to do what you do.

What kinds of things?  Now you have me curious.  :) 

green_minstrey:

c'mon Leah, learn Spanish, read some books of Castaneda and let's go with me to Mexico ;)you don't need to return to starting point really, there's some more points)

rather tempting...  what are the other points?  :) 

Leah:

Muidugi:

can be very interesting and exciting you wouldn't believe you get paid to do what you do.

What kinds of things?  Now you have me curious.  :) 

Things like playing with new gadgets and making them work the way you want. Blackberry, Palm Pilot, MDA  - I've got to test them out way before they hit the mass market. Piloting IP telephony when just a few knew the concept was another "I can't believe they are paying me to do it" project.

You seem to be too creative to want a career in IT.  It doesn't fit you.  People that are computer geeks and techy nerds make good IT people.  You have to love to pour over technical documentation, and have a great memory for details.  I don't think you want to go down the path of IT.

Also, big companies (the big employers of IT) continuue to outsource IT to low-cost countries like India.  

What other ideas do you have for a new career choice? 

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"Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable."

Muidugi:

Leah:

Muidugi:

can be very interesting and exciting you wouldn't believe you get paid to do what you do.

What kinds of things?  Now you have me curious.  :) 

Things like playing with new gadgets and making them work the way you want. Blackberry, Palm Pilot, MDA  - I've got to test them out way before they hit the mass market. Piloting IP telephony when just a few knew the concept was another "I can't believe they are paying me to do it" project.

It does sound interesting.  It sounds like you really love what you do now.  :)

By the way, you realize that if you had found me that husband you suggested, none of this would be necessary.... 

James Bond:

You seem to be too creative to want a career in IT.  It doesn't fit you.  People that are computer geeks and techy nerds make good IT people.  You have to love to pour over technical documentation, and have a great memory for details.  I don't think you want to go down the path of IT.

Also, big companies (the big employers of IT) continuue to outsource IT to low-cost countries like India.  

What other ideas do you have for a new career choice? 

My mother keeps worrying about that part too (the creativity part) and I've wondered about it too, but I actually love to pour over information of any kind (just an inner need to know how things work and know about everything) and I don't think memory will be a problem.  I have really enjoyed learning it and don't find it boring at all.

I'm not looking at this as a forever thing, but I think it could serve a needed purpose for several years (maybe a lot more)... a good means to an end.  I need a way to support myself (you know, rent and cat food) while I return to the university.  Of course I'd love just to study full time, but I don't see how.  I'm hoping passion for the subject matter of the studies will balance any potential dryness in the job, although I think I would enjoy the job.  I'm far more nerdy at heart than most people realize.  :)

Leah:

By the way, you realize that if you had found me that husband you suggested, none of this would be necessary.... 

Yeah, I keep thinking "She must really love those veggies if she'd rather consider career in IT..."

 

Muidugi:

Leah:

By the way, you realize that if you had found me that husband you suggested, none of this would be necessary.... 

Yeah, I keep thinking "She must really love those veggies if she rather consider career in IT..."

 

lol... I'm not completely unwilling to compromise.  The health/organic/whatever you want to call them grocery stores often offer free-range, cruelty-free style meat items (at a higher price, of course).  For myself, it isn't worth the bother, but with the right incentive... maybe.  ;)

Muidugi:

but at the very least it does show that you are able to learn and intelligent enough to pass the test.

no it doesn't. I've interviewed MCSE holders who couldn't find Control panel or run a batch file.....

CISCO and Oracle certifications are more respectable.

In any case - reporting and Bus Intell is where all the butter at this days and SAP stuff !! 

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- Независимость - это когда в 20-й раз наступаешь на одни и те же грабли, а русские уже ни при чем....

any other)

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music of meah

Mom knows best!

And I don't think the comment about vegetables was at all innocent. 

Look, just go start your own business.  The best revenge of getting laid off is to compete with your former employer.  I mean that.  Call every single person you know and let them know you are now in business for yourself.  it's all about networking.  Offer yourself out at a price people can't refuse.  Find new markets.  Decide what there is about you that is different than your competitors (if you can - if not, then it's price....low low price).

By new markets, I mean you could go on to Craigslist (free) and start posting adds under the real estate sections and services offfered section that reads like this:

"Homes that are properly staged sell 48% more quickly.  I'm an experianced interior designer that specializes in staging your home so you can sell it more quickly.  I will come give you a free estimate, and sample tips on what is keeping your house from selling.  You can't afford NOT to call me."

Also try temping at Home Depot in the design areas, and when people come in to buy their services, sell your own add-on services.

Forget IT.  It sucks.

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"Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable."

James Bond:

Forget IT.  It sucks.

 

i was thinking same thing. Iit's boring like hell.

~~~ ...playing with iPod before it hits the market? ~~~

 WOW!!

 

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Jedem Das Seine.