Re: I need opinion

In article <542vi9$rfi_at_frazier.backbone.ou.edu>, Ryan <ryanr_at_ou.edu> wrote:
>
>I am a senior majoring in MIS at a local state university. I have read
>that the MIS field (especially the programming, database development
>areas) is exploding. Although I am beginning to feel slightly
>concerned.
>
>I would really appreciate the opinion on how it REALLY is in the
>market today. I am married and started back to college after a 5 year
>absence and am considering the sales field compared to the MIS field
>(money-wise). I have heard that there are "MANY" jobs where you can
>make excellent salaries in the IS field, but more specifically:
>
>1) Can you really make the $50,000+ salaries that everyone advertises,
>and I hear about?

Absolutely, although I certainly wouldn't expect them at entry level. I regularly see advertisements for experienced DBA's in the $50k-120k range for ("experienced" being the key word here). For consulting, a good DBA can make anywhere from $60-150/hr.

Unfortunately the field can be a little bit daunting; the basics are easy to learn but to become really proficient takes a lot of drive to learn and quite a bit of experience--databases tend to be like little operating systems, with scheduling, networking, memory, hardware, etc. considerations that need to be taken into account. It is also a pretty large field, and understanding all of the available tools, databases and their differences can take a while. For me, this is why I enjoy the field--there is still a lot to learn.

>2) If you become a developer in a 'hot' language such as Oracle,
>Sybase, SAP, C++ etc. is it true that you would have to relocate every
>few years?

Not unless you are in consulting. Pretty much the main reason people shift around every couple of years is for the salary hike...if you get hired on as an entry level DBA for a relatively small salary, as you learn more you start realizing that you are now worth quite a bit more money. A smart company will recognize this and adjust your salary accordingly.

>3) I have also heard that immigration and offshore programming
>services is going to greatly impact the U.S. salaries of the IS
>professionals.

This has been talked about for years, but I haven't seen it yet. There is something to be said for having your good people close to you; farming out small tasks is OK, but I would hand my missioncritical  database application to anyone I couldn't punch in the gut if they did a bad job :)

>4) What are your thoughts as to where the industry will be in 5 years?

Right now I don't forsee a slowdown--every company needs databases.

Currently, the market is really great. Good database people are *really* hard to find (I know that Sybase Professional Services has had trouble in the past finding qualified people).

-scott

-- 
Scott C. Gray                 gray_at_voicenet.com
Sybase Professional Services  scott.gray_at_sybase.com
   http://www.voicenet.com/~gray/sqsh.html