Database Administration

Database administration is a growing and fascinating career choice, and if you decide to pursue a degree in the field, then you’ll have lots of opportunities from which to pick. The database administration major is perfectly suited for those who are interested in a specific facet of computersóif you are very organized and are interested in how, exactly, companies and organizations store their data and manage it, then this is the most salient degree for you.

Although the term "database administration" seems a bit vague, there are very specific skills that you will learn in a database administration degree program. For example, you’ll learn the basics of programming, including a few programming languages so that you will be able write up and understand some computer code, you’ll also be taught basic software programs that are important in database management, like Microsoft Access, Windows Workstation, and more, and finally, you will learn key components in project management and database strategies.

So once you’ve completed a degree program in database administration, what can you do to implement your skills in the working world? The database administrator, or DBA for short, works with a variety of organizations and involves herself in the entire database management processófrom implementing a database system to testing it to creating a disaster recovery plan. The DBA is also typically involved in managing security of databases, controlling access, and modifying databases already in existence based on the needs and wants of various employees. Some DBAs will also be responsible for training users of such databases.

In terms of job growth and career outlook, the database administrator’s field is one of vast opportunity.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a governmental organization that collects data about national employment and career trends, the job outlook for the database administrator is labeled as "excellent." Moreover, the expected job growth for database administrators is projected to be an astounding thirty percent between 2008 and 2018. This growth places the field in the category labeled as "much faster than average," a group reserved only for the most quickly expanding job markets.

The salary for DBAs, too, is promising. According to the bureau, network administrators earned roughly $70,000 a year, while the top ten percent of administrators earned over $110,000, and the lowest ten percent still earned around $40,000. This means, for those choosing to pursue the field of network administration, that there will be absolutely no dearth of future career options. And options are always tantamount to success.