# SQL: One of the most valuable skills

DevFeed: [SQL: One of the most valuable skills](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/sql-one-of-the-most-valuable-skills-41210.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.craigkerstiens.com/2019/02/12/SQL-One-of-the-most-valuable-skills/>)

Author: Map

Published: 2019-02-12T20:55:56Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Craig Kerstiens](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/craig-kerstiens.md>)

Topics: [SQL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/sql.md>), [Databases](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/databases.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>), [optimize](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/optimize.md>), [JavaScript](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/javascript.md>), [Caching](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/caching.md>)

Tags: [caching](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/caching.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [database](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/database.md>), [javascript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/javascript.md>), [optimize](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/optimize.md>), [postgres](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/postgres.md>), [postgresql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/postgresql.md>), [sql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sql.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion article argues that SQL is one of the most valuable technical skills because it applies across roles, helps people work directly with data in relational databases, and remains relatively stable over time. The author describes using SQL for product management, system analysis, query optimization, and performance work.

## Source excerpt

I've learned a lot of skills over the course of my career, but no technical skill more useful than SQL. SQL stands out to me as the most valuable skill for a few reasons: It is valuable across different roles and disciplines Learning it once doesn't really require re-learning You seem like a superhero. You seem extra powerful when you know it because of the amount of people that aren't fluent Let me drill into each of these a bit further. SQL a tool you can use everywhere Regardless of what role you are in SQL will find a way to make your life easier. Today as a product manager it's key for me to look at data, analyze how effective we're being on the product front, and shape the product roadmap. If we just shipped a new feature, the data on whether someone has viewed that feature is likely somewhere sitting in a relational database. If I'm working on tracking key business metrics such as month over month growth, that is likely somewhere sitting in a relational database. At the other end of almost anything we do there is likely a system of record that speaks SQL. Knowing how to access it most natively saves me a significant amount of effort without having to go ask someone else the numbers. But even before becoming a product manager I would use SQL to inform me about what was happening within systems. As an engineer it could often allow me to pull information I wanted faster than if I were to script it in say Ruby or Python. When things got slow in my webapp having an understanding of the SQL that was executed and ways to optimize it was indespensible. Yes, this was going a little beyond just a basic understanding of SQL... but adding an index to a query instead of rolling my own homegrown caching well that was well worth the extra time learning. SQL is permanent I recall roughly 20 years ago creating my first webpage. It was magical, and then I introduced some Javascript to make it even more impressive prompting users to click Yes/No or give me some input. Then about