August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
. . . I've interviewed dozens of people sent to me by well meaning recruiters who all insisted that the people they were sending me where "highly qualified". It shows that even the recruiters don't know what they don't know.
I feel your pain, Jeff.
August 23, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Revenant (8/23/2011)
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
. . . I've interviewed dozens of people sent to me by well meaning recruiters who all insisted that the people they were sending me where "highly qualified". It shows that even the recruiters don't know what they don't know.I feel your pain, Jeff.
Hehe, getdate() however reads the clock from windows and if you change that one you are screwed.. that sql server relies on the os operated clock is astonishing to me, in a bad way.
Rod at work (8/23/2011)
I appreciate your posting this article, Steve. It is encouraging news. Especially during a time when there's not a lot of encouraging news. I'd like to emphasize the last point you made, which probably won't get a lot of discussion here (and probably shouldn't), but as you said, the crunch is in talented people. It's up to each of us to keep our technical and soft skills up to date.
I should be doing that.. but I don't. Sometimes I try new tech's at home for fun but that's it. If go a course sponsored by my company I take some personal time as well but that's because I'm interested, thou I also want the company to get their worth. If I would have children however I believe I'd have trouble finding that time. At work I work and also learn new things and update myself on best practices while solving problems.
I do have a personal life and do not want a company to take all my time. I work so I can live, all thou I do enjoy my work, mostly.
August 23, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
What's really spooky to me is how little a lot of job applicants know about the basics and how many of them don't know what they don't know. I interviewed one fellow who stated that he had 8 years of experience working with both SQL Server and Oracle (perfect for that particular job) and rated himself as a "9 out of 10" on both right on his resume. As you read the following, keep in mind that he was applying for an "SQL Developer" postion.I conduct my interviews a bit like a lie-detector test. I help make folks feel at ease and then tell them that I'm going to start of with some really simple questions just to get them relaxed. When I asked what the SQL function for returning the current date and time in SQL Server is, the answer was "I don't know... we always used the GUI for that."
When I interviewed one fellow for an SQL Server "DBA" position, it did the same thing... asked an easy question to start with which was, "What is a clustered index?" His response was "I never worked on clustered systems."
Even more spooky is that most of the folks couldn't make it through the first 3 questions similar in nature/level of ease and I've interviewed dozens of people sent to me by well meaning recruiters who all insisted that the people they were sending me where "highly qualified". It shows that even the recruiters don't know what they don't know.
I know the answers to those two questions, Jeff, when can I start? 😀
Seriously, I do get worried if I lose my job and have to start interviewing. Right now I support an app where I have to know SQL, VBA, and ASP.NET in order to keep the beast running. It's too much to keep up with to know any of them in-depth enough in order to pass a thorough interview, but I know enough and can figure out the rest and I get things done. I guess if the day does come, I'd have to do a lot of studying to catch up.
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How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.
August 23, 2011 at 4:09 pm
IceDread (8/23/2011)
Hehe, getdate() however reads the clock from windows and if you change that one you are screwed.. that sql server relies on the os operated clock is astonishing to me, in a bad way.
Gosh... I'm not sure why you brought that up because it doesn't really have anything to do with what I was talking about but I'll play along... ;-)Other than installing a piece of hardware that's self-updating from the regional "atomic clock", what would you prefer?
--Jeff Moden
August 23, 2011 at 4:26 pm
umailedit (8/23/2011)
However, some years ago you could get 4 or more people for the price of one Swede and now you get maybe 3 or less. In China the salaries has gone up a lot too in IT.
Speaking from India, I say that this (moving jobs to India) is not good for India. It has pushed up salary levels from $200 per month 10 years ago to $2000 per month now and everyone and I mean EVERYONE is getting more and more greedy. This is bad. It has started people in a mad rush for riches as soon as possible. Wealth is good but not if it is at the expense of other qualities like lack of greed.
So maybe the threat coming from the low price countries are getting smaller, not to take into account they have a different culture which is always problematic for companies in different countries to come to terms with. On a different note, I even read a news that call-centers that has been moved from usa to India is being moved back again.
Call centres are one of the biggest drivers of greed here because of the high salaries they offer. Pretty soon they will be uncompetitive to the salaries of US and Europe at the rate they are increasing.
This isn't bad per se. This is purely macroeconomics at work. As demand goes up and supply stays the same, prices are forced to rise to keep up. This is intended (the stated purpose for such things as trade agreements, etc...), since it increases the wealth everywhere.
There will be a period of evening out: some call centers may leave India, but not all will. In the same way as you've witnessed, those new locations will see the spike in salaries. It will eventually even out, then forcing the discussion to be more at the value level (i.e. price AND quality).
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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
August 24, 2011 at 7:43 am
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
What's really spooky to me is how little a lot of job applicants know about the basics and how many of them don't know what they don't know. I interviewed one fellow who stated that he had 8 years of experience working with both SQL Server and Oracle (perfect for that particular job) and rated himself as a "9 out of 10" on both right on his resume. As you read the following, keep in mind that he was applying for an "SQL Developer" postion.. . .
