Best Jobs in America

CNNMoney/PayScale's top 100 careers with big growth, great pay and satisfying work.

14. Database Administrator
Database Administrator
14
"An organization is only as good as its people and data, whether it's data for orders, inventory, staffing, medical, or any other type of information," says Bradley Paul, a DBA for Virginia's HR management department in Richmond.
Median pay: $88,800
Top pay: $123,000
10-year job growth: 30.6%
Total jobs*: 110,800

What they do all day? Companies maintain all kinds of databases -- for customer information, accounts payable, inventory systems, and so on. Database administrators build, manage and maintain them. Their work can range from configuring the database and backing it up, to designing the data model, to administering software such as Oracle or Sybase. And critically, when a database fails or crashes, it's the DBA's job to get it running again.

How to get the job? A bachelor's in computer science or information technology is nice, but experience is the most important qualification -- some DBAs start at a help desk or junior database analyst post before moving up. Getting certified in Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle or another application can be helpful.

What's great? What's not? As businesses collect more data, and the health care industry moves to electronic medical records, there's heavy demand for DBAs. But the work can be repetitive, and at large companies that need 24-hour database coverage, administrators may be required to come in for shifts at odd hours. --K.A.

What they do all day? Companies maintain all kinds of databases -- for customer information, accounts payable, inventory systems, and so on. Database administrators build, manage and maintain them. Their work can range from configuring the database and backing it up, to designing the data model, to administering software such as Oracle or Sybase. And critically, when a database fails or crashes, it's the DBA's job to get it running again. --K.A.

Quality of life ratings:
  • Personal satisfaction: B
  • Benefit to society: B
  • Flexibility: B
  • Low stress: A
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*Total jobs is estimated number of people working in broader BLS 'job family.'

Sources: PayScale.com, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and CNNMoney research

Do Database Administrators have great jobs, or what? Are these great jobs, or what?
It's still a tough job market, so when CNNMoney, in partnership with data from PayScale.com, set out to find America's Best Jobs this year, first and foremost we looked for professions that offer great growth opportunities.

Other big factors: pay (how strong it is now, and how fast it's growing), overall job satisfaction, and how many jobs are in the field overall.
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