Would she consider learning Apex? You can get a job developing apps in Apex. If she only wants to use SQL, I just can't see many options.
Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
91–100 of 128 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am all for downshifting: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36306966 I never intended to make a life long career at BigTech and was never planning on staying at Amazon for more than four years. I was always planning on going back to smaller less stressful companies and I’m still in the process of decontenting my life. But “coasting” in the technology field is just not realistic. Eventually as she has seen, the gr…
Coasting is entirely realistic. There are still many jobs that require knowledge that has been releatively stable, that are not stressful. And it is perfectly fine to want them id you realise pay is going to be less than you could get in other positions. You are just being an asshole.
I said “in technology”.
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#93I’m sorry as someone who is 50 years old and started programming as a hobbyist at 12 in assembly and professionally at 22, I have no sympathy or advice for anyone who is not willing to transition to newer tech and according to you is actively ignoring clear transition paths. My advice is for her not to be lazy and take advantage of the opportunity to transition to some newer tech. Context: I got my first and only job…
Isn't Oracle SQL still one of the most advanced databases? To some it may be the "new tech" you're talking about. I wouldn't use Oracle SQL for other reasons, but purely from technical standpoint it's one of the most advanced things in it's niche.
As part of a job yes. The original poster just said that the company she is working for expects her to do more than just write sql.
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#94>> It's all fine work, but not for her, not at this stage in life. >> She wants to find a place to be comfy and write some SQL scripts, analysis, and data modeling here and there, where she will be both happy and useful. Pay is not a priority. Sorry but your mom is about my age (nearly 50 that is). "At this stage in life" is reserved for 30 years from now, someone has to break this to her. Sounds like the private sec…
> Sorry but your mom is about my age (nearly 50 that is). "At this stage in life" is reserved for 30 years from now, someone has to break this to her.
What does your or her age have to do with what stage of life someone else is in and what they are looking for? There are so many other factors that go into what stage of life we feel we are in. Nor are our personal benchmarks or "age thresholds" necessarily relevant for others.
> On the other hand some people are just not cutoff for the level of workload in the private sector (not just programming, try sales or stacking shelves at Target for a change) and are just professional complainers.
There are many, many other situations and lifestyle choices between "cutoff for level of workload in the private sector" and "professional complainer". It reads as though you have some anecdotal experiences that might be coloring your view of situations that are likely not as transferable as you might think.
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#95>> It's all fine work, but not for her, not at this stage in life. >> She wants to find a place to be comfy and write some SQL scripts, analysis, and data modeling here and there, where she will be both happy and useful. Pay is not a priority. Sorry but your mom is about my age (nearly 50 that is). "At this stage in life" is reserved for 30 years from now, someone has to break this to her. Sounds like the private sec…
What a helpful comment. Yes. How dare someone wish to maintain the work/life balance they have worked hard to attain. They must be lazy like your anecdotal associate.
Just a counterpoint to consider: Start-ups are a dirty fraction of the private sector. They burn through people to achieve short-term goals and reach IPO or takeover. They offset this wear and tear with direct remuneration and options. Most private sector work isn't X10 gigabros, it's real people doing a job, developing themselves and adding value to a long term business in a 9-5 setting. These jobs still exist.
Telling someone to stack shelves because they don't want to work at a start-up is contemptible.
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#96The title is DBA. The role can be found at basically every Fortune 500 in the US. She may want to go to Oracle Cloud meetups if she’s been struggling to find connections through other means.
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#97>> It's all fine work, but not for her, not at this stage in life. >> She wants to find a place to be comfy and write some SQL scripts, analysis, and data modeling here and there, where she will be both happy and useful. Pay is not a priority. Sorry but your mom is about my age (nearly 50 that is). "At this stage in life" is reserved for 30 years from now, someone has to break this to her. Sounds like the private sec…
What a helpful comment. Yes. How dare someone wish to maintain the work/life balance they have worked hard to attain. They must be lazy like your anecdotal associate. Just a counterpoint to consider: Start-ups are a dirty fraction of the private sector. They burn through people to achieve short-term goals and reach IPO or takeover. They offset this wear and tear with direct remuneration and options. Most private sect…
>> 20 years of experience with Oracle SQL. She's an expert in that, but not in other dev stuff
I'm not so sure how much of an expert either. Everyone's parent is a hero to them so one has to take the statement they make with a grain of salt.
Is she "an amazing DBA"? If so she probably has little problem finding another job. If she just knows SQL or worse only "Oracle SQL", meaning little experience with other types of databases, well then she sounds like the kind of person of which there are aplenty who wants to learn one trade and do it for life, with little desire to diversify or re-qualify.
I'm not saying I've got a burning desire to "diversify or re-qualify" and the "churn and burn" characteristic of the software development sector is dear to my heart but I'm a professional, veteran soldier that knows very well what he's gotten into. This "job" isn't for everyone and there are different jobs where you get to re-use the knowledge that you acquire: law, medicine, accounting, teaching, cashier or stackshelver at Target etc. Only not the cruel slaughterhouse that's software development, in a war analogy I'd equate this mom's job with something in intendance versus brutal front line battles that most soldiers are forced to fight. But since she's in the army nevertheless, mustn't be surprised if at some point she finds herself sent to the front line.
>> How dare someone wish to maintain the work/life balance they have worked hard to attain. They must be lazy like your anecdotal associate.
I'm not making value judgements about her desire and in fact I'm sympathetic to her. Just pointing out the cognitive dissonance of having such desires and fantasies in the sector where she works.
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's just sad because so many people accept this kind of mediocrity as the norm, when I absolutely believe it doesn't have to be. If you actually enjoy your job, the technology space, and your coworkers (all achievable in theory), then no matter how old you were, those other asks would be givens. And in addition, you'd be 100% likely to be more successful and have some pull when you need some emergency (or necessary)…
I am not going to dispute your opinion but rather point out that people are different. Some people don't mind maintaining old systems and some people love being the person who created a new systems D using new technology. Both sets of people are necessary in our field of development and his mother sounds like she is fine with maintenance type of work.
That's fair
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's just sad because so many people accept this kind of mediocrity as the norm, when I absolutely believe it doesn't have to be. If you actually enjoy your job, the technology space, and your coworkers (all achievable in theory), then no matter how old you were, those other asks would be givens. And in addition, you'd be 100% likely to be more successful and have some pull when you need some emergency (or necessary)…
> in addition, you'd be 100% likely to be more successful and have some pull when you need some emergency (or necessary) time off. One shouldn't need pull for necessary time off, much less emergency time off.
Good point. I guess I was referring to... well at my startup we're all dads which is very fortunate because some days with toddlers are just... impossible to be productive
Re: Ask HN: How can my mom downshift as a SQL developer?
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
The difference would be irrelevant, based on OP’s description. She ought to be able to plug into literally any SQL dialect if she’s doing junior/mid-level analyst work.
Her title is db admin and that’s the position she’s gunning for. They’re going to expect senior level skill beyond just creating queries.
“ She wants to find a place to be comfy and write some SQL scripts, analysis, and data modeling here and there, where she will be both happy and useful. Pay is not a priority.”
None of this suggests senior level skill to me, whatever title is associated with it, particularly given the three points OP listed that she pushed back on. This role is, at most, mid-level.