| The business world likes to collect as much data on | | | | also must coordinate security with network |
| every consumer as it can get. This means they collect | | | | administrators. Some also are responsible for |
| tons and tons of data - everything from what | | | | database design. |
| toothpaste people buy to their retirement plans. All | | | | One needs a bachelors degree to be a full DBA, |
| those bits of info have to not only be collected, but | | | | although it can be done with a two-year degree and |
| organized and easily accessible or it's absolutely | | | | related work experience. Many computer support |
| useless. Enter the database administrator. | | | | specialists work-study to become DBAs with the help |
| Anyone who has worked on a spreadsheet or online | | | | of their jobs and online college courses. Another way |
| address book actually is doing basic database work. | | | | is to have a degree such as accounting and then take |
| When you input your friends' addresses, phone | | | | the needed courses to move over to being a DBA. |
| numbers, etc., and then set up a search by, for | | | | Still, the overall goal should be to get a four-year |
| example, birthdays, you are now doing basic | | | | degree. |
| administration. With a computer it moves that much | | | | As such, one should look for an on campus or online |
| faster and efficiently. | | | | school that focuses in such areas as MIS, computer |
| Database Administrators (or DBAs) just do this on a | | | | science and programming, math, statistics. One should |
| much larger scale. Yes, the biggest employers of | | | | also think about what area they want to specialize in |
| DBAs are companies that gather your personal | | | | and take the appropriate courses, such as finance or |
| information and then sell it to retailers. At the same | | | | accounting, health administration or something similar. |
| time, they help the medical industry collect and | | | | Therefore it's a good idea to sit down with an on |
| organize your health records and are invaluable to | | | | campus or online college counselor before settling on a |
| such governmental and public service agencies as | | | | curriculum. |
| Social Security to the entire electoral process. | | | | As it stands, the future for DBAs looks incredible. The |
| According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, database | | | | Bureau estimates there are slightly over 120,000 of |
| administrators determine ways to organize, analyze | | | | them as of 2009. They expect there will be an |
| and present data. They identify user needs and create | | | | increase of 20% more positions available by the end |
| new computer databases. They also might transfer | | | | of the decade. As it is, the average salary of a |
| old databases to new software, test systems when | | | | database administrator is just under $70,000. The top |
| needed, and troubleshoot. Because many databases | | | | 10% in the field earn over $110,000. |
| are connected to the internet, database administrators | | | | |