Database Administrators
Computer and Mathematical
The work centers on keeping databases accurate, available, and protected. Day to day that means changing existing systems or directing programmers to do so, testing those changes, installing software upgrades, and setting who can see or alter each part of the data. When performance slips or capacity runs short, the job is to find the cause and fix it, while also planning security so information is not damaged, changed, or disclosed by accident or without permission. Training users, answering questions, and supporting junior staff or clients are part of the same role. It suits people who like careful, logical problem-solving and close reading of technical material.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$104'620
Median Wage Market Position
$104'620
What you might do
- Change existing databases or direct others to
- Protect stored files from unauthorized access or damage
- Install database software upgrades to improve performance
- Assign access levels for each part of a database
- Test database changes and correct the errors
- Train users and support junior staff or clients
Skills that matter
- Diagnosing database performance and capacity
- Who can access which data
- Security against unauthorized changes
- Testing code and correcting errors
- Training users and supporting junior staff
- Installing database software upgrades
AI & the future of this role
Tuning queries, monitoring health, and applying routine patches may be handled more by automated tooling. Incident response under pressure, access control judgment, and accountability when data is at risk still count.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details