If you’ve been trying to figure out how to become a database expert as quickly as possible, consider this your introduction.
There are a number of career choices available to you if you decide to become a database expert, such as Database Administrator, Database Developer, and several others. What does it take and what do you need to learn to become an expert with databases? Read on to learn all about becoming one of the most sought after groups of people in today’s workforce.
The most popular position title for a database expert is Database Administrator (DBA for short). This person is in charge of all aspects of the database – security, storage, development, and anything else that may arise regarding a database.
As a DBA, you would be installing, testing, and troubleshooting databases and the information stored within them. Typically, you will be using database management software like Morpheus to handle many of the management tasks.
Another popular title is Database Developer. In this position, you would be working on the development of data and network structures, as well as queries that store or retrieve information for the database.
In either position, you will probably work closely with Network Analysts and software developers in order to ensure that everything functions properly and performs at a high level.
In most cases, you will need at least an associate’s degree, or quite possibly a bachelor’s degree. Your field of study will need to be computer science, information systems, or information security, and you will likely want to focus on databases and/or networking as you move further along in your studies.
You will likely want to learn Structured Query Language (SQL) to start, as most relational databases use some form of this language as the basis for their queries. Also, you may want to consider learning programming in general, as data structures like JSON are very similar to the object structure used to write queries in many NoSQL databases. For example, MongoDB uses BSON notation, which is formatted like JSON, but has some additional abilities.
An example of SQL. Source: Wikipedia.
An example of JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). Source: Wikipedia.
In addition to a degree, more advanced positions may require that you have additional certifications in database administration or development. You can find many courses like this online, and they are good to take in any case so that you can more easily advance in your field.
Another thing that may be needed is work experience. To get this, you may need to freelance work or work as an intern for a company for a while in order to gain that precious experience, as this will provide you with a number of projects you can point to having successfully completed during this time. If you are looking for a position that requires managing others, you will likely need additional training in the management of employees, and possibly some experience with this as well.
In the end, getting the education, training, and experience will be well worthwhile, as you will be a highly sought-after database expert, which is something that is a need for every company that makes use of databases in their business plan!
