Popular Technology Degrees

Your Life in a Database

February 23, 2007
by Martin A. David
Technology Schools Columnist

A database program is a kind of computer software that gathers information and puts it into an easy-to-navigate format. Almost everything in the world can be found in a database program somewhere. The people who design, build, and maintain these important information banks are called database administrators. The jobs held by these DBAs, as they are known in the profession, are among the most highly valued in the tech industry.

You are in a database. In fact, you are probably in several of them. The government uses database programs, schools and universities use them, your credit card company does, and so does your insurance company. All of these databases need administrators to run them. The number of jobs for people in database administration is growing every day.

The structure of a database program is very important. The information must be gathered in such a way that it is easy to find. A database administrator performs many different jobs. He or she might be called upon to help design a database for a specific purpose or to construct easy ways of asking the database program to supply the data needed.

A good database administrator may spend an entire career designing a huge database and improving it as new technology is developed. The field is constantly growing as more and more information is being stored. That's why there is such a secure future in a database administration career.

About the Author
Martin A. David consults as a senior technical writer for a number of Silicon Valley firms. He has written numerous feature articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times.