IT Careers - Database Administrator

Name: Chris
Job Title: Junior Database Administrator
Where: Chicago, IL - USA
Years of Experience: 1
Other Relevant Experience: Worked at same company for five years, in other department.
Education: I'm finishing up my Bachelor's in Computer Science, which my company has helped me pay for. And I have a Liberal Arts BA.
Annual Salary: Curious about IT salaries? Use PayScale's Research Center to find a database administrator salary by employer and database administrator salary by experience.

After the bursting of the "IT bubble" in the late nineties, people were asking, "how stable is an IT career?" But current data suggests that an escalating number of IT jobs are available for the picking. In fact, many of the best compensated IT jobs are with companies that have emerged from the dot-com crash as industry leaders. Just take a look at the company salary data for Yahoo and employee compensation data for Google.

In this Salary Story, we'll take a look at one of the hottest IT jobs available: database administrator. Database administrator careers are forecasted to be one of the fastest growing careers in the next decade. In the following interview, Chris, a junior database administrator, shares how he landed an entry-level IT job and offers advice on how to break into the field.

IT Job Description - Define the role of a database administrator:
I write a lot of SQL code, mostly for reporting purposes. I also do some more administrative tasks like backing up and setting up new databases. I attend a lot of meetings, which are mostly requirement gathering sessions. Since I work in a small shop, I wear a lot of hats. I'm part analyst, part programmer, part database administrator, part applications support. I like doing different things so that I don't get bored and am not stuck at my desk coding all day.

PayScale: What led you to pursue a database administrator career?
I worked for five years in the data processing department at my current company. My first year there, the department was in the process of being automated, and I played a role in installing and testing the new computer systems. A few years into the job, I was working closely with the IT department on a lot of issues and started to feel like I could be an IT guy. I had a few supporters and mentors in the IT department who encouraged me to go to school for computer science. I made sure to keep them apprised of my progress in school. Two years later, after some false alarms, I was hired by our database administrator as his only employee. He had helped me with homework for a database class, and was impressed by my SQL coding.

Web Designer Salary - Consultant

Name: Wayne
Job Title: Web Designer/Consultant
Where: Vancouver, BC - Canada
Current Employers: Goldrea  Resources Inc. Molycor Gold Corp., Rocher Deboule Minerals Corp., Adanac  Molybdenum Corp.
Years of Experience: 5
Education: Computer programming degree,  multimedia design certificate, and master's degree.
Other Relevant Experience: 15 years data processing.
Annual Salary: What is the yearly salary for a web designer? See PayScale's Research Center for the starting salary for a web designer and to research more web designer career opportunities.

At one moment or another, everyone has dreamed of becoming their own boss. While it is certainly possible, some professions are more suitable than others when it comes to working from home.  If you're a police officer, chances are you won't be setting up shop from a home office any time soon. However, if you're involved in creative design or consulting, becoming your own boss may be more feasible.

This salary story tells the career biography of a web site designer who provides web consultancy services to multiple businesses. As his own boss, Wayne only has one complaint - he has to boss himself around. But it's not all that bad considering that he not only sets his own hours, but also earns a decent web designer salary.

Job description of an Web Designer Consultant:

As a web designer, I’ve designed four websites, and handled all aspects from concept to graphics, animation, coding and scripting. I am also responsible for providing ongoing website support. I perform changes and updates to reflect the evolving nature of companies. I also manage and monitor the web presence of companies, with special attention to web 2.0 strategies through blogs, forums, etc. Then, I also help develop web branding, through logo and image design, as well as digital advertising.

PayScale: What motivated you to become a web designer consultant?
I had two primary motivations leading me to become a web designer consultant. My first motivation was to use as many of my talents as possible. I’m naturally inclined toward design and enjoy creating things. I also like to communicate, articulate, and coordinate. Being a web designer consultant allows me to use all of my natural inclinations, to provide solutions and serve.

