So you’re hearing all the fun that DBAs are having on Twitter and around the intertubez, and you’re wondering how to get in on the fun. Maybe you’re a developer or a network admin, and you’ve been learning about SQL Server from books and from peers, and you’re starting to look around for your first Junior DBA job.
Where Are the Junior DBA Job Ads?
Search for the terms “junior dba” or “senior dba” on national job sites, and the results are dramatically different:
- CareerBuilder – 296 senior, 27 junior
- Dice – 65 senior, 2 junior
- HotJobs – 170 senior, 19 junior
- Monster – 122 senior, 15 junior
To make matters worse, drill into the requirements for some of the so-called junior positions and they ask for:
- “2+ years of hands-on experience administering customer-facing databases”
- “Minimum 2 years of information technology experience is required”
- “2 years of database administrations experience including installation and configuration”
These ads make me chuckle because a DBA with two years of hands-on experience isn’t looking for his next junior DBA job – he’s aiming for his first senior DBA job. People don’t aspire to make lateral moves – they aspire to move up the ladder.
So we’ve started to establish that it’s not just you: there aren’t junior DBA ads sitting around waiting for takers.
Why Aren’t More Companies Hiring Junior DBAs?
Databases are among a company’s most valuable assets. They hold sales data, payroll data, information about customers and competitors, and all kinds of proprietary data. Companies guard this data closely, and they don’t want just anybody stepping up to the server to handle backups, restores, and security configuration.
Companies may be willing to hire junior developers instead – for some reason, they don’t have a problem giving a fresh-out-of-college person access to all the data. But when it comes time to actually managing the data, they want someone experienced.
As a result, even when a small company with a handful of SQL Server instances goes shopping for a DBA, they want someone experienced. They want to hear from the candidate, “Yes, I can do what you need – I’ve already done this for a much larger shop, and I’ve got experience handling this sort of thing.” They sleep better at night knowing their DBA is not stressed out trying to figure out how to automate backups for the first time.
Every now and then, big companies will actually hire junior DBAs. This mostly happens when they’ve already got a crew of senior DBAs, but here’s the odd part: they don’t have anyone internally that wants to get promoted into the DBA team. That’s very peculiar, because in companies large enough to have DBAs already, they often have people in other teams who want to become DBAs.
Know Your Competition: Other Junior DBA Candidates
The few available junior DBA positions attract a few kinds of candidates:
- Developers with a year or more of SQL Server programming experience who’ve decided they want to focus on SQL Server instead of development. They’ve written code that stores data in SQL Server, so they know the basics of T-SQL or LINQ, understand the basics of data models, and maybe they’ve even done a little SQL Server administration on their dev boxes.
- Windows administrators with a year or more of Windows experience who also want to switch their focus. These people know hardware, know the basics of performance tuning, have backup/restore experience, and maybe they’ve even built a cluster or two. They might have even built SQL Servers, but they haven’t been working on SQL Server full time.
- SQL Server DBAs who’ve been let go, and they’re desperate. They might have worked for a company in financial trouble, they might have been drinking on the job, who knows. These are your most dangerous competitors, because at first glance, their resumes kick sand on your resume.
- College grads or training grads with no experience.
If you’re in that last category, I gotta be honest: you’re screwed. Go get a job as a junior developer or a junior Windows admin first, and then work your way into database administration. There is no classroom training that’s going to convince a company to hand over the keys to their data on your first day in the office. You may see ads for certification programs that promise to make you DBA-ready within a week for a few thousand dollars. It won’t get you the job – at least, not when you compare yourself to the competition. After you’ve gotten started in a development or sysadmin position working around SQL Server, come back here and continue reading about how to take it to the next level.
Getting Promoted is Easier than Getting Hired
If you’re a developer or Windows admin, try to get promoted internally rather than switching companies. You’ve already built up a level of trust with your coworkers. Make yourself the natural candidate by actively going after the position before the position even exists: volunteer to spend time with the DBAs, help them during scheduled outages, or just ask if you can sit around and watch during the weekend maintenance windows. Bring coffee, donuts and bacon, and be the most pleasant (but not over-the-top) person in the room.
If you’ve already got a job in close proximity to SQL Server, this is one of the times where getting certified in SQL Server without getting the job first does make sense. I’ve blogged about how certification is the icing on the cake: don’t get certified without at least some vague experience in SQL. Developers and Windows admins will gain knowledge from the certification training process, and it’ll buy them a little bit of credibility in the eyes of the DBA team. Not a lot – but some.
