How to Become a Database Developer A Complete Career Guide

SQL devs can be employed in a multitude of industries, as well as in various branches of government. Other SQL devs may work in finance, enterprise management, information firms, or education services. While you will likely be majoring in Information Technology, consider attaining a minor or double major in a complementary field. It’s almost assured that you will find interest in another field that compels you to take the courses necessary to complete at least a minor. Bring us your ambition and we’ll guide you along a personalized path to a quality education that’s designed to change your life.

  • Not the kind that Liam Neeson’s character in Taken has, but specific skills for database development.
  • You might already know what a database developer is, but I’ll explain it anyway, in case you’re not sure.
  • Additional courses in database structures and programming languages required to interface with databases will prepare you for a database administrator role.
  • A database developer needs to be able to explain difficult technical ideas in a way that non-technical audiences can grasp.

You can advance to higher-level positions, such as senior database administrator or developer, database architect, database consultant, or database manager. Alternatively, you can expand your skill set and transition to other roles such as data analyst, data engineer, data scientist, or software developer. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for database administrators was $98,860 in 2020, while the median annual wage for software developers was $110,140 in 2020. The projected job growth for both occupations from 2019 to 2029 was 10%, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Database developers are responsible for designing, developing, and testing databases and their applications.

How to Become a Database Administrator, Step by Step

Once you have learnt SQL and how to work with databases, it’s a good idea to create a portfolio of your work. I learnt Oracle SQL when I was in uni, and it’s the one I’m most familiar with, but I’ve had roles at clients where I’ve worked on Microsoft SQL Server (and even linked an Excel spreadsheet to an SQLite database). You can see a large list of database management systems at db-engines.com if you’re interested, which are ranked according to their popularity. If you’ve read some job descriptions for database developer jobs, you might have some idea. Other information services, including data hosting and processing firms, also represent a large portion of employment for database specialists. Candidates should expect stiff competition for especially lucrative positions, but overall job prospects should be excellent.

Individuals who are interested in becoming a database administrator can start by developing the skills they’ll need to be successful in this field. Completing an educational program such as an online bachelor’s in management information systems can be an important first step toward pursuing jobs on this career path. Requisite hard skills vary by position, but entry-level database administrators often need skills in database administration and reporting, Oracle, IBMDB2, Altibase, SQL, and SAP Sybase ASE. Professionals seeking mid-level database administrator positions should have data analysis skills, additional certifications, and four or more years of professional experience. Like many scientific and technical professionals, database administrators need to master several hard skills to obtain and perform their jobs.

Learning SQL Programming

Database developers sometimes have to work with companies or businesses that use Python. There are other useful skills to have such as machine learning, Python, or knowledge of algorithm structures. Becoming a database developer takes more than just motivation and perseverance. In this guide, we’ll cover what these professionals do and the best pathways to become a database developer. An SQL developer must collaborate with different business unit heads to ensure that the company’s digital networking infrastructure is set up and maintained.

how to become a database developer

This will give you a good idea of how many openings there are, and therefore how much comparative demand there is for a certain database administrator certification. Most database administrators work full-time at large companies in computer design services, education, insurance, and other industries with substantial data sets. Larger firms often provide better networking opportunities and human resources services, such as job training and benefits packages.

Considering Earning Your Master’s in Data Science?

Just as the term ‘doctor’ can refer to a wide range of specializations, there is also a wide range of sub-specializations for the database administrator role. The DBA we described previously is the most common—one sql dba developer who works in-house or on contract for an organization to keep their internal databases chugging along optimally. There are many undergraduate computer science programs available throughout the US.

Computer Programmer This field is vastly different from programmer to programmer, depending on the languages you specialize in. Python programmers, for instance, might work on managing Big Data, while PHP coders are more likely to work on websites such as Facebook. Your days will involve long hours writing highly detailed, analytical code. If you graduate from a four-year degree program and are shouldering a significant debt load, you can have that debt discharged by working it off in a government agency or a non-profit. There are a wide range of governmental agencies to choose from and you can apply to one at the local, state, or federal level.

Another projected growth area is database hosting at cloud computing companies, as many fast-growing companies do not want to dedicate a full-time employee to data administration. However, it should be noted that these highly sought-after certifications only provide a brief snapshot of current hiring trends when the survey was taken. As such, certain certifications can fluctuate in popularity, and there’s no guarantee that demand for them will remain strong.