Newbie-to-be question

Q: What personality qualities or capabilities are necessary to be a good Oracle database administrator in the real world?

I've worked for a research project for 4.5 years and though computers are not my primary job, I'm good with them. We are switching over to an Oracle 8i database and I have the opportunity to learn how to use it. I really like working with the old database and keeping the data clean in my department though I've just learned on the job and have no formal training. I am considering going for Oracle certification but don't want to invest the time and money if I don't have what it takes to run one *in the real world.* (Learning information and passing a test doesn't necessarily mean one is right for the job.)

Once trained it is unlikely that I would be able to be the database administrator at my current company so I'd have to go elsewhere for work. The "real world" is most certainly different from the "university system" that I'm used to.

Any insights, thoughts, comments, hard-lessons-learned, leads, etc. are greatly appreciated!

TIA!! Trishah Woolley, M.A.
California Smokers' Helpline
University of California, San Diego
trishah_at_ucsd.edu Received on Mon Nov 26 2001 - 14:12:02 CST