Database Administrator

Typical Salary

£22,000 To £70,000

Typical Hours

37 to 39 a week

on call

How To Become a Database Administrator

You could get into this job through:

a university course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You could study for a higher national diploma, degree or postgraduate qualification before joining a company training scheme. Useful subjects include:

computer science
business information systems
software engineering
information technology management
mathematics

1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

a degree in any subject for a postgraduat

Apprenticeship

You may be able to get into this job through a digital and technology solutions specialist degree apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You may be able to apply directly for a place on a graduate training scheme. These are often open to non-IT graduates as well as those with a computing qualification.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
analytical thinking skills
the ability to work well with others
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
excellent verbal communication skills
persistence and determination
the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
complex problem-solving skills
to have a thorough understanding of computer systems and applications

Day To Day Tasks

You'll work with an organisation to:

establish what the database is for, who’ll use it and what other systems it will link to
plan the structure of the database, working out how to organise, find and display data
build a test version and check the results for bugs
fill (populate) the database with new information or transfer existing data into it
plan how to update information, create back-up copies and report errors
put in security measures

Working Environment

You could work in an office or at a client's business.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could move into IT project management or systems analysis, web development or network management.

You could also become self-employed, or move into consultancy.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Experience in IT support, programming or web development will help.

Further information

Tech Future Careers and the Chartered Institute for IT have more details about careers and training in computing.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to know structured query language (SQL) and database management systems (DBMS).