when did a test engineer become a DBA and a website developer and ...

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

expand, improve, maintain large SQL databases

experience with Python/C#/C++,MSSQL/Redis

experience with HTML/Bootstrap/JS/JQuery/Websockets,MQTT/RabbitMQ

all the while supporting HP VEE (similar to LabVIEW) software

HP VEE is about as similar to LabVIEW as the Peugeot is to Honda.

all for less than $80K/year

I would love working on all the different technologies, but let's get real about the pay.

[jcarmody]

Do you work for a small company?  I work for a very large company and we have departments responsible for all databases and server-based applications.  Test Engineers only get involved where there's overlap, but we still don't have responsibility for the infrastructure.  It sounds like the Test Engineer you've described has a plethora of tools in his toolbox, is underpaid and should renegotiate or move on. 😄

[Ben]

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@jcarmody wrote:

....  It sounds like the Test Engineer you've described has a plethora of tools in his toolbox, is underpaid and should renegotiate or move on. 😄

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They most likely did, hence the job notice.

There is a bit of overlap between DBA and LV in that the rules of DB design ("The key the key and nothing but the key so help me Codd.")  have helped me design my data structures and in LV it is ALL about the data.

Ben

[jcarmody]

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@Ben wrote:
There is a bit of overlap between DBA and LV in that the rules of DB design

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I understand/agree.  The distinction I was making was between the person that designs tables/indices/queries/etc. and the person responsible for backups and replication.  I do the former (or I buy it) but I never worry about the latter.

@Ben wrote:

"The key the key and nothing but the key so help me Codd."

 Amen, brother!  I have inherited so many tables that got wider and wider over the years as more tests were added!  It's ridiculous. 😛

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

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@jcarmody wrote:

Do you work for a small company? 

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I have worked at small startups before.

And I have worked at megacorps too.

Now semi-retired.

This job ad caught my eye because I knew exactly which company it was as I interviewed with them in the summer of 2015. I received three "we are still in the hiring process" from them then dead silence. As I recall, at the time, the DBA and website designer requirements were not there. I didn't realize how bad the salary range was.

The person who I interviewed with was a new grad with a PhD in physics.

The test "department" was started by another PhD one of the founders.

That's how it usually works in start-up companies.

PhDs are golden and industry experience be damned.

I am guessing the new grad physics PhD left after 2 years which is why they are hiring.

I am also guessing that that person implemented whatever Redis and MQTT and other stuff they threw in there.

[jcarmody]

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@nyc_(is_out_of_here) wrote:

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This job ad caught my eye  

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Now I get it; I thought you were commenting on your current position, not a job ad.  That makes one of Ben's comments make sense now, too.

I applied for a job at a startup a few years ago.  I wasn't offered the position for (at least) two reasons, I think:  (1) I said something about being able to really improve their existing codebase, to the author of their existing codebase and, (2) I told them how much I wanted to get paid.  I never heard from them after that. 😛

[Blokk]

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@jcarmody wrote:

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@nyc_(is_out_of_here) wrote:

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This job ad caught my eye  

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Now I get it; I thought you were commenting on your current position, not a job ad.  That makes one of Ben's comments make sense now, too.

I applied for a job at a startup a few years ago.  I wasn't offered the position for (at least) two reasons, I think:  (1) I said something about being able to really improve their existing codebase, to the author of their existing codebase and, (2) I told them how much I wanted to get paid.  I never heard from them after that. 😛

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oke, I will keep such things in my mind for sure! 🙂

I have a job interview in 2 weeks IRL, I had already a ~one hour Skype interview previously. Mid-sized company, R/D (both hardware and software). We had some discussions about what "platforms" they use, they mentioned PICs and ARM based things for hardware, and they have C# programmers for software. I was curious, so I just asked, if they ever considered using HW/software solutions offered by NI. They said no. I asked why, because of cost reasons? They said: "solutions from NI were not reliable enough for us", or something like that.

This was the point when I had a strong feeling, ok, I should direct the discussion toward safer areas 😄

Well, they do not look for a programmer, but a physicist, so this is still ok for me, but for sure I would miss LV if this new position became a reality later (but good side is that, then i might have the opportunity to deepen my "text-coding" skills... 🙂 )

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

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@jcarmody wrote:

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@nyc_(is_out_of_here) wrote:

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This job ad caught my eye  

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Now I get it; I thought you were commenting on your current position, not a job ad.  That makes one of Ben's comments make sense now, too.

I applied for a job at a startup a few years ago.  I wasn't offered the position for (at least) two reasons, I think:  (1) I said something about being able to really improve their existing codebase, to the author of their existing codebase and, (2) I told them how much I wanted to get paid.  I never heard from them after that. 😛

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I have always wondered about why companies and start-ups in particular are willing to settle for mediocrity and inexperience.

The fact that they went down the road of HP VEE and not LabVIEW or even VB.NET is really a poor decision if they want to hire new personnel. It is going to be constant training of every new person they bring in at the low salary who leaves for greener pastures after every 2 years. 

[thoult]

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@nyc_(is_out_of_here) wrote:

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I have always wondered about why companies and start-ups in particular are willing to settle for mediocrity and inexperience.

Naivety, inexperience, financial constraints and an overwhelming sense of trust in the power of highly intelligent people to make things work.

[LV_Pro]

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@thoult wrote:

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@nyc_(is_out_of_here) wrote:

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I have always wondered about why companies and start-ups in particular are willing to settle for mediocrity and inexperience.

Naivety, inexperience, financial constraints and an overwhelming sense of trust in the power of highly intelligent people to make things work.

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All of the above, in my experience, having been part of a start up (which failed, due to financial issues after 9/11/01), and have done projects for other recent start ups. Another issue is ignorance outside of the primaries' field of knowledge. I have fought the LabVIEW vs VB, etc., fight for many years, as well as the use of NI hardware vs others. In the later case it usually is a financial issue, but I point out that at my hourly rate the time I spend trying to get the hardware to play nice may invalidate any concerns of additional expense. As to "not reliable enough", what in the world were they attempting to do? What hardware were they using/proposing? Since NI hardware (and software) was chosen for the Large Hadron Collider, as well as heavily used by SpaceX, just to name two, not sure what criteria they based that on, other than possible newbie bad experiences when the were in school.  If you want to bring fear to the heart of a seasoned LabVIEW programmer use the phrase "we have ordered the hardware from Supertecho_kewl, and it comes with LabVIEW drivers"!!!