500-Level Guideto Career InternalsBrent Ozar, Brent Ozar UnlimitedModerated By: Yusuf KothariSlide deck: BrentOzar.com/go/24hop

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Brent Ozar97-99: sysadmin & programmer99-05: developer, DBA, architect05-08: DBA for $7b company08-10: expert for Quest Software10-now: consultant, small business owner: BrentOzar.com

BrentOzar

@BrentO

BrentOzar

500-Level Guideto Career InternalsBrent Ozar, Brent Ozar UnlimitedSlide deck: BrentOzar.com/go/24hop

What career success means to meDoing challenging work I loveBeing surrounded by people I admireWorking for a company that I respectA fair trade between hours I put in, and the rewardThe ability to make that tradeoff choice myself(Success doesn't have to be working for yourself, or being a consultant, or working four hours per week. It CAN be those, but it doesn't have to be.)

What job hunting success means to meNot having to job hunt at allPeople bringing fun opportunities that are perfect for the next step in an awesome career

Why I had to hack my career

Q: In order to meet new people, I:

1. Read stuff online, getting to know the authors

2. Talk with others in forums, Twitter, Facebook

3. Go to in-person events and hoping others introduce themselves to me

4. Go to in-person events and breaking the ice by introducing myself to other folks

Q: My personal network is:

1. Ethernet or WiFi2. A few folks that I've worked with in the

past3. Dozens of people I've met online (but not

IRL) in the database community4. Hundreds of people that I stay in touch

with and meet up with regularly to keep growing

Q: To get ready for my next job, I:

1. Uh, wait, is this about the office supplies I stole?2. Tune into webcasts every few months that cover

topics I'm already working with3. Every month, I learn about new things outside of

my comfort zone4. As I learn and grow each month, keep my resume

and LinkedIn up to date with what I'm doing

Q: For my career growth, I set aside:1. None2. 1-4 hours per week3. 1 day per week4. 2 days per week

Q: I give back to the community by:1. I don't.2. Being a good attendee by filling out

feedback forms and leaving constructive blog post comments

3. By doing things online like blogging4. By doing things in person like volunteering,

presenting, and organizing a user group

Now add up your points.

5-7 points:First, think about who's responsible for your career.

20-25 points:You don't need this session.

The rest of you need this session. I certainly did.

2004 Brent’s job hunt

I make SQL Server go faster.

I measure stuff for a living.

but I didn’t measure my career.

big irrelevant data

metric: rainfall

Foundations of Career Internals

The basic rules1. Managing a career is just like managing a server:

pick a metric or two to watch, and work on them.2. You can do this with the skills you have: installing

software, following checklists, and writing emails.3. It's all been done before: just follow what works

from other industries.4. You are the only one who can do this for you.

1. Measuring Your Career

How do you measure these?

Doing challenging work I loveBeing surrounded by people I admireWorking for a company that I respectA fair trade between hours I put in, and the rewardThe ability to make that tradeoff choice myself

Measuring these is easier

Not having to job hunt at allPeople bringing fun opportunities that are perfect for the next step in an awesome career

The starter metric: how many people know you?

Yes, this sounds vain.

How many people know your work?How many want to follow your work?• # of blog subscribers• # of email subscribers• # of social media followers (Twitter,

Facebook, LinkedIn)• # of YouTube channel subscribers(But no, not Instagram selfie subscribers, not in the SQL Server industry anyway)

2. Moving That Metric

Old-school networking sucksIt requires being in a certain place at a certain time, and you don't have that free time

It's not Web Scale: unless you get an auditorium, it's only a few people at a time, and it can't go viral

You don't have people skills

Networking 2.0: passive networking1. Write a good article or script, and give it away free

(we’ll talk about the plumbing/hosting details soon)

2. Other people who find it interesting will pass it on to their network, doing your networking for you

3. Profit!

Pick your topic carefully

You’ll be known for what you write about.What do you love doing today?What would you love to do more of?What seems idiotically easy to you today?That's the stuff you build and write about.

It's all been done, and it doesn't matter

Digital images courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program. http://www.getty.edu/about/opencontent.html

Painters and bloggers

The subject isn’t the point: your style is.

You don’t have to paint a lot, either.

Pop quiz: who are your favorite bloggers to read? The ones where you’ll likely read the whole post?

Your brand is how you write about itHow would these people cover the same topic:• Paul Randal: SQLskills.com• Klaus Aschenbrenner: SQLPassion.at• Kendra Little: LittleKendra.com• Pinal Dave: SQLAuthority.com• Books Online

Make your content easy to share

Free, free, free, free

Don't hide it behind a paywall or registration wall

Put easy-to-use share buttons on your blog

Make yourself easy to follow

Start a blog with WordPress.orgSet up Mailchimp.com so readers can subscribeGet Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn accountsUse BufferApp.com to cross-post

We’ll cover the mechanics of these at Summit

The basic rules

1. Managing a career is just like managing a server: pick a few metrics to watch, and work on them.

2. You can do this with the skills you have: installing software, following checklists, and writing emails.

3. It's all been done before: just follow what works from other industries.

4. You are the only one who can do this for you.

3. It’s All Been Done

Resources for why: books and training• TheWhuffieFactor – Tara Hunt• DoubleYourFreelancing.com – Brennan

Dunn• The Referral Engine – John Jantsch• TheLeanStartup.com – Eric Ries• Purple Cow – Seth Godin

Resources for how

How to install and configure a WordPress blog: BrentOzar.com/go/blog

My favorite themes: ThemeForest.net(click WordPress, then filter by responsive, sort by number of buyers)

The process: On Writing – Steven King

The basic rules

1. Managing a career is just like managing a server: pick a few metrics to watch, and work on them.

2. You can do this with the skills you have: installing software, following checklists, and writing emails.

3. It's all been done before: just follow what works from other industries.

4. You are the only one who can do this for you.

4. Doing It For Yourself

Shoot yourself today.

Typical setup timelineDay 1: buy domain, configure Gmail hosting, DNSDay 2: install & configure WordPressDay 3: the visuals: pick theme, profile photo, installDay 4: social tools (Twitter, FB, LI, Buffer, Mailchimp)Day 5: write the skeleton pages: about-me, contactDay 6: write titles & outlines of your first 5 postsDays 7-12: writing each of the first 5 posts

What 12 days of spare time looks likeDone 1 day per weekend: 3 monthsDone 2 days per weeekend: 1.5 months

This isn’t the finish line: this is the first phase

Nothing about this is easy:you need time for you and your loved ones too

Remember why we’re doing itDoing challenging work I loveBeing surrounded by people I admireWorking for a company that I respectA fair trade between hours I put in, and the rewardThe ability to make that tradeoff choice myself(Success doesn't have to be working for yourself, or being a consultant, or working four hours per week. It CAN be those, but it doesn't have to be.)

Trust me, the work is worth the reward.

Questions?Slide deck: http://BrentOzar.com/go/24hop

Coming up next!Securing your Data is Easier Than Ever: Security Investments in SQL Server 2016, Azure SQL Database, and SQL Data WarehouseJoachim Hammer

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