The New Guy

It’s always interesting going into a new gig. You’ve got the local politics to deal with as well as new systems to learn. There’s really too much to pick up than I could ever cover in a blog, but you’ve all started new gigs, so you know what I’m talking about.

The other side of that coin though is what it’s like to have to deal with the new guy coming in. You definitely get some guys who push the boundaries of what you’re used to.

A really good example is this one guy we had at my last gig. He was there about a week, and we were standing around talking about how our Windows guy was going out for his anniversary that night. He was taking his wife to this one place to eat (I don’t remember where right now). Oddly enough, that guy showed up at the restaurant while they were eating. He sat at a table near them and kept trying to make conversation. Now, I never did discover his motivation, or what he even hoped to gain, but from there on out he became this stalker and nobody really wanted that much to do with him. Then he started up this campaign of hiding behind cubes to hear what people were saying about him. It was all perfectly creepy. This was definitely a case where he had no idea how to become part of the group, and nobody in the group had any idea how to talk to him either. It was just a bad situation all around.

Currently, my situation is different from any I’ve ever had. I’ve been at my current gig for a year now and while I replaced the former DBA, he’s still around. I’ve never been there before. Usually, the old DBA has moved on to different pastures.

One of the hardest parts of my job has been taking the role of DBA from him. He was the only DBA for a long time, and now he still sits right beside me, and it’s taken a long time, but people are finally starting to see me as the DBA instead of that new guy who doesn’t know nearly as much as the original. But yeah, even when they started coming to me with questions, they’d always go to him right after. I guess they just wanted to make sure the answers matched.

And I don’t blame them in the least. It’s a new situation for them too. They’ve still got the guy here that they’re used to dealing with, only now they’re being told this new guy is the man. People mostly resist change and I’m sure most of them didn’t see any reason to switch DBAs.

So, things are starting to workout now, but it was really touch and go there for a while.

Part of the point here is that it isn’t just tough on the new guy. It’s also tough on the old guys. The new guy has new ways of doing things etc. and they’re not sure how to deal with that. He may even directly disagree with what they’ve been told by other DBAs.

The big question of course, is who’s responsibility is it to make sure things go smoothly? I’ve been told many times that it’s MY duty to make sure that I fit into the bunch and it’s not their job to make me feel welcome. Personally, I think that’s a load of crap. You’ve got to realize that this guy is coming in here new and he’s automatically out-numbered 100 to 1. He’s not in on all the politics, or any of the funny stories you guys tell at meetings or anything. How much of an effort can the new guy really make? I mean, you don’t invite someone over to your house for dinner and then treat them like crap until they prove they can fold into the workings of your house do you? I certainly hope not.

Anyway, I’ve got some more stuff to say on this general topic, but I’m out of time right now. Perhaps I’ll pick this up again soon.

But for now, let’s set a couple ground rules. When you start a new job, try not to stalk your co-workers, and when someone starts at your office, don’t make them always have to come to you. Remember how completely they’re out-numbered and try to bring them into the fold yourself.