Where this guy came from, he may have been a '9' or '10' relative to his coworkers. In a small or medium sized company, the "go to" guy for SQL Server may actually know little more than how to write basic SQL queries against the CRM database and perform a few admin operations.
In my universe, the above would be considered a '2' or '3'.
'5' would be an average developer who has participated in several medium or large scale projects, and can competently model, code, and performance tune a database as part of a team with minimal supervision.
'7' or '8' would be someone who can assume a lead role for a team of developers or a consultant who can complete a considerable project standalone.
'9' or '10' would be an industry expert who experienced developers turn to when they need advice.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
August 24, 2011 at 9:46 am
It's called the Dunning–Kruger effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
We had a kid a few years out of college who couldn't program his way out of a wet paper bag, and yet couldn't tell us enough how we did everything wrong.
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How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.
August 24, 2011 at 10:05 am
toddasd (8/24/2011)
It's called the Dunning–Kruger effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effectWe had a kid a few years out of college who couldn't program his way out of a wet paper bag, and yet couldn't tell us enough how we did everything wrong.
Years may go by before one's invalid assumptions collide with a greater reality. That's partly what makes TV shows like American Idol so entertaining.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
August 24, 2011 at 11:49 am
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
IceDread (8/23/2011)
Hehe, getdate() however reads the clock from windows and if you change that one you are screwed.. that sql server relies on the os operated clock is astonishing to me, in a bad way.Gosh... I'm not sure why you brought that up because it doesn't really have anything to do with what I was talking about but I'll play along... ;-)Other than installing a piece of hardware that's self-updating from the regional "atomic clock", what would you prefer?
Gosh, I'll play along too. You can also use a piece a software to keep the system clock insync with the reginal "atomic clock."
August 24, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Lynn Pettis (8/24/2011)
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
IceDread (8/23/2011)
Hehe, getdate() however reads the clock from windows and if you change that one you are screwed.. that sql server relies on the os operated clock is astonishing to me, in a bad way.Gosh... I'm not sure why you brought that up because it doesn't really have anything to do with what I was talking about but I'll play along... ;-)Other than installing a piece of hardware that's self-updating from the regional "atomic clock", what would you prefer?
Gosh, I'll play along too. You can also use a piece a software to keep the system clock insync with the reginal "atomic clock."
Which is exactly what Windows Server is supposed to do via NNTP....
August 24, 2011 at 12:14 pm
J Thaddeus Klopcic (8/24/2011)
Lynn Pettis (8/24/2011)
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
IceDread (8/23/2011)
Hehe, getdate() however reads the clock from windows and if you change that one you are screwed.. that sql server relies on the os operated clock is astonishing to me, in a bad way.Gosh... I'm not sure why you brought that up because it doesn't really have anything to do with what I was talking about but I'll play along... ;-)Other than installing a piece of hardware that's self-updating from the regional "atomic clock", what would you prefer?
Gosh, I'll play along too. You can also use a piece a software to keep the system clock insync with the reginal "atomic clock."
Which is exactly what Windows Server is supposed to do via NNTP....
From Win2k8 on, there is an OS option that prevents anybody from changing the clock - the only method is via Internet. Even if you are an admin of the box, you have to change the option first, reboot, and then you can change the clock.
August 24, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Revenant (8/24/2011)
J Thaddeus Klopcic (8/24/2011)
Lynn Pettis (8/24/2011)
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
IceDread (8/23/2011)
Hehe, getdate() however reads the clock from windows and if you change that one you are screwed.. that sql server relies on the os operated clock is astonishing to me, in a bad way.Gosh... I'm not sure why you brought that up because it doesn't really have anything to do with what I was talking about but I'll play along... ;-)Other than installing a piece of hardware that's self-updating from the regional "atomic clock", what would you prefer?
Gosh, I'll play along too. You can also use a piece a software to keep the system clock insync with the reginal "atomic clock."
Which is exactly what Windows Server is supposed to do via NNTP....
From Win2k8 on, there is an OS option that prevents anybody from changing the clock - the only method is via Internet. Even if you are an admin of the box, you have to change the option first, reboot, and then you can change the clock.
and by doing so you acknowledge the existence of time as more than just an illusiion... oh wait, wrong forum.
August 28, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Lynn Pettis (8/24/2011)
Jeff Moden (8/23/2011)
IceDread (8/23/2011)
Hehe, getdate() however reads the clock from windows and if you change that one you are screwed.. that sql server relies on the os operated clock is astonishing to me, in a bad way.Gosh... I'm not sure why you brought that up because it doesn't really have anything to do with what I was talking about but I'll play along... ;-)Other than installing a piece of hardware that's self-updating from the regional "atomic clock", what would you prefer?
Gosh, I'll play along too. You can also use a piece a software to keep the system clock insync with the reginal "atomic clock."
Nah... that would take another connection. 😛 Besides, none of that prevents the system clock from being changed even if it is just for a small amount of time.
--Jeff Moden
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