If you dislike the DBA team at your company, I’ve got bad news: you’re probably going to dislike most DBA teams, and switching companies isn’t going to make things better. However, if you’re absolutely determined to jump ship, there’s a few things you can do to make the hiring process easier, and I’ll explain those in my next post.
Part 2: You CAN Get DBA Experience Without a DBA Job
Brent Ozar
Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.
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i mean i have almost finished the book MCTS selfpaced training kit for 70-431(sql 2005).so should i get a new book
and start allover.or should i contine with sql 2005 and give one exam to uprade to 2008.because there are no good books available till now .i have searched the websites and saw customer reviews also about these books.
Azad – if your only resource is books (not any servers), then yes, go ahead and finish with a 2005 exam.
hi after 3 month i m learn in oracle dba.hoe to get fresher job. i m completed bsc[cs]degree in vlbjcas.
tell the best institution & 100%placement
iam a non it experienced candidate of 3 yrs. i want to further start my career as a SQL DBA . I am BE civil.i hv started self study on SQL and need your advice to start and grow in this field.
Hi. I wish I could help everyone one-on-one with coaching, but since that’d turn into a full time job
, I instead wrote these blog posts with the help. If you’ve got specific questions, feel free to let me know. Thanks!
Brent, how are you doing, I always wonder how intelligent and smart you are and I always wanted to be a smart person like you whom every one admires of; i am great fan of your blog, postings and i even follow you on twitter even though i do not understand much sql server as i know a very little.
Coming to my question i am in IT from 3yrs, worked for a year and half as ETL QA/tester for organizations like Microsoft(1yr in Redmond, WA) and now working as a Software tester from a year; I wanted a career in sql server/database but do not know what is good like development or dba and do not know where to start; in all of your blogs and postings you mentioned about sys admins or networking or else but you never wrote something for a QA/tester who wanted to pursue database career like me who knows very little abot database, if you dont mind will you plz preach me your golden words of magic for my career, where and how should i start or advice something for qa person who wanted to pusue a career in database.
Chan – realistically, most of the QA skills don’t translate into a DBA career. You’ll be more likely to have success transitioning into a programmer role.
Hello..!!!
I am fresher candidate who is doing b-tech. I am in 3rd year doing computer engineering. I am very much interested in database. Regards to this, i hv completed OCP-DBA(4 modules). Gave all d tests of these modules and scored well. Dont hv interest in programming field. So would like to know how should i be successful getting hired in company with no work experience as i have come to know dt companies are always interested in candidates having work experience.
Thank you..!!
Yatin – sorry, but you won’t be successful with that approach. You can’t get hired as a DBA without work experience. If programming doesn’t interest you, you could also consider other career fields like business intelligence developer (writing reports and building cubes) or systems administrator, and those fields can eventually move into database administration after they’ve built up experience.
Thnku so much sir for guidance. Sir can u pls tel me certain fiels which can help me to enter into database field..?? For e.g. if we take systems administrator as a field, then what all courses should i do to get into it..??
Yatin – unfortunately, I wouldn’t be a good person to give you a list of courses for each profession. Instead, I’d recommend that you work with your college counselors to explore what courses interest you the most, and then talk to them about what jobs will use that course. I wouldn’t be able to give you the same focused counseling that a local counselor would be able to give. Good luck, and take care!
[...] [...]
Hi Brent Ozar.
Wel I working at a bank mainframe ops for 5 years.
I want to change from this environment to SQL 2008 DBA.
Is this possible, to change to this job?
Please I need your advice?
Mathys – anything’s possible. Do you have any training in SQL Server, or if not, how do you plan to get it?
Hi Brent Ozar.
Yes, I am busy with swatting SQL 2008 DBA. I will attend a 30 days course at CTU training. It cost me allot but I like this tipe of work. I am currently chat with other SQL DBA and they are great in assist me with it.
You see I am a familie man and working long shifts. So I don’t see my kids and wife that match. So I have to change work before I lost my familie.
Please help.?
Mathys – what specifically do you want me to help you with? What’s your question for me?
Hi Brent Ozar
Is it possible to go from a IBM mainframe IT ops to a SQL DBA.? After I complited my SQL DBA 2008 course.?
What complications are there.?
What can I still do to be able to even get a junior DBA job.?
Iam currently walking in the dark.
