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What is a database administrator/software engineer and how to become one
What general advice would you give to a database administrator/software engineer?
Frank McCown Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
Avg. Salary $99,252
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 21%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%
Asian 29.74%
Black or African American 4.66%
Hispanic or Latino 8.43%
Unknown 4.87%
White 52.14%
Genderfemale 19.27%
male 80.73%
Age - 38American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 38Stress level is moderate
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Database administrator/software engineer career paths
Key steps to become a database administrator/software engineer
Explore database administrator/software engineer education requirements
Start to develop specific database administrator/software engineer skills
Skills Percentages Java 8.26% PL/SQL 8.06% Web Application 6.64% Microsoft SQL Server 6.21% Database Administration 4.79% Complete relevant database administrator/software engineer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New database administrator/software engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a database administrator/software engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real database administrator/software engineer resumes.Research database administrator/software engineer duties and responsibilities
- Develop and enhance multiple ETL processes using SSIS to automate import and export data from different vendors into master inventory tables.
- Implement a centralize configuration system for managing application settings, consisting of a desktop application with a WCF backend.
- Use Perl/CGI, HTML, SYBASE on an AIX UNIX platform.
- Design new SSIS packages and optimize legacy packages as an ETL developer.
Get database administrator/software engineer experience
Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a database administrator/software engineer. The most common roles before becoming a database administrator/software engineer include software engineer, programmer analyst team lead and software developer.Apply for database administrator/software engineer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a database administrator/software engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first database administrator/software engineer job
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Average database administrator/software engineer salary
The average database administrator/software engineer salary in the United States is $99,252 per year or $48 per hour. Database administrator/software engineer salaries range between $73,000 and $133,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do database administrator/software engineers rate their job?
Database administrator/software engineer reviews
Work from home, reasonable salary and benefits
Repetitive work. Training is on the job mostly.
Problem solving and cutting edge technology - always learning and evolving my skill set
Still have to deal with people :)
I enjoyed working on creative problems that dealt with the user interface
I didn't like how technical it could become
Updated January 8, 2025
