Good afternoon all:
I have been holding back on replying to this email because I really
wanted to see what some of the other answers were, especially ones related
to OCP. Rachel C. will understand as my answers will be very direct.
- What is the average salary range for an entry-level DBA position? Or
a position for someone who is just starting out as a DBA?
>>> As a person that has worked as an Oracle DBA for over 13
years, the entry-level salary had changed quite dramatically. From the
mid-to late 1990s when starting DBAs could make upwards of 100K to "REALITY"
when entry-level DBAs should be making no more than 70K. Some may disagree,
however, I don't think paying high salaries is warranted just because the
person is a DBA. If they don't have the experience, they don't deserve the
high monetary return. I would say that 50K is probably on the high end for
entry-level DBAs. The days of high salaries, similarly the high consulting
rates, are gone and organizations are now back to reality. I actually had
someone whom has been out of work for over 6 months refuse a salary of 65K
as a DBA because he felt it was demeaning for him to accept it.
- In a job resume, should I request an entry-level position or would
that set me up for no phone calls?
>>> I disagree with everyone else regarding not using
"entry-level" on your resume. If you have no experience and you are looking
to work in a team environment, then using this wording is acceptable. You
will have to pick the job postings carefully so you don't send resumes to
organizations that require lots of experience. If you can control that,
then remove "entry-level" and use "junior" instead.
- What are some steps I should take to becoming a DBA w/ the
background that I have (ie. generated databases w/ MS Access)?
>>> Well, MS Access, although people consider this a relational
database, is not. It is a file system that looks like a relational
database. Generating databases in MS Access is nothing like creating
database environments in Oracle. You will honestly need to start from
scratch. The data modeling and application database creating may be similar
if you followed the normalization rules and generally accepted guidelines.
I would highly recommend using either Oracle's online learning network,
locating a college/university where they teach Oracle. These do exist as I
have taught several of these classes in Michigan. I would highly recommend
contacting the Los Angeles Oracle User's Group for the location of courses
that are taught.
If you are a devoted person when it comes to online training, then
Oracle online learning is a good start. There are other organizations that
offer Oracle online training, however, I don't remember their names.
Understand that online training only provides you the bare basics. It is
not going to give you the exposure and experience needed to be a true DBA.
a) Recommended training/education in Los Angeles area?
b) Where do you recommend I study & is online training valuable?
- If I could learn Oracle software on my own through Independent study
(books & reference sites), could this be sufficient enough to go about to
get a job?
>>> OK. This is where I disagree with everyone. The OCP is valueless
to the market. It looks good on the resume because almost no organization
really understands how it is obtained. As one of the authors for the first
independent Oracle certification, we designed the certification exam so that
inexperienced Oracle DBAs COULD NOT pass it. It required Experience!!! The
Oracle OCP only requires you to take some training, read some books, and
then take the exam. We as experienced DBAs has proven this time after time
by giving the exam to people that have never been DBAs in their careers and
have only read some basic Oracle Concepts material. There are a lot of OCP
DBAs that still don't understand how to get stuff out of Oracle's Data
Dictionary or, for that matter, what is a data dictionary. I see no value
in the OCP except as a training mechanism. When high school students can
pass the exam without any experience in Oracle, that should tell you the
value of the exam itself.
If you can learn portions of the Oracle software on your own, Great!
It will be impossible to learn all of Oracle on your own as the software is
vast in features and requires different configurations that you may not have
available to you. In teams of acquiring a job from learning the software,
you may be able to get a job working in a team of Oracle DBAs. However, I
will be the first one here to say that I would not hire you as a stand alone
DBA with just that type of experience. For small shops, maybe, but for
enterprises, no way.
- Is the OCP certification necessary?
- If I took this independent study route instead of formal training
from like a vocational school, would the steps to getting a job (or even my
OCP certification) be the same? Or would it be more difficult without
formal training?
Independent study mechanisms are typically not structured in
learning capabilities. You need a structured model to properly learn the
ridiculous things in Oracle, especially with Oracle9i. I would start with
some basic online training and then move to a semi-formal study program.
>From there, either vocational, self-study or a more formal class would be
beneficial.
5. What are some valuable books and resources to aid in my training?
>>> Rachel's DBA 101 book would be an excellent choice. Some of the
books by O'Riely and Oracle Press would also help you. Many people have
given excellent suggestions here. There are so many titles that I would not
beg to know them offhand.
- How much does Oracle9i cost & would it be worth it to get since i
want to learn? Are there evaluation copies out there that I can get my
hands on?
>>> You can download Oracle9i from www.oracle.com. In terms of cost, it
varies depending on the number of CPUs and hardware chosen. You can also
pay for an Oracle Technology Network membership and receive the CDs from
Oracle. Understand that Oracle is not a small software product. The
requirements on your hardware are quite large, so make sure you have enough
bandwidth in terms of CPU and memory before investing in it.
7. What are the basic introductory courses/resources/training I could
do to learn or get started in DBA training?
