In the era of rapid technological growth and informational overflow, people who can manage vast corpuses of data are in particular demand. The profession of database administrator is primarily attractive to young people due to the prospects of high salary. However, this career also has a large number of non-economic benefits. The job satisfaction of database administrators is above average because they do the work that is at once creative, meticulous and responsible. If they manage to achieve high level of security and disaster recovery, they rightfully feel proud about its results as they know how important their work is for data users.

Also, the profession of database administrator brings significant psychological income as it enables a person to fully develop their potential and thrive in the society. The nature of their work allows database administrators to work freelance, without being confined to one employer for years. This job is therefore attractive for people who want to lead flexible lifestyle, without rigorous everyday routine. Moreover, similar to other IT jobs, the career of database administrator is associated with high upward mobility: talented database administrators can pave from way from low background to the high-income stratum, as no ties or large initial investments are needed to get a job and to advance in this field. As technology is constantly evolving, database administrators also have to advance their skills throughout their career, which enables them to develop their talents to the fullest. Furthermore, database administrators are needed both in a wide range of public and private organizations, so that a person can choose whatever field appeals to them most.

At the same time, the job of database administrators has a lot of disadvantages. Primarily, employers often seek database administrators only for seasonal or temporary jobs, which is inconvenient for people who value stability and security. Also, the systems work round the clock and something can go wrong at any time; therefore, database administrators should be always be on the call to fix the problems (Margolis). As a result, they usually work irregular hours with frequent overtimes, which can have a negative effect on their work to life balance. Also, the need to respond to alerts at night is detrimental to their physical and psychological health. Essentially, these people are always on the watch and they cannot fully relax as failures need to be amended immediately. Hazards to the psychological health of database administrators are also created by the high level of responsibility they have to carry.

Even a smallest error in security or disaster recovery development is fraught with catastrophic consequences for the business of their employers, and database administrators cannot avoid being blamed. Also, this job requires a person to spend most of their life in front of their computers, which gradually leads to problems with eyesight, posture and internal organs. Moreover, their health is negatively affected by working in heavily computerized environments with their baneful radiation. Furthermore, while database administrators receive above-average median salary, there is a vast disparity in pay across different field and locations: the highest paid percentile receives around $120, 000 annually, whereas the lowest-paid percentile gets only $43, 000 (U.S. News). It may be rather difficult to advance to top ranks in this profession as only the most qualified, attentive and committed database administrators get promoted. The field of database administration is highly competitive, and a person who fails to develop their skills and knowledge continually has no chances to thrive in it. The number of specialists in this field is growing, and so do the requirements, which have to be met to achieve success.

At present, database administrators are in high demand and the level of unemployment is only 3.1 % (U.S. News). According to the projection of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment in this field will increase by 15% by year 2022, which is the fastest growth in technological careers (University Alliance). Moreover, database administration belongs to the top recession-proof careers as these skills are needed for both public and private sectors despite economic declines, while the demand for app and game developers and other specialists in technology may be severely affected. As businesses are increasingly residing in databases and opting for automation, the opportunities for database administrators will grow significantly in the nearest future. The fast-paced globalization will also be a positive factor for this field, as multinational companies are the primary employers of database administrators.