April 22, 2014 at 5:49 am
Hey kid, I hear that you are 12. You have 6 years left of mandatory full time education [UK]. What you need most of all is balance.
Yes, you must do some subjects that aren't your favourite but try hard and you will get the opportunities that are suitable for you later. Don't forget to play but remember to both work and play. Choose subjects that you are good at, enjoy and that will provide you value in your life ahead. You get to decide what "value" means.
The other key point is to understand the difference between goals and aims. Goals are targets you will attempt to achieve whilst aims are where you are currently heading. So you will succeed and fail many goals (mainly succeed, right!) on your way to ever changing aims (or you might be in the tiny minority where they may never change). It is OK to never get to a particular aim and yet other aims may become goals.
You are 12. I get that. Focus on what your goals are (exams? scouts? learning to bake at home?) as you will have many and only consider your aims (Nurse? Musician? DBA?) when you have to decide something (even if only to tell Aunt Agnes what you want to do for a living when you are older) but always bear in mind that for most of us our aims change.
Good luck. Most people will be rooting for you.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
April 22, 2014 at 6:08 am
Gary Varga (4/22/2014)
Hey kid, I hear that you are 12. You have 6 years left of mandatory full time education [UK]. What you need most of all is balance.Yes, you must do some subjects that aren't your favourite but try hard and you will get the opportunities that are suitable for you later. Don't forget to play but remember to both work and play. Choose subjects that you are good at, enjoy and that will provide you value in your life ahead. You get to decide what "value" means.
The other key point is to understand the difference between goals and aims. Goals are targets you will attempt to achieve whilst aims are where you are currently heading. So you will succeed and fail many goals (mainly succeed, right!) on your way to ever changing aims (or you might be in the tiny minority where they may never change). It is OK to never get to a particular aim and yet other aims may become goals.
You are 12. I get that. Focus on what your goals are (exams? scouts? learning to bake at home?) as you will have many and only consider your aims (Nurse? Musician? DBA?) when you have to decide something (even if only to tell Aunt Agnes what you want to do for a living when you are older) but always bear in mind that for most of us our aims change.
Good luck. Most people will be rooting for you.
+1, Great advice
December 12, 2017 at 7:43 am
Allow them time to figure it out: help move their interest level from a 5 to a 6, not from a 1 to a 10.
These kids are in middle school. Their interests are still developing and will change rapidly. Their long-term thinking (frontal lobes) haven't yet developed to the point where they can logically think through the long term implications of their choices. This occurs sometime in the late teens to early 20's. If you start with technical descriptions, you lose them - FAST. Instead, focus on what they can see, touch, & feel today. That will put something in their memory banks they can pull out later.
If I were to give a short 10 minute talk to 6/7/8 graders, I would show them - on my computer - a demonstration of a mod being made to Minecraft or something else they are familiar with. I would do this at a very high-level.
Overall take away:
- Show something, don't tell it
- Do it from a 30,000 foot level
- Do it quickly (KISS - keep it simple. stupid)
December 12, 2017 at 8:00 am
My advice to someone getting started in their career, or looking for a career, is don't let others pigeonhole you into a specific role. Instead, think deeply about who you are, what you love doing, and where you would contribute the most value. It shouldn't be a one time decision that you lock in for the rest of your life, it's something you have to revisit and realign periodically as you acquire new information and experiences. Also, understand what aspects of your career and family really matter and focus on that. Otherwise, you can't advance or balance them.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
December 12, 2017 at 8:33 am
Learn how to comfortably walk up to a stranger and engage them in conversation. It makes everything easier. Interviewing for a job? Check. Dealing with management for the first time? Check. Handling a customer? Check.
I feel fortunate that I worked in retail and learned this skill. I've noticed I get way better results calling/walking-up-to a coworker over simply emailing them, and this skill is why.
December 12, 2017 at 8:49 am
I've volunteered to teach young children about computer science. What you say depends largely on what is age appropriate for them. I usually try to communicate a few points:
1) You can do this - anyone can do this, don't be intimidated by what you don't know. You don't need to be a rocket surgeon. I try to empower them to consider they could be capable one day.
2) Learning how to code is a superpower - there is such a wide gap between those who can understand / write good code and everyone else. Unlike trigonometry or some ancient history, there are concrete practical ways understanding technology will help you in life. We are only marching more in this direction - you best know something about it.
3) Mindset - I try to demystify concepts like algorithms, data structures, and code so that it makes sense to them. Ex. for young children I pretend I'm a robot and ask them to direct me to take a shower. They quickly catch on they have to spell out every detail and get into it. It may take a few missteps e.g. i cannot shower with my robot clothes on but they start to develop the problem solving and logical mindset necessary to be successful in our careers.
