Becoming a Database Administrator

Carlwill · 2010-08-22 08:27:10

I have been a Linux System Administrator since 2006 and love it. I work for the Dept. of Defense and while I generally only specialize in Linux systems for the U.S. Army (Email, Web, MySQL, & Shares) but I recently have been thinking about specializing in database administration. I don't know what kind of job market is available for someone who mainly specializes in DBA versus a "jack of all traits". I know there are DBA's and then there are database architects but what are your thoughts? Can someone successfully specialize in something like MySQL and find a dependable DBA position or is this unrealistic and like trying to find a job as a auto mechanic when all you do is oil changes and nothing else?

Thanks for any input.

Inxsible · 2010-08-22 08:50:00

IMO, only MySQL won't get you anywhere. Apparently all companies think that if they pay a shitload of money to some database company (read Oracle - mostly) then their databases will never ever have issues and their data will be safe for eons.

so if you plan to go forward with this, make sure you put in atleast a couple of commercial databases in your repertoire.

Carlwill · 2010-08-22 09:23:06

I agree as my company thinks that Red Hat Enterprise Linux is super duper never crash Linux while Debian and Arch Linux are l337 hackerz Linux that is used for no good.

I would love to eventually learn Oracle as reading Oracle is a full fledges database engine where as MySQL and PostgreSQL are not as scalable and robust. I would think MySQL is a good place to start like someone installing and learning Linux with Ubuntu and moving on to something else, right?

samuele.mattiuzzo · 2010-08-22 13:40:00

Inxsible wrote:

IMO, only MySQL won't get you anywhere. Apparently all companies think that if they pay a shitload of money to some database company (read Oracle - mostly) then their databases will never ever have issues and their data will be safe for eons.
so if you plan to go forward with this, make sure you put in atleast a couple of commercial databases in your repertoire.

i'm, sadly, confirming this one... learn Oracle - PLSQL - SqlServer - Tomcat, or you're no one

tkdfighter · 2010-08-22 21:56:55

You might want to learn a bit about the basics of databases first. How data modelling works and how a databases work in general. Just had "Data modelling and database systems" last semester, I found it quite interesting. One of the recommended books was "Database Systems: The Complete Book" by Garcia-Molina, Ullman and Widom. I bought a different (German) book, but this one also looks very comprehensive.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-08-22 08:27:10

Becoming a Database Administrator

#2 2010-08-22 08:50:00

Re: Becoming a Database Administrator

#3 2010-08-22 09:23:06

Re: Becoming a Database Administrator

#4 2010-08-22 13:40:00

Re: Becoming a Database Administrator

#5 2010-08-22 21:56:55

Re: Becoming a Database Administrator

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