It happens every time anyone goes to an amusement park. The one park that sticks out to me is Disneyworld just because I was there on a recent family vacation. You know what I’m talking about – the crazy rides, the masses of people, the running to and fro. Vacation is supposed to be a relaxing time yet when you get into a park of any sort, at times, one can get caught up with the hustling and bustling – I know I’ve been there done that. While being on vacation a couple of things stuck out to me so much so that I think it does apply to the DBA life or any data professional for that matter. Below is a representation of what thoughts flowed through my head.

The Hectic

Have you ever noticed when you are in an amusement park people are rushing around as fast as they can to get to the next ride before the other person? While on vacation I was enamored to watch the bustling and running of people almost to the point of it being comical. I would watch the dad’s pushing the double wide strollers around basically at a run with the two kids in the stroller and one on his shoulders as they rushed to the next ride. The families that would run as soon as the park opens to get the famous “fast pass” to secure a time frame that they would not have to wait in line for hours on end.

How does that pertain to the DBA life? Easily enough the DBA life can at times be very hectic with several things going on all around them. It is just not one thing we focus on but a multitude of things that more times than not seem to go awry all at once. How do you react when those situations arise?

The Thrill

A long with the hectic aspect comes the thrill. You get to the that ride you’ve been waiting to ride and you’re next. You get on the ride and off you go down an 80 ft. drop or into that dark tunnel you never think  you’ll come out of. The unknown aspects and the thrill of the ride keeps you coming back for more.

As I am a SQL DBA, I think that same thought process can be applied. The thrill of solving that problem that has been unknown, working with other teams to find common ground to push forward on a project, getting that new index in place that takes a process running 45 minutes down to 10 seconds. It’s the thrill of the game that keeps you coming back for more.

The End Game

Have you taken inventory lately? When you get to work are you excited about your work? Do you always have that continuous desire to improve yourself as a data professional? Is that thrill still there like when you solved your first issue and you said, “I think I can do this!” If not recapture that fire you once had – enjoy what you do. There are a lot of people that would love to have the opportunities that we as data professionals have. Enjoy the time you have with it!