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Re: The demise of the Oracle professional?

From: Howard J. Rogers <dba_at_hjrdba.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 07:09:01 +1000
Message-ID: <aetgae$g11$1@lust.ihug.co.nz>

"Nuno Souto" <nsouto_at_optushome.com.au.nospam> wrote in message news:3d11bbd7$0$28005$afc38c87_at_news.optusnet.com.au...
> In article <8d4033cd.0206192028.62f1a705_at_posting.google.com>, you said
>
> > with 9 total experience as a DBA. I was out of work for 2 months after
> > Christmas. There were literally no jobs for an Oracle DBA in
> > Melbourne, because if there were I'm pretty sure I would have heard.
> > My resume was with every agency listed on the Jobnet website.
>
>
> you are lucky. There have been NO new DBA contract jobs in Sydney now
> for over 12 months...
>
>
> >
> > I found that they no longer want a DBA. They want a DBA with Seibel,
> > or a DBA with SAP, or a DBA with Financials, or a DBA with SQL server
> > etc. In my opinion they will get someone who hasn't great Oracle DBA
> > skills because these skills have been diluted.
>
>
> Or customers have been so burned by bogus people impersonating DBAs that
> they are now a lot more selective. Last IBM/GSA project I was involved
> with had a small army of "dba"s. More in fact than it had developers.
> Any wonder why customers have become skeptical?
>
>
> The few instances I'm aware where there was even a small demand for DBA's
> have mostly been for a level of remuneration that wouldn't even interest
> a warehouse servant. Why bother with the much higher responsibility when
> the pay is ridiculously low?
>
>
> >
> > Being an Oracle DBA has been good to me, but I'm now asking "Where
> > next?"
>
>
> IMHO, nowhere. Oracle Australia has done an excellent job of shooting
> the DBA job down.
>
> One wonders how much $$$ do they expect to make out of educating future
> DBAs once it starts percolating into the industry that the job is a dead
> end, with Oracle's own tactical agreement.
>
>
> > I'm thinking of taking a permanent job with a bit of team
> > leading/project management/business analysis so that I can increase or
> > change my skill set.
>
>
> Highly recommended. Database consultancy is another option, but it's a
> small vertical market with very little demand. Still pays relatively
> well, though.
>
>
> >
> > I'm very lucky that I started so long ago, but I feel for DBAs with
> > only a few years' experience behind them. Not enough to let them have
> > my job though...
> >
>
>
> I feel even more for the poor sods who are spending enormous amounts of
> money as we speak. With Oracle and the "certification" agents. To
> become OCPs and DBAs when there is zero demand for their skills...
>

Here! Here! You'd posted about this (the dearth of DBA jobs) a long time ago. I didn't truly believe it... until, er, "certain recent events" caused me to look afresh at the papers/job ads/ web pages etc: Not a sausage!

I'm hoping it's just because of the dot com crash, and that things will pick up, but I'm also in agreement with you that the OCP stuff has skewed the market horribly, and for good.

Right now, any wannabe DBA who hasn't got good Java skills, or good PL/SQL skills, or good anything else skills is doomed. We appear not to be in Kansas any more.

Regards
HJR
>
> --
> Cheers
> Nuno Souto
> nsouto_at_optushome.com.au.nospam
Received on Thu Jun 20 2002 - 16:09:01 CDT

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