1.9 Technology Careers and Database Knowledge

It should be evident from previous examples that an understanding and knowledge of how to use, design, and build databases is essential for anyone desiring a career in information systems. The core of every type of information system is a database.

If you look at the course of study for any type of technology degree, you will find at least one course—and in many instances, several courses—that teach database principles and practices. For those who desire certifications in technology, understanding databases is almost always an essential component. Not only are database knowledge and database skills crucial for technical professionals, but an understanding of how to use databases to extract important information is essential in almost every career. Every industry uses database technology, and professionals within an industry have information that must be maintained by, and accessed with, a database.

Let's look at a few of the top-rated technical jobs and careers and discuss the importance of database knowledge in those jobs. Table 1.3 lists several technology-related careers and the associated database knowledge required.

Table 1.3

Technology Jobs and the Related Database (DB) Knowledge Required.

Job Title	Job Description	DB Knowledge Required	Skill Level Required
Quality assurance engineer	Evaluate and monitor the quality and performance of new and existing systems	Understand database technology Identify database problems	Substantial
Server administrator	Administer the server farms and cloud systems	Understand database technology Identify and solve database problems Understand database interaction with other software	Substantial
Business/computer systems analyst	Understand business requirements and develop business solutions for all devices	Model the business need Design the database schema Build the database Optimize the database	Extensive
Computer programmer	Write computer programs based on specifications	Design the database schema Build the database Optimize the database	Extensive
Software engineer and developer	Design and develop software for businesses, scientific organizations, research organizations, and so on	Model the business need Design the database schema Build the database Optimize the database	Extensive
Web developer	Design and build online web solutions, including technical and artistic presentation	Model the business need Design the database schema Build the database Optimize the database	Extensive
Database administrator	Administer data and databases	Understand database technology Understand DBMS technology Identify and solve database problems	Extensive
Data analyst	Determine information needs and how to produce information from raw data sources	Model the business need Determine data sources Understand data modeling Understand database structure	Extensive
Data warehouse engineer	Administer data, databases, and design data schemas for analysis	Understand database technology Understand data center management Understand software systems	Extensive
Project manager	Manage software and system development projects	Model the business need Design the database schema Build the database Optimize database	Extensive

As you can see, every type of technical position requires extensive or substantial database skills. Required database skills range from being able to design and build a database to being able to monitor, tune, and optimize the database performance. If you are planning on pursuing any kind of technical career, it is important to understand databases!

Table 1.4 identifies a few other types of knowledge-based careers. A knowledge-based career is one that requires an understanding of how to solve problems using knowledge and analytical skills. A very large percentage of knowledge-based skills now require computer proficiency, along with the ability to understand and use databases to find and extract information. As can be seen from the table, knowledge workers must be able to understand the structure of the data in the database so that they can extract information from the raw data. Knowledge workers are also often involved in designing the database because they understand the business requirements.

Table 1.4

Database Skills Required for Knowledge-based Careers

Job Title	Job Description	DB Knowledge Required	Skill Level Required
Financial Planner	Analyze the security market and recommend financial portfolios.	Understand the financial information available in databases. Know how to extract information in various combinations.	Moderate
Advertising Manager	Manage advertising campaigns and budgets.	Understand sales and performance data. Be able to extract information in various ways.	Moderate
Human Resource Manager	Manage all the hiring, evaluating, and monitoring of the workforce.	Understand information about employees as well as all financial information.	Moderate
Sales Manager	Manage the salespeople and sales activities of an organization.	Understand sales data and be able to extract information in various forms. Evaluate performance.	Moderate
Market Research Analyst	Analyze sales and economic data to predict future trends.	Understand economic databases. Be able to use databases in novel ways to discover and extract information.	Substantial
Political Scientist	Understand and research demographic data and trends.	Be able to analyze data and draw conclusions from demographic databases and questionnaire data.	Substantial
Management Consultant	Analyze organizational issues and recommend solutions.	Understand the financial and operational data of an organization as found in various databases.	Substantial
Accountant	Support all the accounting requirements of an organization.	Understand all financial databases. Identify problems or potentially fraudulent activity through database analysis.	Extensive
Economist	Analyze and predict economic trends based on historical data.	Understand economic databases, their structure, and data. Be able to extract information in various forms using novel approaches.	Extensive
Sociologist	Analyze social trends and social problems in communities and nations.	Understand demographic and social data from diverse and disparate databases. Be able to extract information using multiple techniques.	Extensive
Public Administrator	Manage a public government unit.	Be able to understand data and information provided in various and diverse databases from the governmental database.	Extensive

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