[BBLISA] Database education?

[Dean Anderson]

I'd suggest an Oracle certification. Oracle consultants usually get paid 
good money, and oracle users usually have money to spend.

		--Dean

On Sat, 4 Sep 2004, Scott Ehrlich wrote:

> Hello to all:
> 
> I am desktop support /help desk professional (now 33 yrs old) and have
> been doing this stuff since I got introduced to an Apple II+ back in the
> fourth grade.
> 
> I am now one month into a six-month temporary f/t desktop support
> position, and am trying to decide, during this time, what my next step
> will be.   I have an Associates in Computer Science and a Bachelor's of
> Science in Engineering Technology, and regularly use PCs and Macs, and all
> OSes, though my preferable ones are Windows and MacOS, with some UNIX.
> To this point, hardware, operating system, and general application
> troubleshooting are my specialities.
> 
> I am now considering putting more focus into a more concentrated area,
> such as database work.   I have no experience with databases, though I do
> recall some things from my days in college (graduated in 1996).
> 
> For someone like me, where do people recommend I start?    I know about
> the existence of Oracle and Access, and have used, as an end-user,
> Filemaker.
> 
> Part of my desire/goal is the ability to work remotely, and be able to
> narrow my focus to one task.   Along the way, I would like to maintain a
> good income, and when I start a family, be able to be home if/when
> necessary.
> 
> I think I would learn best from class instructions vs self-study for
> the longer-term, but would be very happy with a self-study to get myself
> started.
> 
> My most recent dedicated UNIX experience has been with Debian installs,
> next to using my MacOS 10.3.5 machine at home very day and taking
> advantage of its Terminal program to ssh into my domain provider's BSD
> box.
> 
> What kind of money could I be looking at for incoming once I start to look
> for database type jobs with no database experience?  How hard is it to
> break into the field?  What full body of knowledge do I need for a
> DBA-type role?  How long, on average, does it take to reach good enough
> competency to be considered a DBA?
> 
> Thanks for any leads/ideas/help people can offer to help me find the right
> path to the database world, if that what I so choose.
> 
> Scott
> 
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