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joe8079
Posting Yak Master
127 Posts |
 Posted - 2011-07-25 : 20:24:31
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| Hi, I use SQL server for most of the day to run a lot of reports for different departments, some reports are easy while others are more complicated. What is the job market like for someone with strong sql programming skills? Note, I have zero experience in managing sql servers or adminstration. |
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tkizer
Almighty SQL Goddess
38200 Posts |
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Transact Charlie
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
3451 Posts |
Posted - 2011-07-26 : 07:56:59
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I'm in the UK so this might not be quite the same as the US market.There are definitely jobs out there for good candidates. Saying that though, it's really difficult to find good database developers. There are a lot of very average people about who seem to think they are awesome / amazing. Many of these people are contractors who are looking for £300 - £400 per day and I wouldn't hire them if they worked for free.I've seen a lot of CV's and given lots of interviews now and most of the candidates we get struggle with basic questions which indicate they don't know / don't care about efficient code. My company's database is moderate in size but the data changes constantly and we need to drive a lot of aggregation in different dimensions on it. The difference between hitting a good index to not is milliseconds to tens of seconds. The flip side is obviously you need to be able to choose to create the *right* indexes for the data.Probably the most important thing I look for in a candidate is:1) Enthusiasm for the subject. You *need* to show that you care. This is important because SQL Server is an evolving technology and how else are you going to keep up if you don't care? I like to see people who post on forums (natch), write blogs, attend tech meets, whatever.2) An Awareness of performance implications. You don't need to have experience in a high volume environment (though that obviously helps) but you need to know how to make your queries as efficient as possible. I've run into some people who consider performance a DBA's job which makes me quite angry. If you don't have performance in mind from the first step then your queries will probably be garbage.3) Working well with others. Your code isn't *your* code, you need to be able to deal with other people's input. This is quite important because I've met (and worked with) quite a few database developers that *really* didn't play nice with others.Anyway. Not sure if this is a good answer to your question or If I've just started to rant a little....  Oh - one more thingquote:
What is the job market like for someone with strong sql programming skills?
Don't tell people this. *SHOW THEM INSTEAD*Answer questions on forums / stack overflow / whatever / write a blog /Make the company / interviewer think "What can I do to get this candidate to join us?" rather than : "Is this person any good or a waste of my time?"Charlie===============================================================Msg 3903, Level 16, State 1, Line 1736The ROLLBACK TRANSACTION request has no corresponding BEGIN TRANSACTION |
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tkizer
Almighty SQL Goddess
38200 Posts |
Posted - 2011-07-26 : 12:51:19
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quote:
"What can I do to get this candidate to join us?"
Exactly. It's not competing against other candidates for a job, it's the company doing everything they can to get you to join them. This is what is happening in the IT job market in the U.S. right now, for SQL jobs at least. There are plenty of unqualified candidates out there applying for jobs. If you are qualified and can market yourself, you should have no problem. If you aren't qualified enough, well eagerness to learn can go a long way. I was most excited about a candidate who almost was qualified for the job but clearly wanted to learn and clearly could learn. We ended up going with another candidate that was qualified and also had this eagerness to learn more. Had we not found that candidate, we definitely would have hired the other candidate without hesitation.Tara KizerMicrosoft MVP for Windows Server System - SQL Serverhttp://weblogs.sqlteam.com/tarad/Subscribe to my blog |
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sunitabeck
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
5155 Posts |
Posted - 2011-07-26 : 14:18:26
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| Very interesting comments from both of you, Tara and Charlie. I loved reading your observations and insights, even though I am not looking for a job at the moment. In New York city and the tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT), there seem to be lot of jobs for SQL Server developers and for DBAs, especially in the financial industry. But as Tara and Charlie said, you have to be VERY good at what you do, and be able to demonstrate it to the potential employer. |
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maile15
Starting Member
1 Post |
Posted - 2011-08-01 : 05:47:06
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| I think the most iom[portant think about the UK market is that it is still growing alot even due the recession.I could see a significant rise of sql jobs during that time, so I think this area is growing well.unspammed |
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nigelrivett
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
3385 Posts |
Posted - 2011-08-01 : 06:35:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Transact CharlieThere are definitely jobs out there for good candidates. Saying that though, it's really difficult to find good database developers. There are a lot of very average people about who seem to think they are awesome / amazing. Many of these people are contractors who are looking for £300 - £400 per day and I wouldn't hire them if they worked for free.
You should expect someone fairly junior for that rate.==========================================Cursors are useful if you don't know sql.SSIS can be used in a similar way.Beer is not cold and it isn't fizzy. |
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Transact Charlie
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
3451 Posts |
Posted - 2011-08-01 : 11:49:48
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quote:
You should expect someone fairly junior for that rate.
Depends where you are. Wages are generally cheaper north of the border.Edit - Sadly  Charlie===============================================================Msg 3903, Level 16, State 1, Line 1736The ROLLBACK TRANSACTION request has no corresponding BEGIN TRANSACTION |
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job market for sql skills