Re: Oracle Questions

comments below
"Nunnaya Bidniz" <apbasil_at_w-link.net> wrote in message news:W+SQOi+nOY=Id2XyIuXhhrdkc21Q_at_4ax.com... snip
> Now my question;
 

> I live in Seattle. I'd like to add or switch to become an Oracle DBA.
> I've seen some books on it, but they didn't look especially helpful.
> The SQL concepts I've breezed through look fairly easy. I've done
> macros before.
>
> 1. Can the switch be made?

Yes. I've done it (getting to my Chartered Accountants final professional exams before realising I was the worlds worst Accountant). It is however hard, the usual route in is from a development background - and then usually from a dev background with SQL. I personally think that this is often short sighted - programming (at least for DBA level) - is a teachable skill and there are far too many DBA's who know squat about business. That said you *do* need a programmers mind. There is a reason the official oracle curriculum starts with SQL though the course is not one of the easiest they run.

> 2. I have insulin dependent diabetes...I have to follow a shot
> schedule. Would I be able to work on an Oracle job with that
> limitation?

I can't tell you that for sure, but I expect that the answer is yes. What I can tell you is that DBA work is (by and large) odd hours and high stress at bad times. Imagine doing a recovery of the companies business critical erp system at 4am after pulling a 10 or 12 hour day the day before. Especially if it is pulling the 12 hour day that is the reason for the systems crash. This sort of thing is why good DBA's get (very) well paid. In some cases the organisation is betting the proverbial farm on them.

> 3. Would the courses be a good start, and would I be able to work in
> the field after taking them?

Yes, and probably. If it is DBA type work you are interested in then I would take the SQL,adminstration and backup courses in that order. If you are more into development then the SQL, design and perhaps some of the others would be more appropriate.
> 4. Would someone seriously consider hiring me wit the above?

I believe that they should. If they do or not depends on the Seattle market and the prevailing culture in the US. In the UK Job *adverts*, which may not tell the whole truth, seem to always specify 2 years experience. It should certainly get you an interview.
> 5. how much does a junior or beginning Oracle DBa make? I need to
> know, basically so I can plan due to my condition. If it woodlot be
> really hardscrabble, for example, I probably wouldn't get health
> benefits, which would preclude success.

I must confess to not understanding this last, however there should be job agencies and web sites in your area which can give you a good idea of the market.

> 6. Would my Oracle skills add to an accounting job?

Probably only peripherally. Your accounting skills would undoubdtedly add to any Oracle job where financial sysems are involved.

HTH

--
Niall Litchfield
Oracle DBA
Audit Commission UK



>

> "I mistrust all systematizers and I avoid them.

> The will to a system is a lack of integrity."

>

> Friedrich Nietzsche, Maxims and Arrows 26,

> Twilight of the Idols


You won't find many DBA's who subscribe to this particular Nietzschean tenet
a systematic approach is everything. You will of course find many who agree
that God is dead (usually at one of those 4 am moments) and many who
consider themselves Superman.