Education

Five years ago, any technical recruiter would tell you not to even bother applying for a technical position in the database industry unless you held at least a Bachelor’s degree in computer science. The explosive growth of the Internet created such a large demand for database administrators that many employers were forced to reconsider this requirement. It’s now commonplace to find graduates of vocational/technical programs and self-taught database administrators with no more than a high school education holding positions once reserved for college graduates. That said, holding a computer science degree will definitely enhance your resume and make you stand out from the crowd. If your eventual goal is to move into a future management role, a degree is usually considered essential.

If you don’t have a degree, what can you do right now to increase your marketability in the short term? You have two options:

First, consider starting a computer science degree program. Check with your local colleges and universities and you’re bound to find one that offers a program compatible with your schedule. One word of caution: If you want to gain immediate resume-enhancing skills, be sure to take some computer science and database courses from the get-go. Yes, you do need to take history and philosophy courses to earn your degree, but you’re probably better off saving them for later so you can increase your marketability to an employer now.

Second, if you are willing to shell out some bucks (or have a particularly generous employer) consider taking database classes from a technical training school. All major cities have some sort of technical education program where you can take week-long courses introducing you to the concepts of database administration on your choice of platforms. Expect to pay several thousand dollars a week for the privilege of this quick knowledge.