I have been blogging a little bit here for a few months. If you take the time to wander around, you will find that I am still searching for my voice. This month’s TSQLTuesday topic, as proposed by Bob Pusateri is “Presenting and Loving It!” I have not presented outside of my own company, but I thought I could add my thoughts on the topic within the context of SQL Saturday. Part of this is based on my gratitude for the fine people that put on these events – the organizers and speakers. Specifically, I want to know why any SQL professional would pass up on a SQL Saturday.
This past Saturday, April 6th, there were three SQL Saturday events in the United States, and one more in Holland. I went to the one in Boston. It was my second in a month, and third in the last 7 months. These are wonderful events for so many reasons. If you really care about SQL, either from a callous “it’s my job” point of view, or hopefully more enthusiastic posture, you really should try and take advantage of a SQL Saturday event near you. Here are a few reasons:
You Can Learn from the Best
How do you learn about real-world problem solving with SQL? What kinds of training do you usually get?
I have taken plenty of training classes over the years. Some were good, others, not so much. Sometimes I feel that there is a lot of fluff. You can go to Books Online, but that is often the equivalent of Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. If I want real in-depth information, I find good books and informative blogs. And you can find books that range from very broad in scope to very focused. When I find a good book, I cherish it, I re-read some sections over and over, and over again.
Are any of these books in your library? I have some of these, but not all:
Have you ever learned anything from some of these blogs:
http://www.brentozar.com/
http://www.sqlskills.com/
http://sqlserverperformance.wordpress.com/
http://crankydba.com/
http://www.scarydba.com/
http://www.sqlha.com/
http://www.benjaminnevarez.com/
http://craftydba.com/
http://thomaslarock.com/
http://www.voiceofthedba.com/
http://thesqlagentman.com/
http://sqlblog.com
http://lessthandot.com/
http://www.jasonstrate.com/
Now, what if you could go and meet those authors and talk shop, and listen to them discuss topics that you are interested in? Well, you can. Every one of these authors spoke at a SQL Saturday this past weekend. (Exceptions being Jes Borland (b|t) and Mike Hillwig (b|t), who were too busy actually running the Madison and Boston events). Look at the list of sessions, and see what authors you have read and learned from and go learn some more.
Learn from Some People You Don’t Know
The drawback to going to a session presented by a prominent personality is that those sessions can be crowded. So, look for a topic that interests you from someone you have never heard from, and attend that one. There are plenty of really, really smart people that are not published, or have lesser known blogs. Maybe you end up with another resource to learn from. You will probably have more opportunities after the session or during the breaks to ask follow up questions.
Break out of Your Shell
I am a DBA by trade. My first SQL Saturday, I went to all DBA-centric sessions. It was great – I learned a few things, I reinforced some knowledge that I already had, and I was intrigued enough that I keep coming back to more SQL Saturdays.
However, there is a lot more to the world of SQL than just the administrative end. Even in my current role, I am being asked to do more development than I have in the past.
You can dip your toe in the water with these other topics. I went to sessions on a couple of BI-centric topics on Saturday, just to learn something new. Learning is good. I may not have a pressing need to use that information at my job right away, but if I am asked about it by my bosses, I can do more than shrug my shoulders. I even sat in on a couple of pure SQL development sessions.
Meet other SQL Server Professionals
How big is the SQL team at your shop? For many of us, the answer is “not that big”. Most of my IT career I have spent in smaller shops. I have often been a solo DBA, or part of a 2-3 person DBA team.
One of the great things about SQL Saturdays is the opportunity to meet other SQL professionals that are dealing with the same issues that you are. During the breaks, go sit and talk to someone. I know, most IT pros are pretty introverted, and talking to strangers can be more difficult than setting up multi-master replication. But if you are willing to take that leap there are benefits to be reaped. You may find out that the person you are talking to is dealing with some of the same issues you are. You can bounce ideas off of each other, see how someone else approaced the same problem, etc. Maybe they are doing something completely different. Ask them why, and how they got there.
You can build up a network of other SQL server professionals. When you have a question, you have some resources to use. You can ask them for professional and career advice. And you can talk geek. On Friday at dinner I was with several other data pros, and we traded a few war stories over the evils of perl. I love my friends in my hometown, but none of them could understand the pain of some of the projects I discussed like another IT pro.
So what does this have to do with the TSQLTuesday Topic?
The topic for TSQLTuesday is Presenting and Loving it! As I mentioned above, I have not presented outside of my own company. However, at SQL Saturdays you get to see some of the best presenters in the IT world, and none of them get paid. They do it because they love the community, they love the technology, and they love talking about it. It still amazes me that SQL Saturdays are free events.
The folks that present obviously love what they are doing. And they know their stuff. If you do take the opportunity to speak to the presenters between sessions, or on a break, at some point one of them will probably ask you about when you are going to present. Even if you deflect the question, saying you could never do it, you are not knowledgeable enough, etc., most presenters will tell you that they were in your shoes once, and you just need one small thing to get you started.
So the bottom line is that I have not presented, and I have no idea if I would love it. But I think I want to try. I have a couple of ideas I may pursue. I am currently trying to revive the SQL UG in Stamford, CT, so at the very least, I can fill in one of our monthly slots. Maybe I can refine a presentation there, and then present at some of the other regional UG’s. Maybe…..