Apr 3: Leaving Pythian
I've decided to leave Pythian.
It's been one of the more difficult decisions I've made in my career and, as people seem very interested in my original decision to work for Pythian (probably because I blogged about it and they're well-known in the community), it's only fair that I comment a little on the reasons why, otherwise I have a feeling people might read between the lines and arrive at the wrong conclusions.
The simple fact is that it's not the job for me. Pythian are definitely the company for me, but the two things are different.
I'm not sure I'm suited to the remote DBA support game. Multiple client environments, managing the billing and time management aspects and having less direct contact with clients have all been challenges. Timezone differences are also a factor in the latter, which is to say the guys in the Ottawa office have more opportunity to chat to clients. In fact, I wonder whether I've grown out of 'support' work full stop. I know at a previous client a few years ago that I loved the intense front-line support role and was told I was good at it, but only did it one week out of four and the rest of the time was project-related work. I still think I can cut it on the pager, but I just want a little more out of my work than that.
In fairness, my team lead recognised that and gave me as much project work as possible. Even then, I always felt like I was working against the clock, trying to minimise the client's bill which I think is good for the client but I got far too stressed out about it. Again, several people tried to help me not see things that way, but it's just the way I am, I suppose - taking things too seriously and personally. As a result, I've been incredibly tired at the end of the day, with no desire or energy for the usual extra-curricular blogging and so on. I never worked long hours at Pythian, but I always felt very tired and wired at the end of the day. (If you think about it, that's a strange combination!)
One of the joys of the job has been working with technology which still isn't very common in UK enterprises - RAC, ASM and Linux to name three - but learning more also adds additional pressure and the rest of my life (because I have one) is starting to be affected by me being too stressed out, and that's never a good thing.
An additional difficulty, that Paul Vallee was concerned about from the outset, is working from home. I don't think the working from home bit is difficult actually although it probably adds to the stress levels because I find it hard to force myself to take a break. I like my own company, like the working environment and had a lot of success working from home at a previous site, so I definitely wouldn't discount that in future. However, working alone, five hours difference apart from my colleagues brings additional pressures because there are times when it's difficult to know whether I'm doing what someone would want me to or not. i.e. There's no constant communication flowing back and forward. Alex Gorbachev and others have been excellent in trying to help me overcome the difficulties, but it remains difficult. Oh, and it's not great for my nicotine consumption rate either, which probably hasn't helped my stress levels 
I hope I'm leaving on good terms, have met some wonderful new friends (and I don't use that language lightly) and I wouldn't discount me working with Pythian again in future in a different capacity but I think, for now, I'm better suited to the UK consulting market and bigger enterprises. Another way of putting that is that I imagine I might be a Pythian customer in future because I haven't changed my opinions of their services or overall objectives. There are a lot of great things going on at Pythian but they're different to what I'm looking for in my working life.
Even as late as Friday, I was still wondering whether I'm doing the right thing because I would have loved to have made a success of it at Pythian. Still, you live and learn, eh? Maybe it was just all too much change in a short period of time - I'm an old man, you know Actually, Tim Hall wrote a blog the other week which really resonated with me. Maybe it's time for me to go back to what I'm best at for a while.
#1 - joel garry said:
2007-04-03 13:13 - (Reply)
Felt like the guy in Metropolis who has to keep the dials pointed right? 
When it comes down to it, it is difficult to tell if someone will fit a job until they try it. That's what ticks me off so much about HR people and their "predictive" "methodologies." For people way off on the tails of curves it just doesn't work, and may be just superstition for many of the rest.
Yeah, when I was on support it started out 75/25 support/learning (after a month of pure training), but with company leanness it eventually became 100% with double the workload.
Congratulations on being able to go back to what you are best at, and best of luck!
#1.2 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-04 00:13 - (Reply)
Joel,
Re-reading your comment ...
When it comes down to it, it is difficult to tell if someone will fit a job until they try it. That's what ticks me off so much about HR people and their "predictive" "methodologies." For people way off on the tails of curves it just doesn't work, and may be just superstition for many of the rest.
I *definitely* agree with you there.
