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Database Administrator Career Interview
Julio Martinez has been a database administrator for 9 years, and he currently works as a database consultant at Allscripts, a healthcare company.
Database Administrator Career Path
Julio enjoys working with people and with data, so database administration was an obvious fit for him.
“I enjoy providing information to the business people,” he says.
He also likes to be a part of so much information in a business.
“Database is in the middle of everything,” he explains. “It’s a very key piece for any organization, and there is a lot of power and a lot of responsibility. It also pays very well.”
Database Administrator Experiences
Julio has worked as a database administrator for 9 years, and he currently works at the healthcare company Allscripts as a database consultant.
He originally went to a state school in Mexico City, but since coming to the United States, he received his re-validation as a mathematician with a Bachelor of Science degree.
During his education, Julio learned relational algebra and set theory, which are the foundation of SQL, the global language to query databases. He also learned about the database design system.
Database Administrator Degree Programs
“A computer degree is very helpful since there is direct interaction with development teams and daily work is very critical,” Julio explains.
A database administrator should pursue education in some type of IT work, such as computer engineering and information technology, or mathematics.
Database Administrator Job Description
Julio works as a database administrator, which means that he is responsible for the performance, integrity and security of a database. He also has to plan, develop, and trouble shoot for the database.
The job description can differ depending on the employer and how much responsibility is involved in the job. For example, an administrator position that requires pure maintenance is far different than being a specialist in database development.
Database Administrator Daily Routine
“The job can be very hectic, but even in a normal day, you get to help different teams and connect with different people,” Julio explains. “Some of my daily duties are: review database backups from the previous night, continue reports for sales team, and trouble shoot performance issues in customer facing application.”
Database Administrator: Steps to Success
“You need great attention to detail and must be able to multi-task,” says Julio. “Also, you need a willingness to work overtime at late hours, since database systems are ‘serviced during periods of low usage, such as at night.”
A successful database administrator also has excellent communication skills, problem-solving sills, familiarity with the main data manipulation languages and the principles of database design, good organizational skills, and the ability to work to tight deadlines under pressure.
Database Administrator Job Opportunities
Due to the expanding need for technology maintenance, starting in database administration is not too difficult.
“Yet, it requires a large amount of knowledge and in some cases, long experience,” Julio adds.
Database Administrator Favorite Aspect
“The diverse nature of collaboration with different teams and projects,” says Julio.
Database Administrator’s Future Aspirations
Julio hopes to keep expanding his opportunities in his career.
“Today, my future aspirations will allow me to be an integral and critical part of an organization, with the freedom to make enough decisions to continue growing,” Julio explains. “Database administration-related jobs pay very well, yet they come with sacrifices due to being ‘on-call’ at odd hours and, depending on the organization, this can be very often.”
Advice for Prospective Database Administrators
“There will always be data, so this is one of the safest career paths and more profitable that exists,” says Julio. “Because of the confidential nature of the job, it is hard to outsource, so jobs will remain in the U.S., but the job will maintain the flexibility to telecommute and work from home.”
“This career path is not for everyone because it can be very abstract,” he adds.
