Database Management
Posted September 10, 2013 by Carolyn Lucas
It feels so odd to be back in the swing of the graduate program. The transition from working full-time to the calendar of a graduate student…well, let’s just say there are pros and cons (pro: lots more time to refill prescriptions, go to the post office, make dinner, sleep… cons: well, a moth just flew out of my wallet. Oh yeah…this is why I need a job). I actually accidentally have been waking up at 5 am, which is odd because even when I was working I didn’t wake up at 5 am. I guess it’s my brain’s way of protesting at the schedule switches.
But time presses forward, and what I really want to talk about are DATABASES. Databases are awesome wonderful tools that almost everyone on the planet uses daily. I was recently talking with a friend of mine, who complained that every job she has worked uses Excel spreadsheets, and why did everyone think they were so useful. Honestly? It’s because they’re primitive databases – data storage with lists of attributes and unique identifiers able to be sorted, counted, and broken down in an infinite number of ways. And while that may not seem useful, like my friend mentioned it is used in practically every career and industry you can think of.
Which leads me into my next point: database management. I am taking database management this semester, and I am so excited. One of my colleagues this past summer is a Simmons alum, and she mentioned that not only could she not speak highly enough of the class and its’ professor, but it was chockfull of real-world applications in our industry. While it’s easy enough to get by without taking the class, she said that it gave her an advantage when using and building databases in an industry – understanding how databases operate on a code level gives an expansive knowledge of what is and is not possible, the time commitment it takes to build a database to specifics, and has the added bonus of making you look like you know what you’re talking about to the technology department who will ultimately create these databases.
I am talking a lot about my database management class, but truth be told I haven’t even attended a class yet! Can you tell I’m just a little excited? I will continue to update posts about this class, as I learn and expand my knowledge about databases. I hope you have all had a great start to the semester – and that you’re as excited about your classes as I am about mine!