A day in the life
Someone asked yesterday
Can you please explain me how your typical day looks like? Is your clock different and you get more time to do all these great things than me?
Well, it varies based on whether I'm on the road on at home...
When not traveling, the typical day starts at about 6am, on the road by 6:30am, at the desk by 7am. Do the question thing for a bit, get email done and generally try to drink as much coffee as I can so that by 9am when others are fully in force -- I'm awake.
Then the day is filled with things like meetings, conference calls within Oracle and with customers, dealing with email and customer issues, any employee matters that come up (I manage a small team), researching, presenting to customers, round table discussions, fixing things, answering questions on asktom during the day, putting the column together, doing a response (white paper), whatever. I like to stay as hands on as possible.
I try to leave by 4pm to avoid the traffic on the way home. Have two kids Alan (12) and Megan (9) so something is usually going on in the evening. Then check email, do a little poking around on the web, tv, go to bed.
When traveling, it really isn't that much different, just longer hours I guess. Usually up 5:30/6am, try to get some time on the site in the morning, do whatever I'm in town for -- most of my trips are one/two day trips. Every now and then I get to unpack and stay for a couple of days. Those are usually "problem sites" where it takes a day or two to diagnose the issue, test a fix, deploy. After working at the customer site (presenting, doing a seminar, working on a tuning issue, whatever) it is either back to the hotel for more questions/email or to the airport to get to the next place.
For example, I'm going to Ottawa this evening, get in after dinner. Have 3 customer visits tomorrow, one on Thursday, do a seminar for the Ottawa OUG from 1-4pm and then fly home that evening.
This month is unique for I've taken most of it off from Oracle to work on the second edition of Expert One on One Oracle (to be renamed as WROX went out of business and Apress lost rights to use the "Expert One on One" tagline when they bought it). So, this month, it is up at 6am as normal, do the questions (just the reviews this month, no new questions) and email -- then try to write...
Can you please explain me how your typical day looks like? Is your clock different and you get more time to do all these great things than me?
Well, it varies based on whether I'm on the road on at home...
When not traveling, the typical day starts at about 6am, on the road by 6:30am, at the desk by 7am. Do the question thing for a bit, get email done and generally try to drink as much coffee as I can so that by 9am when others are fully in force -- I'm awake.
Then the day is filled with things like meetings, conference calls within Oracle and with customers, dealing with email and customer issues, any employee matters that come up (I manage a small team), researching, presenting to customers, round table discussions, fixing things, answering questions on asktom during the day, putting the column together, doing a response (white paper), whatever. I like to stay as hands on as possible.
I try to leave by 4pm to avoid the traffic on the way home. Have two kids Alan (12) and Megan (9) so something is usually going on in the evening. Then check email, do a little poking around on the web, tv, go to bed.
When traveling, it really isn't that much different, just longer hours I guess. Usually up 5:30/6am, try to get some time on the site in the morning, do whatever I'm in town for -- most of my trips are one/two day trips. Every now and then I get to unpack and stay for a couple of days. Those are usually "problem sites" where it takes a day or two to diagnose the issue, test a fix, deploy. After working at the customer site (presenting, doing a seminar, working on a tuning issue, whatever) it is either back to the hotel for more questions/email or to the airport to get to the next place.
For example, I'm going to Ottawa this evening, get in after dinner. Have 3 customer visits tomorrow, one on Thursday, do a seminar for the Ottawa OUG from 1-4pm and then fly home that evening.
This month is unique for I've taken most of it off from Oracle to work on the second edition of Expert One on One Oracle (to be renamed as WROX went out of business and Apress lost rights to use the "Expert One on One" tagline when they bought it). So, this month, it is up at 6am as normal, do the questions (just the reviews this month, no new questions) and email -- then try to write...
posted by Thomas Kyte at 7:45 AM
24 Comments:
Just stay away from kryptonite!
How about reading Oracle manuals. I know you read concepts guide once for every major release. What about rest of the manuals. How do your target them.
How about reading Oracle manuals.
I read the new features chapter in many of them, the Admin Guide, The backup and recovery guides, Data Warehousing guide, Application developers Guides, SQL Reference, Reference, Streams, Text, Utilities specifically.
