Re: Becoming an Oracle DBA

Hi

>1. In your experience, is it easy to find a job as an Oracle DBA with no
>experience and with just the Oracle certification? For instance, would it
>be better to go through my Oracle DBA certification and then apply for a
>DBA job (with no experience in databases), or would it be better to work
>as an SQL programmer for a while and acquire some experience, and then
>apply for a DBA job upon completing my certification?

I think you would be better applying for either Junior DBA roles, or (assuming you know pl/sql and or developer etc) Oracle developer roles that also offer exposure to DBA work. You would be more likely to get an Oracle DBA role if you have gleaned some knowledge 'on the job' from a friendly DBA :)  

>2. What type of salary should a DBA with no experience expect (in
>Texas). What about a DBA with 1, 5, and 10 years of experience?

Sorry - no idea, i'm from the UK

>3. Which version of Oracle should I get my DBA certification on (version
>8, 8i, 9i, ... ) ?

Well, certification isn't available for 9i (the product doen;t exist as such yet !). There is a whole lot more material to cover in 8i. You may be better starting with 8 then doing the upgrade exam.

>4. What are some pros and cons of working as an Oracle DBA? Specifically,
>is this a stressful job? Is there a lot of overtime involved?

Pro's and con's ? well taht depends on what makes you happy. I like the contact with other members of a project - the DBA often has a central role in projects. Problem solving, and getting praise from a client / customer is also nice. The opposite can be true though - all problems being blamed on the database (ie the DBA).
Stressful - Sure. If you are woken up at 2am to recover a database that has crashed, and your company is losing x million dollars / pounds an hour whilst they wait for you....etc. etc. then it can be a stressful and lonely time !

>Thank you in advance for your help.

no problem - hope it helps and good luck :) Received on Mon Sep 11 2000 - 04:45:25 CDT