Re: Career questions: databases

dreamznatcher wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm considering a career switch to a more database-related job, but
> need help on a few questions and issues. I'm a Computer Engineering
> graduate and have always felt most comfortable creating database-
> driven applications, preferably for web portals.
>
> [My questions:]
> 1. What are the most viable career options for me out there? What
> profile do I fit in?

You don't fit into any specific hash bucket but rather likely have the ability to morph into whichever one you wish.

Rather than approaching it from the standpoint of "I'm a square peg which hole should I put myself in?" Turn it around and say "I am a morphable peg and which hole would I most enjoy being in?"

> 2. What is the current job market/salary situation for database
> professionals? With my current skills, what kind of job might I end up
> with?

Best place to look is dice.com, monster.com, hotjobs.com, etc. But the job market today is not the job market of tomorrow. Certainly there are some things that are safer bets than others. One can essentially guarantee Oracle will still be around in 20 years whereas one can be rather certain a large number of products and companies will not be: At least not in their current form.

> 3. What are the stuff I should focus/learn to advance my skills
> optimally?

Depends on what you want to be doing when you are 57 years old. The only correct answer is asking strangers is a sure road to disaster.

> 4. And finally, is there any university degree (MS) specializing in
> databases anywhere? (I'm also deeply interested in the internal
> mechanism/theoretical aspect of databases.)

What country? I'm not aware of one in the US but you might want to contact Professor Carl Dudley at University of Wolverhampton with respect to the EU.

> _Please read my (following) profile before replying!_
>
> [I'm proficient in: ]
> - Oracle (8i, 9i), MySQL (4.1.xx), MS Access
> - Have working knowledge of SQL Server 2000
> - Intend to learn SQLite and MySQL 5 soon
>
> - HTML, DHTML, CSS
> - JS, PHP
> - Intend to learn AJAX, JSON, ASP.Net soon

To be brutally honest with you ... no you aren't. One of the things that gets me to toss a resume into the discard pile when looking at resumes is a laundry list of technologies so vast no person could possibly be competent in all of them. Above is such a list and not only are you not proficient in all of them neither is anyone else.

Lists like this create an immediate negative impression except in HR departments staffed by former shoe salesmen. <g>

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)
Puget Sound Oracle Users Group
www.psoug.org