Hi Matthew (I use optionsXpress - great service!),

With the right training, something that's very process oriented like DBA is a great role to pick up. As long as she's realistic about the level and payrate (which your comments suggest she is) then it's very realistic.

"Is it realistic for her to find job prospects as a junior DBA that will let her work flexible hours or even from home?"

A DBA role is also something which lends itself to flexible hours (often flexible in the way you DON'T want - when something goes wrong at 2am) and to remote working, although usually an initial on-premises period should be expected while she settles in.

"Are there short-term contract positions out there for junior DBAs to obtain?"

There are always short term roles available for all areas of IT if you're committed to only accepting that sort of role. When the time is right, contact a number of recruitment agents and followup with them regularly (once a week) to keep yourself in their mind. Agents ESPECIALLY love serial short-term contractors because they're able to earn good commissions.

"Are jobs more prevalent for MSSQL vs Oracle?"

I don't know the split between MSSQL and Oracle - I suspect it's very different in different markets and regions. One thing I will say is don't discount the opensource DBs; many very large companies are using Postgres and MySQL and because of the relative immaturity of those DBs the role of the DBA for them is often very sought after.

"How many years of experience do you find a typical DBA needs before advancing above junior status?"

The years of experience are less important than the specific runs on the board. If she focuses for two years on doing short term contracts so she gets a very wide range of experience and if she can find some interesting projects with some complex problems that she is involved with, (and assuming she's up to it all) then she'll find other companies are far more likely to put their trust in her wealth of experience even if that experience has been over a short period of time.

Also, being a serial short-term contractor allows a quick progression of remuneration because each new contract is an opportunity for a quick pay rise.

The only other thing that I'd like to add is to ensure that your wife has a good understanding of the power of networking. When you commit to being a contractor then you need to commit to self-promotion. She should have a blog, where all she needs to do is to write about the things she has learnt. She should be involved in LinkedIn or other professional networking tools. She should involve herself with local or web-based DBA groups, newsgroups, google groups, etc., where she can contribute and establish a reputation.

Then link everything to everything.

This has two very real effects; first and most importantly, teaching others or writing really helps you to clarify knowledge and finer details and secondly, a prospective client/employer will be able to look her up and will really see someone committed to the craft.

posted March 31, 2008

I've been job hunting lately, I'm female, and I'm in IT (different speciality). So I might be able to shed some light.

In my opinion, from my experience, she should be able to find work. I'm not sure about flexible hours and working from home (telecommuting). But it seems that quality DB admin are in need.

I'd make sure she has some experience, evem if it's setting up a server and installing & maintaining the databse product at home. Or volunteering at a small co. or library, etc. where she could gain practical experience.

Then I'd ensure she has an email address and sign up for automated job searches on Careerbuilder, Hotjobs, Monster, etc. That way, she'll see what skills are listed in the classified ad job descriptions. She'll learn what needs to be said in the interview and listed in the resume.

She might also want to research other resumes of women re-entering the workforce (a good google search should provide some) or take a class on resume writing. She has previous IT experience and that will help.

I also listed a website below for just tech jobs. They have a subset, I believe, for just DBA jobs.

These are just my suggestions. Hope they help her. Good luck!

Links:

• http://www.justtechjobs.com

posted March 31, 2008

I'd browse the Salesforce.com pool: There is a huge shortage of System Admin's (DBA's) in their customer base. Most of the training can be accomplished online at no cost or you can attend formal training for a few thousand dollars. Too much supporting detail to cover here (I've been doing Salesforce.com consulting for the past couple of years), but google Salesforce.com and spend 30 minutes or so browsing the vast amount of information available on the company and you'll get a sense of what I mean. Email or reply back if you want to take the discussion offline and go into greater detail.

posted April 1, 2008

Training is a good thing, but she will still be competing with recent grads for the same entry level jobs, and they won't have the flexible hours or work-at-home requirements that a mom with kids would have. You may find an employer willing to take the Pepsi Challenge, and go with her, but it is not likely.

If she can take a training course that includes some supervisory content, she might be better off trying to get hired as a manager in that field. Still the same problem, lack of flex time, though.

I've been an advocate of calling hiring managers directly, and trying to find out what they might be looking for (even if they are not looking for anyone today). Just finding out what hiring managers are thinking about for the future, will give her some ideas about what exactly she should do, and apply for. LinkedIn probably has lots of people in your local area that work at the companies you would like to go to, that might be willing to help.

posted April 1, 2008