How Does One Become a DBA?

I'm new to database programming (about 10 months experience with Access and FoxPro), so please excuse me if I ask any dumb questions.

My goal is to develop the skills that could eventually lead to a position as a DBA using a high-powered DBMS such as Oracle, Sybase or Informix. I'll have my B.S.C.S. in May '98 and am working on my 3rd Coop term now where I have been programming in Visual FoxPro 5.0 and Access. What kind of jobs should I look for that will expose me to more sophisticated databases and tools? Will companies hire someone without any experience with Oracle, etc? I would assume not. So, am I stuck accepting only jobs for FoxPro programming? I don't mind if it pays big. I just don't want to get trapped.

What about Powerbuilder, or RAD tools in general? Do I need to master any of these? Or can I skip learning them? I'm not trying to cut corners, or cheat myself of necessary knowledge, but I don't want to waste any time either.

I'm also interested in OLAP. Does/Will a DBA need to know anything about OLAP? I like programming, but is having coding skills *usually* necessary to make DBA, or is it optional?

Also, I'm not ashamed to say that I'm somewhat money-driven. I want to live comfortably but not by subjecting myself to a high-stress job, but a high-demand job instead. No brainer?

Unfortunately, I don't have a mentor. So, if any of you nice people could describe to me some example scenarios of how to work my way into a DBA position, I would greatly appreciate it. Or, perhaps if you could tell me how you did it. Anything that would help enlighten the road ahead would be great.

Thanks and have a great day,

Al Johnson Received on Wed Sep 17 1997 - 00:00:00 CDT