Thanks for the best wishes, too. I'm really looking forward to whatever comes next, which is probably the best sign that this just wasn't the job for me. Shame, though 
#2 - James Foronda said:
2007-04-03 14:28 - (Reply)
Doug,
For a while there, I thought you were leaving because you gained weight as a result of working from home... and I was gonna repeat what I said earlier regarding the importance of putting chains around your refrigerator.
I think it is all for the best that you realized that it is not the job for you. Otherwise, your stress level will just go up and along with that, your nicotine consumption. I once left a very good job to go and work for one of the big banks. Week 2, I began to realize that it was not the job for me. I quit after only 6 weeks and my boss over there is a very good friend of mine to this day.
On a side note: "trying to minimise the client's bill"... hmmm... that tells a *lot* about the folks at Pythian. My hats off to you, guys.
James
#2.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-03 22:45 - (Reply)
James,
A couple of very perceptive comments there.
and my boss over there is a very good friend of mine to this day.
I expect that to be the case.
On a side note: "trying to minimise the client's bill"... hmmm... that tells a *lot* about the folks at Pythian. My hats off to you, guys.
Well, yes. That's also 'me' too because, as the time spent, work done and billing is very clearly exposed in the Pythian model, which is great for the client, what I found difficult was that *I* let it stress *me* out. To an extent I always worried, even on project work, that the client would be unhappy with the rate or quality of my work. Think about that - it's great for the client to keep me on my toes, but if you're a bit of a worrier already, it's difficult to deal with.
Nobody ever told me they were unhappy and nobody ever complained, but I always felt like someone was watching over my shoulder, you know like managers during a critical database recovery
Of course, working alone in a different timezone is likely to exaggerate those feelings.
Can I emphasise once more - these are *my* feelings and there are plenty of other people at Pythian who don't let it wind them up in the same way.
#3 - Bill Thater 2007-04-03 16:26 - (Reply)
good luck, my friend. yes finding the right combination of job and company is rather elusive.
so guys, need agrunt DBA in Austin? at least i'd be on nearly the same tiem zone.
#4.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-03 22:49 - (Reply)
The other is the lack of an office environment and its human contact. And the stress that introduces, which then reflects badly on things like smokes.
Yep, Paul Vallee warned me and he was right. However, I think working in a different timezone exasperated that. I used to have a ball working at home at a previous site. It's really hard work (because you're not stopping for a chat like the slackers in the office ) but I liked it. Then again, I was probably better at handling stress then.
However, for a good five or 6 hours of each day, there was no-one on my team that I could really ask about things, and I think that was a bigger problem than the WFH. There are people working in my TZ, but not on my team's work.
You're right about the smoking, too, but I wouldn't want to publicise just how bad that has become!!
#5 - Peter K said:
2007-04-03 19:17 - (Reply)
Sorry to hear that but yeah, support work is definitely at odds with project work and it is more stressful as you have folks breathing down on neck to fix problems.
Sounds like it more of the nature of the work than the company itself so that's a plus and maybe Pythian should be looking into expanding into full-blown project work.
Good luck.
#5.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-03 23:14 - (Reply)
Peter,
support work is definitely at odds with project work and it is more stressful as you have folks breathing down on neck to fix problems.
Mmmm, I almost reconsidered that 'support' angle I took when I was writing the blog because it's not a good reflection on my work at Pythian, so just to expand on it a bit.
First, most of my work for the past week, for example, has been project work building a couple of RAC clusters for a very interesting demonstration (wish I could talk about it, but best not). I see a lot of project work going on around the company for all kinds of clients. I'd call Pythian a fully-rounded DBA provider, but that clearly includes support work too and we all take our turn on the pager.
However, even the project work has fully logged activities and billing to the minute, so if I spend 27 minutes solving a problem with an installation, that's what Pythian bill. I think that's a great thing for the client and quite essential when you're working remotely because you need accountability.
It then depends what you do with that. If I was to bill like I bill when I'm consulting, I'd bill 8 hours each day to 'building a cluster' and that might go on for a few days. However, what I did was to log my activities constantly and as accurately as possible (certainly logging a maximum every hour or so) and then, what happens when you hit a problem and haven't the first idea what you're going to do about it? Well, the more experienced users of the system would probably say - just log the time you need to spend thinking about the problem. Psychologically, however, *I* felt I had to produce constantly, constantly, constantly so it affected what I think is the natural quiet/busy flow of work. i.e. I'm a slacker
I think there are some people who would also feel that was a pressure, and some who it wouldn't affect at all and I'm one of the former.