8. Basically, please list the steps you took to become a DBA (starting
with education/training to job entry) and how you sould suggest I should go
about starting to learn the fundamentals and then more in depth?
7 & 8 are too generic. I would advise contacting your own DBA staff and
asking them this question. I always recommend becoming an Oracle developer
before becoming a DBA. DBAs that have never developed Oracle-based software
will never understand the issues related to query optimization, performance
management, etc. as well as if they had attempted to create an
Oracle-centric application. In many cases, I have seen Oracle DBAs with no
development experience really screw up an application environment.
Hope this helps.
Thank You
Stephen P. Karniotis
Technical Alliance Manager
Compuware Corporation
Direct: (248) 865-4350
Mobile: (248) 408-2918
Email: Stephen.Karniotis_at_Compuware.com
Web: www.compuware.com
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2001 11:15 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
Subject: Re: Becoming a DBA questions
- Depends on the company/part of the country and the economy.
- State your experience with other databases. Once you get Oracle up
and running at home, add that so they know you have installed it (IMHO
installing on Linux is more impressive as it is very close to unix, but
doing it under windows is better than nothing.) Don't say "looking for
entry-level Oracle dba job" in your mission statement. Say something
like "looking for the opportunity to move my proven database design and
administration skills to a new level with Oracle" or something to that
extent.
- If you are good at self-study, Oracle has online learning that
appears pretty reasonable ($99/month or something like that). But get
yourself an Oracle installation to practice on first.
- Quite possible to get a job with self-study and training. Passing
your OCP tests will help you get that first job. After that it is nice
to put on your biography when you submit papers to present at the
conferences and user groups.
- I'm not in the office today, but I'm sure someone will correct me on
the title, but the two books I think are great are
- Oracle 8i dba from Oracle Press. I think that is the one that has a
great example of real-life paper to database that explains things very
well.
- DBA 101 by Rachel Carmichael (and others). I haven't had the chance
to read it yet, but I've got a friend who is an aspiring dba so I've
looked at it and he really loves it. And since I'm a big fan of
Rachel's work, I have to recommend it.
- Well, I have been working with databases for many years. But my
first Oracle job was an accident. I was hired for other skills that I
had and the day I started my new manager said "the Oracle DBA is
leaving. You've got a lot of database experience on your resume. Want to
be our Oracle DBA?" The rest is history. My advice to you is to get
Oracle installed and decide on a project that you can use and maintain.
I built a contact manager using an Access front-end. I kept learning
new ways to improve the design and adding new features. Besides coming
in very handy for job searches, it gave me something to discuss when
networking and someone would hear that I worked with databases and ask
what I had worked on recently. I would also recommend looking up a
local user group (start at www.ioug.org and click on the User Group
link). Attend and make friends. These will be your peers and if you're
lucky, you may find someone that will become your mentor. They may not
be in a position to hire you, but they (we) are generally connected to
the pulse of the hiring market and know when someone is looking to
expand or hire a replacement. They can also help you learn new things
and correct any misconceptions you have. At the social portion of the
event (most user groups have conversation time) find someone who has
been a dba for a number of years and ask them if you can talk to them.
Explain what your understanding of something is and then pay attention
as they either correct you or add to your knowledge. Before you know
it, you will be sitting in an interview and the interviewer will ask you
to explain how to use pctfree and you will know from your conversations
and testing.
Good luck.
Stephen Andert
Scottsdale, Arizona
>>> LBanzali_at_aol.com 12/31 2:00 AM >>>
> Questions for a Database Administrator:
1. What is the average salary range for an entry-level DBA position? Or
a
position for someone who is just starting out as a DBA?
2. In a job resume, should I request an entry-level position or would
that
set me up for no phone calls?
3. What are some steps I should take to becoming a DBA w/ the
background
that I have (ie. generated databases w/ MS Access)?
- Recommended training/education in Los Angeles area?
- Where do you recommend I study & is online training valuable?
- If I could learn Oracle software on my own through Independent
study
(books & reference sites), could this be sufficient enough to go about
to get
a job?
- Is the OCP certification necessary?
- If I took this independent study route instead of formal training
from
like a vocational school, would the steps to getting a job (or even my
OCP
certification) be the same? Or would it be more difficult without
formal
training?
- What are some valuable books and resources to aid in my training?
- How much does Oracle9i cost & would it be worth it to get since i
want to
learn? Are there evaluation copies out there that I can get my hands
on?
- What are the basic introductory courses/resources/training I could
do to
learn or get started in DBA training?
- Basically, please list the steps you took to become a DBA (starting
with
education/training to job entry) and how you sould suggest I should go
about
starting to learn the fundamentals and then more in depth?
Thank you!! I really appreciate your help!!
Please, write to me @
LBanzali_at_aol.com
thanks!!
smiles & happy new year 2002!!!!
--
Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
--
Author: Stephen Andert
INET: StephenAndert_at_firsthealth.com
Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051
San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists
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Author: Karniotis, Stephen
INET: Stephen_Karniotis_at_compuware.com
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Received on Mon Dec 31 2001 - 11:52:19 CST
