| Does improving query optimizers or other internal stages sound interesting? If you've been a DBA for 10 years then you're going to know a few things about the way databases work internally, even if you specifically only have experience with say SQL Server or Oracle. You could very probably pivot around into database development/maintenance and the transition (including the job-hunt bit) may be less bumpy than you expect. The process of figuring out if this is a worthwhile idea might also be able to squash the loneliness bit: go tinker on open-source database systems for a while, in your spare time. I've heard Redis is very clean C code and very easy to hack on, so that might be an interesting starting point. On the other hand Redis isn't quite SQL, it's a key/value store, so perhaps it wouldn't be a good fit. MySQL and PostgreSQL are so part of the furniture one's initial thought on poking those might be "why would I even dive in", which is totally valid if nothing's on fire and there are no critical money-eating bugs or whatever. But the chances are a decade's DBA experience might come in handy. I've no idea what languages you know, how much experience you have with what, and (most importantly) what random technical things will leap out at you as especially interesting when you see them. |
> You could very probably pivot around into database development/maintenance and the transition (including the job-hunt bit) may be less bumpy than you expect.
Yes, that's totally doable in the PG world. Send a few small patches, proof that you can work with the community, and you'll likely start to get job offers. You won't get close 100% open source work immediately, of course, but there's several places that hire where you can have growth potential.