I use the guides as a reference now. I have 1.26 gig of documentation from version 7.3 to 10g on my machines (in pdf) and when online, use otn.oracle.com to search and create virtual books (those rock sometimes).
You can download them from otn in pdf format as well. Highly recommended.
There is almost always one set of doc open on my machine, be it in html on the web or pdf (I prefer to use the pdf to read)
Tom,
You are really a role model for poeple liks us. Keep up the good work. Talk little bit more about you family.. (as you are a star and other people would definately be intersted in your personal life)
Tom,
Do you have any recommendations for internet blocking software and internet virus protection software for home use?
I am using the Norton product which does both... but I am unhappy with the content blocking part of it.
I am trying 'ContentWatch', but am apparently having problems with it working with Norton.
Would be very interested to know what you use at home.. and/or any recommendations.
Thanks,
Robert.
Do you have any recommendations for internet blocking software and internet virus protection software for home use?
I sit behind a firewall at home (part of the broadband connection I have). I use symantec anti-virus. I have the kids rebuild their machines once they get too "spyware" infected :)
No content blocking, just all computers (8 of them) in the open in a public space... Use VNC to "see what they see" as needed.
Thanks for answering my question. It is good to hear about your activity on a given day....
40th anniversary of Moore's law:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4446285.stm
Where do you see or want to see technology go in the coming years?
>> For example, I'm going to Ottawa this evening, get in after dinner. <<
What I'd like to see in a Tom Kyte blog are more restaurant reviews.
What I'd like to see in a Tom Kyte blog are more restaurant reviews.
McDonalds rocks. Burger King is OK. Nathans for a hot dog...
I eat very well on the road. I know the menu at most Marriots and Sheratons....
(i'll look at the moores law thing in a blog soon...)
"McDonalds rocks"
Ha!
Reminds me of the meal in San Fran at that restaurant with a rather exotic menu. You stared at that menu for a fair while and said..."Where's a simple steak?"
Gotta extend the palate Tom :-)
Reminds me of the meal in San Fran
Ah yes, the Aqua (second picture on that page). Now that is a group of people that doesn't get together often.
I have been back there two times since. That is one of my favorites.
You must be superman if you live in NOVA and can get to work in 1 hour.
I have both your books and have learned a great deal from them.
Keep up the great work!
any future plans of a seminar in India ?
--Amol
Wrox books are still published, through Wiley.
And personally loved that Wrox book. Maybe you can still see if that's possible.
any future plans of a seminar in India ?
...
Wrox books are still published, through Wiley.
As for India, no plans as yet, but I've hit lots of other places. Who knows....
For WROX -- some of the WROX material was bought by Wiley and Wiley bought the identity. But Wiley bought mostly the MS books. The Oracle books were bought by Apress.
I transitioned into the dba role in our company about 4 years (from a totally unrelated role ...ie. non-IT). I discovered your books and website about a year ago! Boy, I only wished I found these earlier during my career change. They are a lot better than the so-called oracle books I had purchased during my first few years in the field.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I look forward to the new edition of your book!
Btw. Love your style of writing and 'proving' any concepts/claims. That is the only way go!
oops! Just realized that my previous posting was erroneously posted here instead of your Monday's posting - "Ok, so I won't do that". It is a comment to that blog.
"Then check email, do a little poking around on the web, tv, go to bed."
Nearly fell off my chair when I read “tv” … guess the absence of “gym” is what saved me.
Tom,
could you share some tips and strategies on managing DBA group (I assume that's who you manage). I'm a techie myself and recently became the team-lead of 8 DBAs.
Tom
Has any of your 2 kids shown any interest in database technology..or any other computer technology field?
Do you spend time with them discussing your career, website and the impact your role has had on the Oracle community as a whole.
Surely they must be darn proud of
their dad...I know I would be.
Favorite burger joint isn't Five Guys??? ;)
any of your 2 kids shown any interest
My son Alan is getting very computer adept. Not programming so much as intelligent end user. He's said he wants to do computers when he grows up, but I'm not sure he knows exactly what that means.
Uptill now I was a silent admirer cum follower of your's, after tasting your blog, I couldnt simply resist to say that you are the modern Pythia (comprehensible this time)... Great Work Tom.
POST A COMMENT
<< Home