In this digital age, a number of computer-related jobs rank at or near the top of the fastest-growing occupations in America. The profession of database administrator is right up there with the leaders.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation of database administrator is the fourth fastest-growing in the country. The BLS reports that in 1998, 87,000 jobs for database administrators existed. That number is projected to skyrocket to 155,000 by 2008, a growth rate of 77 percent.
The databases of companies and organizations include critical information about their products, services and customers, said Maria Schafer, program director with The META Group, a Stamford, Conn., Information Technology advisory service and research firm.
“Making sure that information is useful and clean is a very high priority for virtually all companies,” said Schafer, whose firm provides companies with information to help them make decisions on buying and managing IT systems. “The ability to manage, store and access data is critical to companies’ success. And the people responsible for ensuring that that data is properly compiled and used are the database administrators. They make sure the data is error-free, that all aspects of the data are maintained and useable by those who need to use it.”
Database administrators need to be much more than just technically adept, however. “It is a highly technically oriented job and requires an aptitude for that kind of work,” Schafer said. “But you need to be a fairly decent people-person as well as a technical person, to be successful in the job. You must be able to work well with different individuals across the organization, with differing degrees of technical experience. You have to have good interpersonal skills.”
Most employers require database administrators to possess a bachelor’s degree in computer science or engineering; a master’s degree is highly desired, Schafer said.
In addition, the database administrator post “is not one you just jump into.” She reports that five to eight years of experience in designing relational databases, in either mainframe or distributed systems environments, is essential to success in the position.
While database administrators have been around for years, the last few years have seen an enormous increase in demand for these professionals. “In the last several years, as the Internet boom has continued, you’ve seen the infrastructure laid down for companies to manage e-commerce and expand IT capabilities,” Schafer said.
“Anything related to Web development, network engineering, infrastructure development and database analysis has been super hot.”
The META Group’s IT Staffing and Compensation Guide, published in April 1999, reported that database administrators’ incomes ranged from about $70,000 to $80,000 a year. But given the surging demand for these individuals, that salary data is already out of date, Schafer said. “Jack it up about 15 percent this year, because that’s what the salary inflation has been.”
For more information:
Contact the New York City-based Association for Computing Machinery at 212-869-7440 or www.acm.org. The Washington, D.C.-based IEEE Computer Society can be reached at 202-371-0101 or www.computer.org.
DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR
Starting salary: $70,000
Education/training: Bachelor’s degree minimum
Outlook: Seventy-seven percent growth by 2008.
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