My second motivation to become a web designer consultant was that I wanted to work for myself. I traded the benefits package for being my own boss (to some degree). I get to work from home and choose my hours, which is only tempered by being on-call at all times.

A Writer's Salary: Technical Writing Careers

Name: Anonymous
Job Title: Technical Writer, Information Architect
Where: Syracuse, NY
Years of Experience: 10+
Other Relevant Experience: Program Director, AMI-NYS; Communications Coordinator, Rural Housing Coalition; Multimedia Designer, RPI; Technical Support, Berkshire Online; Volunteer work: designing, writing, laying out newsletters, brochures, and web pages; Organizing and managing information for distribution to external sources
Education: BA in English, Chapman Univ.; BA in Psychology, Chapman University; MS in Communication and Rhetoric, RPI; Graphics certificate, RPI; Human Factors training, RPI; Training courses in Java, DB design and management
Annual Salary: Use PayScale's Research Center to find the best technical writing fields for high technical writing salaries. 

In the current job market, those interested in professional writing have a wide range of career options to explore. Writing continues to become a more and more specialized trade, in correlation with rapid technological advances and the increased demands of varying industries. Not only does this advancement mean more jobs for writers, but increased specialization can also mean higher salaries. If you're searching for the highest paying writer's salary, technical writing careers are a good place to start. 

Our tour guide for this Salary Story is a professional technical writer with over 10 years of experience in the field. You'll get a detailed, first-hand explanation of technical writing as our guide describes several examples of technical writing assignments. After reading this inside look at a technical writing career, find out how technical writing salaries compare to the salary range for grant writer jobs and copy writer salaries.

Technical Writer Job Description:

Technical writers are assigned particular pieces of technology or specific products to document. The first step of any project is to review all specifications and any existing documentation for the assigned technologies or products. You then install the products or work with them to become familiar with the product as a customer is expected to do. I walk through everything that the user is apt to do with the software, even if it hasn't been documented. If something is possible, users will do it, even if it's not the intended use of the technology/product. I also take time to observe users, talk with usability testers, software developers, and other writers in order to assess user needs.

I then create an outline for the product documentation and gather feedback from editors, architects, marketing, and software engineers. It's best to identify potential problems in the documentation before you start writing it. Combining my outline and any feedback I receive, I then write a first draft of the documentation and submit that for feedback as well. As I’m submitting documentation drafts for review, I’m also testing the documentation against the most current build of the software and resolving any problems that arise. I also try to identify any usability issues with the interface or software design and communicate those back to the developers. About a week before the due date for a project, I’ll put out one final approval draft for review. This draft is reviewed only by key people (development team lead, marketing lead, lead architect, lead writers as appropriate). The review lasts two days and should not bring about any non-essential changes.

Depending on your role in the team and how your company structures its information development departments, you may also be responsible for some infrastructure tasks like building and testing plug-ins for information centers. More and more, technical writers are not just the secretarial arm of software development. We are actively involved in product development, internal tool development, and basically driving changes to products and procedures based on usability, efficiency, and cost. So, as a technical writer you will likely encounter a multitude of various projects, including writing business proposals, advocating for changes to internal tools and external products, writing and driving the implementation of specifications, working directly with human factors, development, marketing, and customers to drive product and documentation changes that will improve sales and usability, while keeping costs down.

PayScale: How did you get started as a technical writer?

I was working in the non-profit sector doing a lot of writing on various specialized subjects and supporting a small network, but I wasn't getting paid very well. I heard about tech writing from a friend who was going to RPI. Technical writing requires all of the skills that I'm good at: troubleshooting, thinking on your feet, learning complicated subjects quickly, writing about complicated subjects for targeted audiences, working with cutting edge technology without a lot of hand holding, and strong writing and communication skills - and it pays very well! So I applied to RPI, got in, and worked my way through the program doing jobs that provided me with relevant experience.

