Training Is Important
I missed my weekly blogging goal. In my defense, I was deep in a data center relocation that ran late into the nights more than once, which left me less bandwidth for writing. But training kept going — and honestly, there’s been a lot of it.
Right now I’m juggling SQL performance tuning, DevOps fundamentals, Python, and refreshing my C# skills. That’s probably too many things at once, and I’m aware of it.
What I’m Using
The resources I keep coming back to:
- O’Reilly — broad coverage, good for books and video
- Pluralsight — structured paths, especially for dev skills
- RSS feeds — a curated list of SQL and DevOps blogs; keeps me current without having to go looking
- Podcasts — good for commutes; I can absorb a lot passively
- SQL Saturdays and PASS chapters — can’t replace in-person or live sessions for motivation
- Brent Ozar’s GroupBy.org — free online SQL training from people who actually know the stuff
The problem isn’t access to material — it’s the opposite. There’s too much of it, and saying yes to everything is a fast road to learning nothing deeply.
Avoiding Burnout
The thing I’ve had to learn is that breadth is the enemy of depth, at least in the short term. Trying to get better at SQL performance tuning, DevOps pipelines, Python, and C# all at once means none of them gets real practice time. Something has to be primary.
My current approach: SQL tuning and indexes are the main focus, with DevOps as the secondary track. Python and C# are on the back burner until I have a specific reason to pick them back up — a project, a problem to solve, something concrete.
If you have a system that works for managing continuous learning without burning out, I’d genuinely like to hear it. I don’t have this fully figured out yet.
Key Takeaways
- Too many resources is its own problem — filter aggressively or you’ll make shallow progress everywhere.
- Pick one primary skill to develop at a time; let everything else be secondary or paused.
- Community resources (SQL Saturdays, PASS, GroupBy) are worth the time — the motivation boost alone is valuable.
- Burnout from over-learning is real. Treat focused practice like the limited resource it is.