December 12, 2017 at 12:41 pm
1. Learn enough about the problem you're trying to solve to actually be able to ask a question about it.
2.. You're not "entitled". Eventually, you have to learn to stop depending on the kindness of strangers and do it yourself.
3. Learn how to get the current date and time. 😉
--Jeff Moden
December 12, 2017 at 12:44 pm
Jeff Moden - Tuesday, December 12, 2017 12:41 PM1. Learn enough about the problem you're trying to solve to actually be able to ask a question about it.
2.. You're not "entitled". Eventually, you have to learn to stop depending on the kindness of strangers and do it yourself.
3. Learn how to get the current date and time. 😉
Hey Alexa/Siri/.... What's the current date and time? 😀
Drew
J. Drew Allen
Business Intelligence Analyst
Philadelphia, PA
December 12, 2017 at 1:29 pm
To anybody remotely interested in IT from high school on: learn how to code. If you can code, you can make something from nothing. No need to even have an old computer laying around, just put it in the cloud for a few dollars a month. My respect for various managers in shops I have worked in over the years increased immensely when I saw their names in comments in code that was still being used years later.
December 12, 2017 at 1:46 pm
drew.allen - Tuesday, December 12, 2017 12:44 PMJeff Moden - Tuesday, December 12, 2017 12:41 PM1. Learn enough about the problem you're trying to solve to actually be able to ask a question about it.
2.. You're not "entitled". Eventually, you have to learn to stop depending on the kindness of strangers and do it yourself.
3. Learn how to get the current date and time. 😉Hey Alexa/Siri/.... What's the current date and time? 😀
Drew
Heh... I wouldn't be surprised if it answered, "I'm sorry Dave, I've never had to work with that before". 😉
--Jeff Moden
December 12, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Do what you love and the money will come; nobody is awesome at stuff they don't like to do - regardless of how well it pays.
This has been true throughout my career.
-- Itzik Ben-Gan 2001
December 12, 2017 at 2:44 pm
Alan.B - Tuesday, December 12, 2017 1:51 PMDo what you love and the money will come; nobody is awesome at stuff they don't like to do - regardless of how well it pays.
This has been true throughout my career.
+ 1 Million to THAT!
--Jeff Moden
December 13, 2017 at 5:45 am
Some bits from me:
Failure is not the end. I have no formal education because I failed in school. This didn't stop me from pursuing my career in technology.
Passion is key. Do something because you are generally interested and invested in it because you love it.
Speak up. Don't be just another body in the room. Contribute to the conversation, be precise and be constructive.
Keep an open mind. Remove your bias and look at different problems, solutions and even people under different lights and be open to everything.
Be a team player. Many will tell you to surround yourself with smart people; toss away those who are not. Don't be afraid to help your team, regardless of opinion, and focus on solving problems together, even if that means helping a teammate across the finish line.
Lastly, explore the world. This is something that helped me a great deal with no formal education. Working with a international company or having the luxury as a young person to move around a lot early in my career helped me better understand people in general. If you get the opportunity to do the same, especially travel abroad, then jump on it while you can. It will help you so much in the long run.
December 13, 2017 at 6:05 am
xsevensinzx - Wednesday, December 13, 2017 5:45 AMBe a team player. Many will tell you to surround yourself with smart people; toss away those who are not. Don't be afraid to help your team, regardless of opinion, and focus on solving problems together, even if that means helping a teammate across the finish line.
THAT is a key to being an "Exceptional DBA"! To paraphrase what David Poole once said, "If you're the first person that people seek out when they need help rather than the last, you might be an Exceptional DBA".
--Jeff Moden
November 2, 2018 at 10:58 am
xsevensinzx - Wednesday, December 13, 2017 5:45 AMSome bits from me:Failure is not the end. I have no formal education because I failed in school. This didn't stop me from pursuing my career in technology.
Passion is key. Do something because you are generally interested and invested in it because you love it.
Speak up. Don't be just another body in the room. Contribute to the conversation, be precise and be constructive.
Keep an open mind. Remove your bias and look at different problems, solutions and even people under different lights and be open to everything.
Be a team player. Many will tell you to surround yourself with smart people; toss away those who are not. Don't be afraid to help your team, regardless of opinion, and focus on solving problems together, even if that means helping a teammate across the finish line.
Lastly, explore the world. This is something that helped me a great deal with no formal education. Working with a international company or having the luxury as a young person to move around a lot early in my career helped me better understand people in general. If you get the opportunity to do the same, especially travel abroad, then jump on it while you can. It will help you so much in the long run.
How did you go about mastering the more advanced topics in SQL? Did you learn on the job, or from online resources? Thanks!
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