Contradiction!?

From: tsang@cae.wisc.edu (Irvin Tse Kwong Tsang) Subject: Contradiction!? > I help my friend to post the following message. However, any advice > are very welcomed to mail to my account. > > ______________________________________________ > > I am interest in to become a database administrator after graduation. > For the Sybase and Oracle, in an academic institution like > the one I attended, I cannot get any knowledge about them. There are > no classes even to mention them. In database class, they will only > teach concept. Few schools may teach them but I believe most don't. > > Many positions require years experience in some areas like those > posted in the newsgroup for entry position. Say junior database > administrators positions which need candidates to have years > experience in Sybase, Oracle and/or other DBMS. I am wondering how I > can even get start in this kind of positions. This kind of skills > can only be learned in industry. Bottomline is "No experience means > no jobs; no jobs means no experience." For a fresh grad, how can I > deal with this situation? Any advice? Co-op. While in school, get an intern or co-op position with a local company. I got 2 years of wonderful OJT which made my education far more valuable (I could *apply* it as I learned it!). If it's too late for that then consult, or work for a consultant as a jr programmer. Keep in touch with industry, and get your hands on last year's version of the software when they throw it away. Then run it, RTFM, play with it. Volunteer. Use the city's/church's/whatever's computers. They always need computer support, if you don't mind using ancient equipment. Perhaps you could use that ancient version you got from industry! Pay for the vendor's classes yourself. This is pretty steep (~$300/day) but pilots do it all the time, and it demonstrates commitment. Work on the school's stuff. Don't they have a database to keep up with the students? Schools around here have really ugly IBM mainframes for that, but you can lobby for an upgrade to a small unix box. Work with small and not-so-small businesses thru your school. The best courses I took were "real-world" consulting via the small business administration and the business school. Network. Make friends in high places, and get yourself a job. Hang out where the business people do (golf, community service things, PTO, church, chamber of commerce), dress like they do, read the same magazines. Go to more school. Walt (the brains and brawn behind c.d.i) works at a school in Georgia where they use lots of Informix. Impress him with your contributions to this forum and get in the grad program there and work where he works. Demonstrate self-reliance and motivation by figuring out all these things for yourself. ;) As a DBA, you will seldom have the luxury of asking people how to do it. People ask *you*. You must work late, read books, screw stuff up, try again and again, RTFM, RTFM between the lines, RTF-FAQ, RTF-forum, and more, all by Monday because it HAS GOT to be on-line! Whew! Hope that helps, __________________________________________________________________ | Clem Akins Standard Disclaimers Apply | |Reynolds Metals Co, Alloys Plant "Climb High, Cave Deep!" | | Muscle Shoals, Alabama USA cwakins@leia.alloys.rmc.com | |________________________________________________________________|