Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become a database specialist. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in a database specialist.
Most companies require a database specialist to have a bachelor's degree degree in a related field, such as business or computer science.
It's important to have relevant work experience, with typical job requirements ranging from 2-4 years in related fields.
Common job titles before becoming a database specialist include administrative assistant, customer service representative, and database administrator.
Hiring managers expect a database specialist to have soft skills such as analytical skills, communication skills, and detail oriented.
Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of 3-6 months of job training to become a database specialist.
Getting a certification as a Certified Instrumentation Specialist (CIS) will help you to earn more as a database specialist.
We found that 66.2% of database specialists have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 10.0% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most database specialists have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every eight database specialists were not college graduates.
Those database specialists who do attend college, typically earn either a business degree or a computer science degree. Less commonly earned degrees for database specialists include a computer information systems degree or a accounting degree.
If you're interested in becoming a database specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 66.2% of database specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 10.0% of database specialists have master's degrees. Even though most database specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a database specialist. When we researched the most common majors for a database specialist, we found that they most commonly have business, computer science and computer information systems.
Database Specialist Major | Percentages |
---|---|
Business | 26.30% |
Computer Science | 16.10% |
Computer Information Systems | 7.90% |
Accounting | 5.10% |
Other Degrees | 44.80% |
It'll be a good idea to develop database specialist skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in database specialist job descriptions:
Skills | Percentages |
---|---|
Database Management | 13.82% |
Database Design | 5.07% |
Database Administration | 4.69% |
Windows | 4.53% |
Data Entry | 4.09% |
Database specialists spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new database specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as a database specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real database specialist resumes.
When you decide to become a database specialist, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most database specialist jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.