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Database administrators in high demand
Higher-than-average job growth expected through 2016
IT Careers and Training Alert
By Jon Brodkin, Network World, August 2008
Computer scientists and database administrators are in high demand, according to a new report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These IT pros can expect relatively high pay and job growth in coming years, the report says.
"The computer scientists and database administrators occupation is expected to grow 37% from 2006 to 2016, much faster than average for all occupations," the government report states. "Employment of these computer specialists [including network systems and data communications analysts] is expected to grow as organizations continue to adopt and integrate increasingly sophisticated technologies. Job increases will be driven by very rapid growth in computer systems design and related services, which is projected to be one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. economy."
Database expertise is in high demand because of vast increases in the amount of data businesses must organize and access, says Matt Zito, chief scientist from GridApp Systems, which makes products for automating database operations. The database is becoming more critical to the operation of businesses, he says. Imagine if Amazon's database went down for an hour, he notes.
"The administration is growing more complicated. Businesses say 'well, my database can't go down,'" Zito says. "All of a sudden, DBAs are being told you have to figure out how to keep this database up. That's a whole other skill set." Database experts are also becoming more specialized, he says, often supporting databases for just one specific type of application, such as SAP or Oracle's PeopleSoft.
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A survey late last year found that data and database management jobs had the fifth highest demand, after networking, help desk and user support, applications development, and Internet and intranet development.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics report offers some guidelines on what database pros and other IT workers should demand in terms of salary. Database managers should be paid in a range from $84,750 to $116,000, the report says, citing guidelines from Robert Half International, a specialized staffing services firm. The top five computer-related jobs by salary range listed by Robert Half include network architects, senior Web developers and three occupations related to databases. Database developers and database administrators are ranked No. 3 and No. 5 with salary ranges of approximately $70,000 to $100,000.
Actual earnings appear to be lower than the staffing services firm expects. The median annual salary of database administrators in May 2006 was $64,670, for example.
But pay for database skills seems to be rising. Premium pay for noncertified database management skills rose 22% in the 12 months ending April 1, according to research by Foote Partners. This increase is somewhat offset by the dropping value of database certifications, which fell in value by 5.2% in the same time period. Certification value has been dropping across the board, though, so this decline isn't unique to database certifications.
Going forward, employers are expected to require a higher level of skill and expertise from database administrators and similar IT pros, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. Bachelor's and advanced degrees in computer science, computer engineering, and management of information systems are important, but a master of business administration can give IT pros a leg up too, the Bureau says.
"As computers continue to become more central to business functions, more sophisticated and complex technology is being implemented across all organizations, fueling demand for computer scientists and database administrators," the report says. Further, "expansion of electronic commerce - doing business on the Internet - and the continuing need to build and maintain databases that store critical information on customers, inventory, and projects are fueling demand for database administrators familiar with the latest technology."