Re: Stupid question: how can I get a DBA job?

I agree with you with one caveat. The production DBA role is definitely more like that of a sysadmin than a developer. But usually DBAs spend a lot of their time tuning, debugging, and HOPEFULY, acting as advisors and mentors to the development team. Without the ability to read, write, and understand development they are totally useless in that role. All they become is high priced baby sitters that are occassionally asked to patch an instance or restore from a backup tape.

Daniel Morgan

John Claxton wrote:

> Al,
> Both Mark and Daniel make good points. The typical company wants
> someone with a Phd, 37 years of experience on every platform,
> operating system, and database tool, willing to work 30 to 40 hours
> per day for $11,500 USD per annum. They will also typically settle
> for less. Spend some time in the job sites (Monster, HotJobs,
> ComputerJobs, etc, etc, etc).
> *Carefully* read the job requirements and do some serious self
> evaluation. A key question to ask of yourself is "Would I hire me to
> do this job if my company depended on the results?". Answer honestly.
> The other responses both suggested moving into the DBA role from
> a developer role. I got there a little differently. I was a system
> manager/administrator and picked up the DBA hat because the office
> where the dba sat seemed to have a revolving door.
> There is a certain mind-set that goes with the dba role that
> more closely matches the sysadmin role than a developer role, IMHO.
> I've seen some developers become very good dbas. I've seen some that
> couldn't leave the myopia of development behind them. No offense to
> developers. You *need* myopia in that role. It represents *goodness*.
> The dba role, like the sysadmin role, requires a view of the larger
> picture.
> jc
> Over 1,000 study questions at
> http://www.networkessentials.com/certified/ocp .
>
> "Al Bonnemaison" <oracle_guy_at_blurb.usa.net> wrote in message news:<iBSb8.3459$Ap6.142971_at_news2.east.cox.net>...
> > Gurus,
> > Thanks for reading this email. I am currently looking for a job in the
> > Oracle-DBA arena. So far, here is what I have been doing:
> >
> > -Data modeling
> > -Sizing and capacity planning
> > -installation and upgrade
> > -NT Batch
> > -Logical backups and recovery (exp/imp)
> > -Primary objects creation
> > -alert logs monitoring
> > -SQL and schema tuning (explain plan, dbms_utility.analyze_schema...)
> > -PL/SQL programming (stored procs., packages, functions, triggers...)
> > -Designed SOPs and SLAs
> > -Users & developers support
> > -Solaris, AIX and HP-UX as "advanced" (?) user creating CRON files, using
> > VI, TOP, PS, GREP...
> >
> > ***Note: I have no experience with the following:
> > -Unix batch scripting (any flavor)
> > -Physical backup
> > -Physical recovery (RMAN)
> >
> > I am not certified but am working on it. I can't realistically apply for a
> > DBA position or can I? Any advice?
> >
> > Thanks for helping!
> >
> > Al.
Received on Wed Feb 20 2002 - 17:06:16 CST