Working as a database developer can be an enjoyable and well-paid career. But how do you know what you should be getting paid? Or, are you looking to get into a database developer role but not sure what the salary will be? Here’s how you can find out, and a few things to consider.
Determine The Technology
There are many different database technologies that developers can work with. The two most common ones are Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle.
Both command high salaries and are popular with companies due to the features they have and the support they offer. They are also commonly taught in universities to IT students. The salary for each of these databases is quite similar, with Oracle probably being paid slightly higher on average.
You’ve also got to consider other database technologies, such as DB2 or Microsoft Access (even if you can call that a proper database technology!). If this is your speciality then you might have different numbers for salary expectations.
Another thing to consider is the kind of database development you know or can do. ETL development skills (extract, transformation and load) and other business intelligence tasks are good to know. Learning advanced programming such as Oracle’s PL/SQL or Microsoft’s T-SQL will also help your salary.
Years of Experience
The amount of experience as a database developer, like many jobs, count towards the salary you’ll get.
Generally, salaries go up in time and experience using a technology. Junior database developers may not get much, but once you move into a more senior role, that’s when the salary starts increasing.
So just because you may be a database developer, doesn’t mean you will get the same salary as everyone else in the field. Experience in the field counts for a lot. This isn’t just experience in the IT industry, it’s experience in the database field and as a database developer.
Location Is A Factor
Your location is also a big factor in the salary you get as a database developer. This includes both the city you’re located in and the country. There is a big range in salaries for cities across the United States, which is one of the bigger job markets. This comes down to two things.
Firstly, the cost of living varies between cities and countries. Washington DC, for example, may have higher wages because the cost of living in this city is higher. If you worked in another city, the cost of living would be lower (food, rent, bills, etc) so your wages would then be lower.
Secondly, much of it comes down to the basics of supply and demand. If a city is in demand for a certain type of programmer, then the salary will go up. This means they need more developers but there aren’t many around. They will often raise the salaries of those in the area, or start looking outside the area and offer bonuses to move to the city.
The same logic works in other countries, such as the UK and in Australia.
So, now we know what’s considered for a database developer salary, we can go and look up the salary information.