Career Profile: Database Administrator	Home	Español
		Informal perspective of what an occupation might be like.

What I Do: People don't often associate charitable organizations with computer technology, but I know how important computers are to such agencies. I'm the database administrator for a national health organization that raises money for research. Through our fundraising efforts, we support teams of scientists who research cures for various diseases. It's extremely important that we keep track of all our donors, their names, addresses, phone numbers, and size of donations. My job is to manage the computer database containing that information. I helped to design and implement our database, and I trained employees on how to use it. I'm also responsible for keeping the database secure. We don't want hackers stealing personal information about our donors.

Best and Hardest Parts of My Job: We have thousands of donors from every state in the nation, so managing a database that size is not easy! I have to make sure it captures all the information our agency needs and sorts that information in ways that are useful, such as states with the highest level of donations. It's a challenge, but I always feel good when I can furnish our director with the specific data she requests. And I like knowing that I'm using technology for a very good cause -- to help wipe out disease.

How I Got Started: Most database administrators have degrees in some aspect of computer technology. I majored in computer information systems in college and would advise anyone interested in this career to do the same. I would also encourage students to take math and science in high school. Because technology changes so rapidly, I continue to take classes in computer science to keep my skills up-to-date.