IT Business Analyst Career Summary

Name: Connie Wirtanen
Job Title: IT Business Analyst
Where: St. Paul, MN
Employer: US Bank
Years of Experience: 16
Education: Cardinal Stritch University, Minnesota State - Mankato
Relevant Work Experience: Business Analyst, Functional Analyst, Software Support, Accounting Manager, Accountant
Annual Salary: Use PayScale's Resource Center to find the median salary of business analyst, to review IT salary survey data, and to find salaries for accounting/auditing careers. 

Have you ever been referred to as a god at work? IT Business Analyst Connie Wirtananen has. While this is probably an exaggeration, it does convey the impact an IT Business Analyst can have in creating overall business efficiency. Similar to an auditing career or accounting job, an IT Business Analyst closely examines company details. But rather than looking for financial faux pas, an IT Business Analyst investigates problems that occur within business systems. Once these problem areas have been identified, a Business Analyst recommends IT solutions to help the company achieve its goals.

The following business analyst career summary is only one example of many job options available to those interested in information technology. Check out IT salaries by industry to explore IT salaries within business or health care fields. Also, if you're wondering how international IT positions compare, check out PayScale's India IT salary report.

IT Business Analyst Job Description:
Connie: I serve as am expert for assigned functional applications, support development of business impact analysis categories and perform ongoing IT maintenance. I provide project and release support, including research, business analysis, test plan construction, test case construction, test execution, issue resolution and status reporting related to application changes. I also interface with internal and external resources to ensure successful completion of testing in accordance with the needs of project sponsors and stakeholders.

PayScale: How did you get started as an IT Business Analyst?
Connie: A friend thought I should leave the accounting world and join the IT world. It was the best career move I ever made. Being an IT Business Analyst, I get to apply my interest in technology to create visible results within my company.

Document Management Administrator - Premera Blue Cross

Name: Tami Bevan
Job Title: Document Management Administrator
Where: Mountlake Terrace, WA
Employer: Premera Blue Cross
Years of Experience: 16
Education: BS in Visual Communications from Western Washington University, Certified Forms Consultant certification from DMIA (Document Management Industries Association), Certified Form Systems Consultant certification from BFMA (Business Forms Management Association), and ongoing training through BFMA's annual symposium, web seminars, and chapter programs.
Annual Salary: Use PayScale's Resource Center to research salary information for the Document Management industry, and find related career information, including Medical Coder salary and Information Technology Specialist salary.

Do you have a knack for organization? Are you constantly looking to improve efficiency in business processes and information storage? If so, check out our interview with Tami Bevan, a Document Administrator for Premera Blue Cross. Tami's job is to help maintain Premera's vast network of information using specialized methods of document management. Simplifying the retrieval of information from such a huge library is no easy task, but if you're looking for a challenging job that plays a key role in business operations, don't miss Tami's advice on how to enter the forms management field. To find out more, see PayScale's salary data for the Document Management industry.

Document Administrator Job Description:
Tami: Document Administration is the Premera department that maintains information on all forms, sales collateral, business papers (letterheads, envelopes, and mailing labels) and communications for the company. Document Administration involves managing the life cycle of documents. The Document Administration department centrally manages print procurement, but we track and report on printed and posted documents for the company as well.

PayScale: How did you get started in Document Management?
Tami: I grew up with parents in the printing industry who pushed me towards my college degree. After college I got involved with the BFMA (Business Forms Management Association) that taught me about the disciplines of document management, also known as forms management.

Web Developer -- Inside Info on a Web Developer Job & Web Developer Salaries

Name: Debbie Johnson
Job Title: Web Developer
Where: Sacramento, CA
Employer: Infotech Consulting
Years of Experience: 10
Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of Phoenix
Annual Salary: $60,000 (See the PayScale Research Center for the median salary of software developers in the US by years experience.)