Thank you for you time.
Mathys – like I said, anything is possible. I’ve written extensively here about how to get a junior DBA job. Read the articles here on my site, and when you have specific questions, let me know.
I gotta be honest, though – it feels like you’re not really doing your homework. If you’re asking this comment on a blog post that TELLS you how to get a junior DBA job, you’re not giving me warm and fuzzy feelings about your abilities to get the job.
Hey Brent,
I have been writing loads of SQL in my last 2 years with experience in Cognos BI. I have a Masters degree in Computer Science. I have been mostly working with Oracle and how do you think a transition from Oracle and MS-SQL will be. I have a feeling that it is just the syntax that changes for the most part between Oracle and MS-SQL but not pretty sure. Do you think complete understanding of SQL and T-SQL (PL/SQL) suffice to start of with a steps to a junior DBA?
Taylor – interesting question. Why would you want to switch from Oracle to MSSQL? Why not move into an Oracle DBA position? Leverage your peer network, especially since you’ve been working with Oracle and BI folks.
hi brent,its almost been 1.5 yrs working as a DBA.what additional skills should i have which will help me develop in this field.
right now i have a fair knowledge of reporting and integration services.
Hi, Azad. It depends on what you’d like to do – the job title “DBA” has a ton of different jobs underneath it. Your best bet is to work with other DBAs in your area, find a local mentor, and talk to them about the kind of work they do. You can attend your local PASS chapter to get a head start on that:
http://sqlpass.org
Hope that helps!
Hi Brent!
I’ve just recently come across your blog and love it! I was wondering if I can get your advice. I recently completed my BS in Computer Information and am going for my Masters in Information Systems… Now I know I need DBA experience so how do you get in with a consulting company in order to get that Junior DBA job? I have tons of experience with writing SQL and using SQL Server 2005 & 2008. As far as the administrative tasks I have only performed simple backups, created a few simple procedures, etc. I want to get those skills but am having trouble finding the position that will allow me to do that.
The life of an aspiring DBA!
Oh… and I love the podcasts as well
Esli – the answer to that one is pretty simple; call them. Just pick up the phone and call your local consulting companies to find out if they’ve got openings for junior DBAs. There’s no secret magic to that one. Most of the time, however, they’re not going to be hiring outright when you don’t have experience. That’s why I recommend in this blog post series that you get a job as something else (like developer or sysadmin) and work your way into a DBA role. Hope that helps!
Hi Brent!
Thank you for your advices.I have 2 years software development experience.then, I left my job I move to new city two years ago. I start to learn Oracle a years ago. I want to be a Oracel DBA. I have prepared a lot,I attended the training course, got the certificate, But I don’t have any really work experience, How can start my first DBA job? where I can find the mentoring, volunteer choice?
Lily – this entire article series is devoted to just that topic. Please read the entire article by clicking through each post and it has the answers you need.
hi brent
good news.i got a job in software company as a associate SQL DBA.finally all that hard work paid off.your post helped me a lot.i did all those things that u told me.wish me luck for my new job.
thanks a ton
Great, glad I could help! Good luck in the new job.
[...] Ozar, who works at Quest Software, has recently blogged, here, here, and here, about “How To Get A Job as a Junior DBA”. This is a good series of posts, with [...]
Hi,
I graduated in 2008 with a BS in CS and I am currently working on a MS in information systems. My title is basically sr. developer/programmer but I’ve managed to earn the trust of my manager and systems admin to take over sql server 2000 and 2008, as the dba (took me 2 years). I’ve setup sql server 2008, reporting server and integration server. I have made maint. plans, manage security, setup emails and such and I am currently working on a migration plan. We are a small shop and we have about 40-50 databases. I am not sure if this is good enough experience to try to move up. I am still called a programmer (get paid like one too). So basically I want my title, job description, and check to be changed and that might not be easy. I expect a lot of resistance from my peers and upper management. So perhaps is best to just find a jr. dba job elsewhere. Anyways my questions are: Will it be difficult to make a transition to another company if not almost impossible? Should I try for senior? I guess I am just concern because we are not a big shop and I was given that responsability recently. Any advice?
Thank you for the great article!
hi brent
iam a bsc electronics holder. I have done oracle dba too. but now iam not getting any job as a dba. plz help me
Ismail – sorry, but what specifically do you want me to do?
