The Future as an Oracle DBA?

[dba_admin]

I heard a lot of lay off in "dot-com" companies. Our company laid off 10% this week. I am interested in the discussion about the future job market of Oracle DBAs.

Does anyone know any good website related to Oracle career?

(I apologize if this is not the right place to ask this question.)

[sysdpa]

The best thing to do depending on the area is to be willing to relocate. The East Coast is flat, attrition is starting to slow, and will be slow until the third quarter. Consulting firms are dropping the rates. The south as in Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale
and Austin is excellant. Arizona is usually below market for three year solid Oracle people it is around 80K the East (mid-atlantic)
90-95k California has a cost of living issue and markets that are "de-ramping' due to the ridiculous dot.com rush puts a lot of people out there on the pavement. Don't blow your resume out on Dice and Monster the response for the mention of Oracle and Oracle apps brings the blood-hounds out and it gives you a false sense of hope. If you are sure you will not be cut then be a star where you are for the time being. For GOD's sake don't put Oracle on NT. Develope your UNIX skills for all flavors and start doing a cross between sqlserver/NT and Oracle/Unix. Learn the apps if you have the opportunity. The DBA of the future of Oracle will survive well if you are multi-tasking and customer service focused, a planner etc. If your company is getting rid of 10% I hope they are project managers!!

[hybern8]

Don't let the dot.com company lay-offs get you down. I have been laid off a time or two and was back to work within a week or two. Right now there appear to be more vacancies for Oracle DBAs then there are Oracle DBAs. SYSDPA has a good point... broaden your knowledge. The more you learn the more valuable you are to your employer. I am making about 90ish in FL and I am still getting calls from various employers accross the southeast. Keep in mind the dot.com companies are not the only ones out there using oracle professionals. I have seen a good number of very stable non-IT corporations make some very interesting offers. If you still have your job, don't worry. If you feel you are too close to the ax, plan ahead... Prep your resume and references. Right now the only reason to move is if you have the boss from hell or you are unhapply with your job. Oracle will be around for a very long time to come. Best wishes.

[sreddy]

Future is unpredictable but, the apetite towards hot technology, interest to be competant in the industry, strive towards challeging enviroment keeps you always in the future you wanted.

Personally, I feel there is nothing that makes real techie down, if at all couple of $$` s of billing.

[sreddy]

Focus on the Administration of ERP and Dataware Housing sector. I don't see any fluctuations in requirement of those areas.

[sambavan]

The market is shifting from dots to storage sector. So the need for DBAs is pretty emminent. It is also a talk that the present gov. is playing the game of down spiralling the market, to get their TAX cut in place as it was proposed. Which really makes sense, b'cos this fear would make every individual to push the TAX cut and that would put the present administation in the SUCCESS mode If you dig deep down, Fed Chairman Green Span was a senior Bush appointee

In the mean time, it is being expected that the market wouldn't bounce back untill the third Qtr :(


Good luck,
Sam

[hnagia]

Maybe I am situated Outside The US but we must know that the future holds 2 things at one go , dot com + Databases .

Automated work via the Internet will be built on solid and very strong databases like Oracle 8i , thus make the need for DBA's more than ever but specifically for much indepth scop like tuning.