What is a Database Administrator?
If you're looking for a career that's growing with more and more opportunities presented every day, becoming a database administrator is a great place to start. Bonus points are awarded if you already have a bachelor's degree in an information- or computer-related subject.
Database Administrators focus their time on using specialized software to store and organize data. Every industry that has a large database is going to hire for this position. But typically these employees can be found working for educational institutions and insurance companies.
What Does a Database Administrator Do
Database administrators use specialized software to store and organize data, such as financial information and customer shipping records. They make sure that data are available to users and are secure from unauthorized access.
How To Become a Database Administrator
Database administrators (DBAs) usually have a bachelor’s degree in an information- or computer-related subject such as computer science. Before becoming an administrator, these workers typically get work experience in a related field.
Database Administrator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a database administrator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as consultant, progress to a title such as information technology manager and then eventually end up with the title information technology operations manager.
Average Salary for a Database Administrator
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Database Administrator Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active database administrator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where database administrators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Database Administrator Jobs By State
Top Colleges for Database Administrators
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
6. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA • Private
Top Skills For a Database Administrator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 5.1% of database administrators listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Database Administrator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Database Administrator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Database Administrator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Database Administrator Demographics
Database Administrator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among database administrators, 38.6% of them are women, while 61.4% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among database administrators is White, which makes up 62.0% of all database administrators.
- The most common foreign language among database administrators is Spanish at 52.4%.
Work Experience Programs For Database Administrators
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: Standard Bank
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-4.5 hours
Company: Walmart India
Cost: Free
Duration: 3.5-4 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4 hours
Company: Walmart USA
Cost: Free
Duration: 3.5-4 hours
Online Courses For Database Administrator That You May Like
Ongoing and proactive management is critical to the security and performance of database management systems. Database administration is the function of managing the operational aspects of database systems and maintaining them. Database administrators work to ensure that applications make the most efficient use of databases and that physical resources are used adequately and efficiently. In this course, you will discover some of the activities, techniques, and best practices for managing a...
Master using RMAN in performing backup and recovery activities on Oracle Databases. No course covers the same topics!...
Dive deep into how SQL Server works to implement an effective high availability and disaster recovery solution...
Best States For a Database Administrator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a database administrator. The best states for people in this position are Washington, Vermont, California, and Oregon. Database administrators make the most in Washington with an average salary of $96,655. Whereas in Vermont and California, they would average $88,240 and $87,850, respectively. While database administrators would only make an average of $86,919 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Vermont
$88,240
Avg. Salary
2. Washington
$96,655
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$86,919
Avg. Salary
How Do Database Administrator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Database Administrator Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ database administrators and discovered their number of database administrator opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Tata Group was the best, especially with an average salary of $75,140. Wipro follows up with an average salary of $79,891, and then comes Tech Mahindra with an average of $80,168. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a database administrator. The employers include U.S. Bank, ManTech, and Marsh & McLennan Companies
Most Common Employers For Database Administrator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $136,796 | $65.77 | 285 |
| 2 | AT&T | $118,083 | $56.77 | 166 |
| 3 | Oracle | $106,939 | $51.41 | 275 |
| 4 | Ernst & Young | $102,975 | $49.51 | 895 |
| 5 | iTech US | $95,247 | $45.79 | 183 |
| 6 | Capgemini | $88,109 | $42.36 | 444 |
| 7 | Hitachi Vantara | $83,789 | $40.28 | 158 |
| 8 | IBM | $83,300 | $40.05 | 625 |
| 9 | HTC Global Services - Official Page | $83,099 | $39.95 | 171 |
| 10 | Compunnel | $83,076 | $39.94 | 748 |
Database Administrator Videos
Becoming a Database Administrator FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Become A Database Administrator?
It takes 5 years of professional experience to become a database administrator. That is the time it takes to learn specific database administrator skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become a database administrator.
Are Dba Jobs Dying?
No, DBA (database administrator) jobs are not dying. In fact, the field of database administration is rapidly growing, with more and more companies tracking large amounts of data and needing technical professionals to store, organize, and troubleshoot their data to ensure it runs efficiently.
Is Database Administrator A Good Career?
Yes, database administrator is a relatively good career. The role of a database administrator (DBA) is gainful with a good job outlook, but the work can be extremely stressful without much recognition.
What Are The Roles And Responsibilities Of A Database Administrator?
The roles and responsibilities of a database administrator (DBA) are often to manage their organization's data, train new staff, and communicate across multiple teams and departments.
Database administrators are the stewards of their organization's data. As such, they store, organize, and troubleshoot their organization's data using a database platform, such as SQL or Oracle.
What Are The Skills Of A Database Administrator?
The skills of a database administrator are mostly technical, with strengths in problem-solving and communication. DBAs must have technical experience with database platforms, such as SQL and Oracle. This knowledge is often gained through a relevant bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field.