I think I need a new start.

After some research I learned that System Analysts, Business Analysts and Database Administrators are the high paying jobs that are in high demand and would love some advice on whats relatively easy to get into with my background and what steps I should take.

I'm 33 with a BA in international business from a recognized school in eastern European country (I'm originally from there and I lived there at the time)
and a handful of transferable credits from a community college where I took Microsoft Windows Admin and Visual Basic classes.....
I was selling technology solutions (bar code scanners, printers, inventory tracking systems, etc )back in the "old country" while going to school.

On my return to US I had to get to work fast and i got a certification (3 month program) in Software QA
My first Software QA job  I held for about a year as I got REALLY bored with it and the company looked like a "dead end" situation.

I moved to a Consulting firm and worked as a QA engineer for 4 years.

The company eventually shut down, which was Ok, as I had a great idea for an advertising business which I started from ground up and successfully operated for the next 5 years and eventually sold.

So now I'm thinking of getting back into the work force.

There is no question that I have a nack for technology, I love it, understand it and it has always came easy to me.

I've always been good at communicating technical aspects and even wrote a couple of user manuals for some of the software suites I've tested.

I like some people interaction, so couped up in a cubicle 99% of time (typical QA) is a bit boring for me..


While I think Systems Analyst is the most appealing to me, I have no clue how to get my foot in the door.

Business analyst on the other hand has some potential as I've found a number of legitimate courses online as well as with established universities like UC Davis.

and last but not least....Database Administrator...
This one is pretty boring from what I understand, but...
Should be easy to get in as a couple of certifications (MCDBA, MCITP, SQL, etc) is usually a pretty good indication that you can do the job.

It is also in high demand, including junior level positions.
The amount of data we store/generate is growing, so the databases are not going anywhere.

It pays fairly well as databases admins usually get $60-100k+ annually.

AND....

a number of educational institutions offer a "fast track", 2 months, 8 hours per day (320 hours) program that will get you up to speed.

AND...

The cost of the program (as well as BA course from UC Davis) could be financed by the WIA (workforce investment act)

So I've convinced myself that DBA should be the easiest path...

If any System Analysts or business Analyst read this, please chime in on your chosen profession...

DO you think its feasable for me to get into BA or SA positio with my background IF I completed BA certificate program?

any and all advice, thoughts, comments are welcome

Thanx..

Alex

Guy,

Thank you for the kind words and your input.

I will read through the articles for more details on how to get my foot in the door.

Now I'd like to speculate a bit and share some of my assumptions and possibly clarify my original question.

Some professions such as sales or customer service don't necessary have any special certifications which would say "yes this person has passed tests to confirm that they are capable of performing said job function".

The decisionmaking process is pretty much solely at the discretion of the hiring manager and how they feel about you.

In IT, engineering and other technical professions the discretion factor is minimized. Meaning that no one cares if you provide "service with a smile". Before all other qualifications, one must have the technical know-how to be able to perform the work assigned.

So this logic made me a believer that certifications go a long way, as the hiring managers feel for your personality means nothing if you're not up to par on the technical level.

Having these certifications is a concrete proof that the technical knowledge is there.

Becoming a DBA without a certification OR experience is probably somewhere in the "impossible" category.

Having experience would still leave some uncertainty as to the level of competency. I have met people with resumes that read great and were 100% accurate in terms of truthfullness, but their background was not what it seemed.

Vague language made the resume sound great and got them the interview, while on occassion they got lucky with a hiring managers who were more nervous in the interview then the interviewee.

There is no vagueness with the certificat, it should offer a pretty good idea of the persons minimal capabilities

So would the following statement be correct "BA cert to BA hiring manager does not carry nearly as much weight as a MCDBA cert to DBA hiring manager"?

and getting a BA cert will NOT add any significant "points" to my resume. (I guess Guy answered this one when he said something to the tune of "last and least of interest is the cert from a 3rd party motivated by financial gains" ....

Anyways,

Looks like I got lots more reading to do..

thanx again

Alex