A couple of weeks ago, an interesting discussion popped up on the r/sysadmin subreddit:
"Learning SQL - Yay or Nay? I'm looking into which area I should be studying next and I often see SQL mentioned on job listings. I'd love some advice if it is the correct thing for my current skill set, or If I should be focusing on different skills."
Without interjecting too much of my personal opinion, I thought the commentary was interesting and definitely interjected some considerations I hadn't made before.
While of course it's helpful to know more about nearly any technology you might encounter in your day job, what to learn has to be a matter of priority. But I've always found querying and filtering to be critical: Whether you're using SQL, regular expressions at the command line, or just some basic filters in a spreadsheet, it's essential to know how to break down big piles of data into something digestible, or just find that one thing you need.
But that's just my opinion.
SELECT `opinions`
FROM `sysadmins`
WHERE `topic` = 'querying data';
What do you think? Is learning SQL a critical skill for a sysadmin, a nice-to-have, or not even of real value?
[Are you a SQL buff? Learn all about how Microsoft SQL Server now runs on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.]
About the author
Red Hat Certified Engineer. Linux desktop enthusiast. Map/geospatial nerd. Raspberry Pi tinkerer. Data analysis and visualization geek. Occasional Pythonista.
More like this
14 software architecture design patterns to know
Red Hat Learning Subscription Course: Skills for the future
Should Managers Code? | Compiler
The Sysadmin And The Script | Compiler: Re:Role
Browse by channel
Automation
The latest on IT automation for tech, teams, and environments
Artificial intelligence
Updates on the platforms that free customers to run AI workloads anywhere
Open hybrid cloud
Explore how we build a more flexible future with hybrid cloud
Security
The latest on how we reduce risks across environments and technologies
Edge computing
Updates on the platforms that simplify operations at the edge
Infrastructure
The latest on the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform
Applications
Inside our solutions to the toughest application challenges
Virtualization
The future of enterprise virtualization for your workloads on-premise or across clouds