Re: What is a better career? HELP ME

There are quite a number of Oracle careers. However, DBA and developer are your easiest options at the start of your career. To be a DBA is somewhat more of a strictly technical job. It is possible to sit in the back room and be a technical DBA with little human interaction. At the other end of the DBA spectrum is the "developing DBA" that understands SQL, PL/SQL and can support the developers by building complex triggers, views and doing performance tuning. In some shops the senior DBA has the role of logical database designer and has a senior technical lead role on a project.

Developers fall into two camps. There is the serious technical Developer usually with a hard science education (computer science, math, physics, ee) who can do the serious complex code of an application. Then there is the "less technical" developer usually with an MIS background (or a humanities major that migrated into development) that can do screen designs but tends to have trouble with the complex coding.

EVERYONE in this profession has to keep running full speed to keep from falling behind. There are always new tools, techniques, versions. It is no easier to sit on your knowledge as a DBA then as a developer.

--
Paul Dorsey
Dulcian, Inc.
www.dulcian.com
212 595 7223
phillip H wrote in message <7lnvvj$i99$1_at_news1.mpx.com.au>...
>Hello, All
>
>I am going to look for a job to do with Oracle. Basically I have two
choice:
>to be an Oracle DBA or Oracle application developer.
>
>As an application developer, some companies may require the skill of
>Developer 2000, some of them may require the skill of Visual Basic. It's
>possible that a new development tool become more powerful and popular in
>five or ten years time. So developers need to move to the new area. And the
>skills they have now may become useless at that time.
>
>Does the some thing happen on an Oracle DBA? I know that Oracle database
>will be improved continually. So DBAs need to follow the changes, but the
>skills they have now will still be useful in the future. Is it likely that
>Oracle will be replaced by another/new DBMS? If it happen, it will be very
>bad for Oracle DBAs because their skills will not be valuable.
>
>I want to have a secure career that allows me keep going all the way. It
>wastes time if I have to move from one product to another again and again.
>What is better for me (DBA or developer)? Which area needs more people?
>Which area is easier to get a job? Which area can people get more pay?
>What's the most popular development tool for Oracle DB?
>
>You may suggest me something other than these two. Any opinions are
>appreciated.
>
>Phillip
>
>
>
Received on Sun Jul 04 1999 - 19:55:23 CDT