Hi Brent,
Im going through your blog for the first time and you have been answering and advising all audience,
Well im a SQL SERVER BI developer worked in FL on SSIS/SSRS/TSQL for nearly an year(Contract ended).
I really want go up the ladder and become a DBA, i have checked some training videos but nothing impressed me. I would like to take up my next assignment as a Jr DBA , can you give me some advise/directions
thanks
JS
Hi! If you click Becoming a DBA at the top of this page, I’ve got tons of articles about it. Read through those and then feel free to ask more specific questions.
I am working as sofware professional in an MNC.
Now i am looking forward to develope my career in ORCALE , currently i dosent had any work experiance in oracle .So i am planning to take OCP in DBA .But when i consult with some of friends i came to know that oracle application developement will more advantage for you to get a openning (Because i dosent had a experiance in oracle).
I already joined a class for DBA , so for getting an openning for me do i need to take both certification on oracle application developer and on oracle dba ?
Will it help me to built career? Please give me some reply if possible.
Renjith – if you search for Certifications on my site, I’ve written an article called Certifications are Icing, Not Cake that will help you decide.
Hi, Brent I have read your blog and it is really help full.I am a student right now going for Database Specialist Certification want to become a SQL Developer but have no job experience so you said in your blog that get a job as junior SQL developer. In order to get a job as junior Developer can you tell me what certification or what class should I take.
Thank YOU.
Generally speaking, junior developers don’t need certifications – they just need to network to get to know prospective employees. Most certs are easy to get in the US, so they don’t carry much weight.
Thanks for repling so quick.To become a SQL developer what degree do I need. does it have to be 2years,bacholer,masters or just work experinces.
ThanK YOU.
Roshan – it’s a combination of work experience, a CS degree, and network connections.
Hi Brent,
I have 7 month work experience as a SQL DBA(Under the Senior DBA, who is working remotely). I am Little bit confident about SQL Administration Work but now days every requirement wants SSIS, SSAS, SSRS and i don’t have any experience on this field.
Now i want work in professional environment and i upload my resume on some website but i didn’t get any single client call.
Can you please guide me what should i have to do?
Jinesh – read my articles like the ones above, and I’ve written extensively about this.
I’m screwed i’ll get a junior developer then i’ll come back for read the part 2, i promise.
[...] Water and Light) and he thought I should apply, I did. I’ve since gone back and read Brent Ozar’s post on getting a DBA job and I think I actually followed his advice without knowing it. I was honest with what I knew [...]
hi Brent i came to your blog from googling stuff about DBA work and i have to thank you because your articles have answered lots of questions i had on my mind about this career path, i am 36 years old and come from a web designer animator past, as you say in your article its hard for a first timer of getting their first DBA job which is understandable, but you say newly graduates have a better chance of getting hires, my plan is getting my AA in ‘business application & data administration’which has some good classes to train me to get my hands dirty with database work, than focus myself on ms-sql and becoming ms-sql certified. That would make my chances better in landing that first DBA job right? also with most of the develoment IT job being outsourced overseas do you think that the DBA jobs (specifically ms-sql ones) are in danger to be outsourced?
Devon – glad I could help! Unfortunately, no, I don’t think an Associate’s degree is going to help you land a DBA job without hands-on experience. Training courses and college are not experience. The best route into database administration as a career is to get database experience at work while you’ve got another job (programming or systems administration) and then transition in from there.
About the outsourcing – I don’t agree that most development IT jobs are being outsourced overseas, but even if they were, the “most” thing is really misleading. Do you want to do what you love? Are you really good at doing it? If so, there’s always going to be jobs for the people at the top. However, if you’re just looking for a check, and you don’t have a burning passion to do the job, you’re going to find someone else taking your job because they’re passionate about it and they won’t stop working/training/learning on it. That’s the same for any line of work.
If you want to do database work, use your contacts from your web design past to intern with coders who use databases. It’ll cost you less than getting the AA degree, and it’ll continue to build your network – and that’s where the jobs are. If you’re not willing to work for next-to-nothing on this, then don’t get into it – it’s not your real calling.
Hope that helps!
Hi Brent,
About 2 yrs ago i was new in the DATABASE field.In these 2 yrs i have worked like hell and coz of that i got selected in Microsoft GTSC bangalore. During this period your advise has help me a lot.
I would like to thank you for that.You are my inspiration.
Thanks & Regards,
Azad R Sale
Azad – congratulations! Glad I could help, and good luck with the new job!