Database Administrator Jobs: Choosing A Career In Technology
Database administrators, also known DBAs, are IT professionals who oversee stored data for a variety of organizations, including corporations, small businesses and government agencies. The duties involve in database administrator jobs range from managing database backups, providing data security and optimizing the availability of data sets.
Job Oulook Over 100,000 professionals are employed as DBAs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including a wide number of administrators who work as independent consultants on a contract basis. Demand for administrators is high at all levels of organizations, as information technology becomes an increasingly important part of modern organizational structures. Projections show the field growing at nearly 40% over the next decade after growing nearly 30% in recent years, providing a wide array of opportunities within the field, both for new entrants and advancement. Salary Ranges A variety of database administrator jobs provide employment in the field, including database managers who earn up to $116,000, database developers, who earn roughly $85,000 per year and database administrators who earn approximately $75,000 per year. Companies increasingly entrust DBA professionals With a wide array of important data, with a corresponding grade of certifications required which are compensated with a competitive salary. Certifications To Go On Your Resume A wide array of database administrator certifications are available for Microsoft, Oracle and mySQL development environments. Certain companies will require certification for job applicants specific to their vendor needs, which are generally listed in individual job postings. For companies that rely upon Oracle, the Oracle Certified Professional structure will allow you to earn multiple tiers of certification ranging from a Oracle Database Administrator OCA (Certified Associate) to a OCP (Certified Professional) to a OCM (Certified Master). Microsoft offers several certifications including the MCTS and MCITP, depending on the technology utilized. For those utilizing Microsoft Access, there is a Specialist Access Track as well as a MCAS (Certified Application Specialist Program). MySQL also offers a graduated scale from a CMA for Associates to a CMDBA for Administrators to a CMDEV to Developers. Each of the exams draw from a wide array of knowledge and skills, requiring takers to master a specific set of skills in addition to having real-world experience in certain cases. Make sure to select the certification program that will best help to advance your career. |