Looking for some useful information before you go rushing off to that Web Developer job in China? A Web Developer salary tends to be higher than a Web Designer salary, but less than a Software Developer salary. But it’s not always just about a salary, right? If you’re curious about a day in the life of a Web Developer, then you won’t want to miss our interview with Sacramento based Web Developer, Debbie Johnson.

Web Developer Job Description:
Develop and maintain intranet and internet sites for a project for the State of California.

PayScale: How did you get started as a Web Developer?
Debbie: "I learned how to develop sites when a friend needed a site done." Previously, Debbie worked as a graphic designer.

Technology Coordinator Salary

Name: Marcie T. Hull
Job Title: Technology Coordinator
Where: Philadelphia, PA
Employer: Science Leadership Academy (School District of Philadelphia)
Years of Experience: 7
Education: Temple University's Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA, Rosemont College, Rosemont, PA
Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for the median technology coordinator salary.

Technology Coordinator Salary

For readers who are interested in a technology coordinator salary and want to learn about a technology coordinator job description, this Salary Story is the place to log on! We spoke to school technology coordinator Marcie T. Hull who told us about information technology coordinator positions and more.

She covered information technology coordinator duties, the outlook for technology coordinator jobs and different technology coordinator job descriptions (Marcie is also a teacher). Whether you want to make a change in your career or add some skills (and salary) to your present job, this interview is a must-click!

Nuclear Engineer Salary

Name: Michael Flagg
Job Title: Nuclear Engineer (Reactor Service)
Where: Columbia, Missouri
Employer: University of Missouri - Columbia
Years of Experience: 1.5
Education:B.S. Nuclear Engineering from the University of Missouri - Rolla
Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for the median nuclear engineer salary, and compare it to petroleum engineering salaries with masters degree. 

Nuclear Engineer Salary

How much money does a nuclear engineer make? You may be hearing that question more and more as the U.S. considers going back to nuclear power. Even now, nuclear engineers are in demand as we found out in this Salary Story with Michael Flagg.

In our chat, he covered nuclear engineer college, a nuclear engineer's necessary skills, the future of nuclear engineers in the market place, factors than can affect a nuclear engineer salary, as well as earnings and advancements of a nuclear engineer. This interview is charged with info!

IT Project Manager Salary Survey

Name: Don Spencer
Job Title: IT Project Manager
Where: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Employer: Self-Employed - Consulting
Years of Experience: 24
Education: Hons.B.A. (History & Philosophy, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada), M.A. (History, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)
Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for the average salary of a project manager.

IT Project Manager Salary Survey

Do you enjoy computers, managing projects and all things 2.0? Then you may want to consider a career as an IT project manager. If you don't know what the job description for IT project manager professionals is, then this Salary Story will fill in the missing data.

We recently interviewed IT project manager Don Spencer who gave us the inside scoop on career paths for IT project managers and a realistic IT project manager job description. If you want more info on the average salary of a project manager, you can also check out our IT project manager salary survey. Take a moment to log on to this interesting career!

Computer Technician Career

Name: Mike Petry
Job Title: Computer Technician
Where: Southern California
Employer: Pacific Boat Trailers/Self
Years of Experience: 23
Education: Some College / Self Taught (A+ Cert)
Salary: See PayScale's Research Center for the average salary for a computer technician

Computer Technician Career

For those interested in a computer technician career, the job outlook for computer technicians (and other techies) seems bright. A computer technician's starting salary will vary depending on many factors, including location, experience, and certifications earned. However, regardless of starting salary, a computer technician career offers high growth potential. With that in mind, we recently spoke to computer technician Mike Petry about the average salary for a computer technician, the job description of a computer technician, a computer technician starting salary, and computer technician qualifications.

In addition to all his "teching," Mike also writes a blog about his computer technician career called "CRS-Caffeinated and Requiring Sugar" at fine12.blogspot.com. If you're wondering about computer technician starting salaries, the average salary for computer technician professionals, or how to embark on a computer technician career, don't miss this interview with a self-made pro.