Popular Technology Degrees
Database Jobs: The IT Career of the Future
March 8, 2007
By
Mary Hobson
Technology Schools Columnist
Databases are used for just about every major commercial application there is. We may not be aware of them, but every time we shop online, or check our email, or use Internet banking, we are accessing a database that has been the subject of considerable design and development work. This means that database jobs are everywhere, and there are real career opportunities if you have database design training.
Good Database Design Training is Essential
Databases consist of two separate sets of tools. The first is to build the database itself--a storage area where you can keep data in a way that it is easy to find. You have to work out a design, not for the storage "units," but for where you are going to keep data.
The second set of tools is a language that allows you to retrieve data from your constructed database, and put it together for the purposes for which the user wants it. For instance, if the database was concerned with books, you may want to retrieve books by searching for author, title, subject and so on. The language allows you to specify these "queries" as you need them, and then goes to retrieve all the data that answers that query.
Professional Database Jobs
Learning to use these tools for large and complex databases is a serious job, and database design training is only the beginning. Experience is necessary as well, and continuous training, much of it available online. If you're interested in database work, there are many different positions you might apply for.
Database designers and programmers set up large commercial databases and design set queries and their interfaces with users. Database administrators make sure that the database is maintained, that old data is flushed out of the system and that the database keeps up with the changes in usage that happen over time.
Database jobs are interesting and can be the basis of a long, successful career in IT. You learn to program, to work with some of the systems administration, and to interact with the users. This is an excellent way to start your IT career, so take a look around and decide what kind of
database training you are going to start with.
Sources
About the Author
Mary Hobson is a consultant for technology start-ups in Russia. She has also worked as an executive officer in a defense facility and as a university lecturer in computer science and management information.