In the end, there was lots of interesting and long term project work going on at Pythian and I got more than my fair share, but with the clock running and a client paying, it all ended up feeling like support work, if that makes sense. I'm used to using systems like Remedy to record activities or time-recording systems, but not to having a meter running all the time.
Of course, as Paul V said to me once - 'when you're consulting, you just have a 160 hour contract with your client, what's the difference?' I think the two main differences are a) One client, which means I can rearrange tasks easier in a bigger block of time and trust is likely to be easier to build, simply through my constant presence. (However, you have to remember I was new at Pythian, and client trust takes a while to build.) b) They have me there for the general task of 'being a DBA' and although there's usually some form of time-accounting, they're not as fussy or detailed about it as a remote client is likely to be.
I know I keep repeating myself, but I'm not sure that any of this is 'a problem' and there are a whole bunch of DBAs who have worked at Pythian for a long time and make the system work well - it just wasn't for me.
#6.1 - sshrek 2007-04-04 08:18 - (Reply)
and that sounds like a very good company. i didn't know they even existedanymore, but then i am a cycinal you-know-what.
#7.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-04 06:13 - (Reply)
Graham,
it all adds up to spending longer and longer days trying to get anything resolved in an efficient manner.
That didn't prove to be as difficult as I thought it might, but it was only a five hour time difference, my team lead was very good at hand-over and I was very determined not to let it happen
Still did sometimes, though, and probably not helped by the fact that I like to work early rather than late.
Good luck with whatever you do next. Try not to come down to London though, you'll make us all look bad!
I doubt it, but thanks anyway
#8.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-07 16:52 - (Reply)
Yeah, I know, I was working for a slave-driver! (But don't tell anyone ...)
#8.1.1 - Alex Gorbachev said:
2007-04-08 17:07 - (Reply)
Right... back to work then!
#8.1.1.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-08 17:25 - (Reply)
Yes, boss
#9.1 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-07 17:01 - (Reply)
Yeah, but it took you two comments before you remembered!
#9.1.1 - Alex Gorbachev said:
2007-04-08 17:06 - (Reply)
You are lucky actually - I have really bad memory.
#10 - Tim Hall said:
2007-04-11 05:08 - (Reply)
It's good to know that my idle ramblings "resonate" somewhere...
Of course, I accept no responsibility for your decision. One should seek medical advice before embarking on blog reading regime, and it can only help weight loss when combined with a calorie controlled diet... Plus any other disclaimers...
Cheers
Tim...
PS. Good luck and if you find a decent place to work, feel free to drop my name into the conversation. My job sucks at the moment...
#11 - Doug Burns said:
2007-04-11 05:25 - (Reply)
PS. Good luck and if you find a decent place to work, feel free to drop my name into the conversation. My job sucks at the moment...
As it happens I have found one. I've worked there before
What's the morning bus service like between Birmingham and Edinburgh?!
#12 - Alexander Fatkulin 2007-04-11 21:59 - (Reply)
"Even then, I always felt like I was working against the clock, trying to minimise the client's bill which I think is good for the client but I got far too stressed out about it."
Oh I almost afraid of that one
Sometimes there is so much difference between doing work *fast* and doing work *right*.
#13 - Alex Gorbachev said:
2007-04-12 23:40 - (Reply)
Doug, don't scary away your replacement!
#14 - Cos said:
2007-04-29 08:42 - (Reply)
..."what I found difficult was that *I* let it stress *me* out. To an extent I always worried, even on project work, that the client would be unhappy with the rate or quality of my work. ...Nobody ever told me they were unhappy and nobody ever complained, but I always felt like someone was watching over my shoulder..."
well Doug, nicely said... any Oracle psychologists out there, who can shed some light on this, as I seem to have the same condition ??
When I decided to stop working with Pythian, I was particularly disappointed about a couple of things. I've mentioned missing the friends I've made already, but I was also disappointed that I would have to abandon the 'Dirty Dozen' blog series. Although t
Tracked: Apr 29, 16:05