Grow That DBA Career
 



 

Introduction

 


Over the years, I’ve spent lots of time on various newsgroups and talking with Information Technology professionals who want to know how to get a job as a Database Administrator (DBA), or how to grow as a DBA, now that they have the job. Many individuals have offered many different pieces of advice over the years on how to accomplish these goals. This paper is a culmination of those ideas and can give some suggestions on how to land a rewarding and exciting job as a DBA. This paper will also give ideas on how to grow as a DBA to become even more valuable to your employer. If you already have a job as a DBA, you might wish to skip the first few sections of this paper.


 



 

Should I Become a DBA?

 


One of the questions I’ve been asked to answer is should a person pursue a job as a DBA. This is not an easy question since it depends on the individual. Some individuals have the talent that is required to become a good DBA. Other individuals do not find the duties required of a DBA to be particularly easy to grasp. The DBA position does require that the individual hold a certain skill set. And there are demands on this individual that other IT positions do not necessarily require. So to answer this question, I often give the prospective DBA candidate a picture of what is required of the DBA position. In the paragraphs that follow, I end each paragraph with a question. Please take time to think about and answer the question before proceeding to the next paragraph.


 


Many people aspire to become a DBA for many reasons. One of the prime reasons is pay. DBA’s are some of the highest paid professionals in the IT industry. Others aspire to become a DBA due to the glory that is often lauded on the DBA, or because it looks cool! I personally find being a DBA to be very rewarding. It is a fun, exciting career. What are your reasons for looking at the DBA position as a possible career choice?


 


Unless you are prepared for what lies ahead, you may find that a job as a DBA can be full of frustration and headaches. A database sits between the operating system and the end user application. As such, the DBA must be well versed in the OS platform their database runs on. The DBA doesn’t necessarily need to know everything about the OS, but the more he or she knows, the better. The database interacts very closely with the OS. Understanding this interaction is essential. The DBA also needs to know about server hardware and how it impacts or helps the database. The DBA must also understand software applications. The DBA may be asked to help developers create sound, robust database applications. And above all us, and most obviously, the DBA must thoroughly understand the database engine, how it works, how all pieces of the engine fit together, and how to leverage the power of the database engine to deliver data to the end user and the application. The best DBAs I’ve seen in the industry have a very solid understanding of more than just the database itself. They know a thing or two about System Administration and Application Development. Many times, they come from one or both backgrounds before becoming a DBA. No matter what, there is a lot of ground to cover to become an effective, if not excellent DBA.  Are you ready to start learning until you feel that you can’t learn anymore?


 


Most of the people that I talk to who have difficulties starting out in their DBA career, really have an issue trying to absorb the mountainous volumes of information that a DBA needs to know. After all, System Administrators make a whole career out of learning the ins and outs of the OS. Application Developers make a whole career o