STEM

Database Administrator

Keep a company's databases safe, fast, and backed up so people can quickly find the information they need

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What does a Database Administrator do?

Database administrators work in hospitals, banks, schools, and online stores, usually at a desk. They set up databases, control who can see what, and restore data after a failure. BLS projects employment to decline 0.7% from 2024 to 2034, though cloud and security skills still matter. Careful, patient people fit well.

A day in the life

8:00 AMCheck that overnight backups finished and read warning alerts
9:30 AMFind why a report runs slowly and rewrite the query
11:00 AMGive a new employee access to only the tables they need
1:00 PMPlan a database update for a low-traffic window
3:00 PMPractice restoring a backup to make sure it really works
4:30 PMMove older records to cheaper storage to free up space

What's great

  • Quiet, behind-the-scenes importance
  • Fun puzzle of making slow systems fast
  • Skills carry into cloud and security work
  • Mostly predictable office hours

The hard parts

  • Updates often happen at night or weekends
  • A crash puts you under pressure
  • Some routine tasks are being automated
  • Fewer openings than in past years

What is a Database Administrator's salary and outlook?

$58k – $144k
Salary Range
Bachelor's degree
Typical Education
Declining

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $57,600 to $144,000 a year, with a midpoint around $96,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Declining.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for Database administrators (SOC 15-1242) to decline 0.7% from 2024 to 2034. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections.

How do you become a Database Administrator?

A common path is Bachelor's degree in computer science or information systems. The ladder often runs from Junior Database Administrator to Database Administrator, then Database Architect, and Director of Data Infrastructure. Other routes: Associate degree plus years on a help desk or systems team; Certifications from database software makers; Start as a data analyst and learn database care; Military IT training.

  • Associate degree plus years on a help desk or systems team
  • Certifications from database software makers
  • Start as a data analyst and learn database care
  • Military IT training

Career path

Entry level
Junior Database Administrator
Mid career
Database Administrator
Senior
Database Architect
Executive
Director of Data Infrastructure

Will AI replace a Database Administrator?

How much will AI change this job?

A lot

AI will change many everyday tasks in this job. The work shifts toward judgment, checking, and people.

AI takes over routine database tasks and monitoring work.

AI tools can now watch databases, spot problems, and even fix common errors automatically. This means database administrators spend less time on repetitive checks and more time planning, securing systems, and making big decisions. The job shifts from doing every small task to overseeing smart tools and guiding how data is used safely.

AI can help with

  • Spotting unusual database activity or errors
  • Writing and fixing basic database code
  • Automatically backing up and organizing data

What stays human

  • Deciding how to keep sensitive data secure
  • Planning big changes to systems without breaking things
  • Talking with teams about what data they need

Skills to build now

  • Learn basic coding, like Python or SQL
  • Practice logical thinking with puzzles or math
  • Join a computer club or try coding websites

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.