How Oracle DBAs can stay "up to date"

How many times a day do you see a new feature being extolled in a posting or article or presentation? Many Oracle DBAs feel overwhelmed at the speed of the changes going on, new releases, new features, new products and new uses of new features in the new versions. And, by the way, tomorrow there will be even more.

How can you keep up, get your work done, and still sleep, eat, and still have at least a little bit of a life?

Here are some tips to keep up on the Oracle topics:

• Look for GROUPS in LinkedIn that appeal to your interests (no not "all") and try to look around inside them once a week
• Join your local Oracle User Group, read their pages and blogs as you find time, and try to go to at least 1 local meeting each year
• Have a habit of looking for interesting articles and publications 1 weekend a month, as time permits, but make a serious attempt to get articles you will read, study, and make notes on, that way the time is useful and productive
• Look for Groups and Pages in FACEBOOK 
• Bug your employer about off-site tech training, if they say "no", try to get to go to an Oracle Conference, if they say "no, consider looking for a new job where the employer is interested in investing in you (no, I am not kidding)

Yes, it can feel overwhelming. Even to the point of stress-headaches and worse. But take action, improve your own skills and you will most likely find that "keeping up" becomes a fun habit. Like going to the gym for your Oracle knowledge and skill-set.