I started this blog as an extension of freelance services that I was planning to get into. As I review AWS and Google Cloud, I realize that the backend/operational side of database administration is taken by people who work for Amazon or Google. Can’t configure against IOPS. Can’t make changes to the my.cnf file.
That’s okay. It just means adapting to a new paradigm. That paradigm really starts with those backend abilities.
I find it difficult for someone to say they understand query tuning without a strong background in configuration. Sure, I’m positive there are many query complicators. People who have the ability to pinpoint dive into a database, joining multiple tables, and having each index correct – but without a fundamental understanding of what is happening once the optimizer takes hold of a query seems impossible.
Of course, I’m a database guy – and WordPress and blog writing is not very high on my list of priority skills. I doubt the people who hire me care much about my ability to design a blog. Though they may be interested in what’s inside. Then again – the power of first impressions may be at play.
So it can be a bit of a struggle. I was writing recently about the my.cnf file, and started to get into how to get the hardware statistics to begin defining a beginning set of variables. As a professional, a lot of it is intuitive – earned through experience, history, and learning. As a blog writer – where do I start in the list of things.
One of the biggest problems with being employed at a single company for a long period of time is there is only the experience provided by the problems at hand. I can’t understand how there are companies with managers and directors who have never worked anywhere else. Upon leaving any long or short-term employment, I find that the world outside is vastly different from my expectations inside. I like that uncertainty. It’s what has me writing a blog right now.
So many problems . . . so little time to fix them all . . .
