Oracle Salary Compensation

Oracle Database Tips by Donald Burleson

Question: I just graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelors degree in business administration, concentration in Information Systems. I have zero experience, and I'm getting entry-level job offers with a salary range of $30,000 to $40,000. Is this a normal starting salary? What are the typical salaries for Oracle DBA? How does an Oracle professionals salary vary by degree and experience?

Answer:

Update: Oracle 2015 salary survey

The starting salary for an Oracle professional depends largely on the quality of their education (those with degrees from competitive universities get the top spots), your major, and your commitment to a profession in database administration. Also see this 2015 Oracle DBA salary survey and 2015 salary survey of database professionals.

Salary = (age time three)

On average, an Oracle professional with at least a masters degree can expect to earn approximately age x 3. If you are 22 years old, expect a starting salary for an entry-level Oracle administration job is about $66,000. As your experience increases, so does your salary, such that you could expect about $120,000 per year when you are 40 years old (age x 3) with many years of experience.

Quality and Oracle salary

The quality of your background has a huge influence on your salary, and Oracle professionals with extra-strong backgrounds command approximately age x 3 for their salaries. For example, a 22 year-old graduating from MIT with a BS degree can expect to earn about $66,000 in salary their first year.

College and salary - Graduates of AACSB accredited business schools (Bachelors and MBA) command a salary premium, as do graduates of highly competitive universities. For example, Oracle Corporation hires their software developers (at highly competitive salaries) from schools that demand hard work, such as Duke, MIT, Harvard and UT Austin. Conversely, beginners from Community colleges are often unemployable with no offers at any salary.
Degree and salary - Oracle professionals with advanced degrees earn far more than the average. An MBA or MSC degree commands a salary premium, and the highest salaries are reserved for Oracle MD's, medical Informatics specialists who can earn upwards of $300,000 per year in salary and benefits.
Certification and salary - Certification may not increase your starting salary, but it helps to show that you have made a commitment to Oracle as your profession. Oracle OCP certification is popular, as is the Oracle Certified Masters (OCM) certification which helps greatly in getting a competitive salary.

In sum, there is a vast range of Oracle salaries. It's a highly competitive market, and the top companies will only entrust their mission-critical Oracle database to professionals with outstanding qualifications.

Oracle DBA salary and job duties

Back in 1981, the average DBA salary was about age+10, and a DBA right out of college could expect to earn $32k/year, a nice salary back when gasoline was 80 cents a gallon. Today, inflation and increased demand have increased the DBA pay scale:

Low Tier DBA -

An Oracle DBA without college and less than 10 years experience earns about age*2, a 25 year-old earning about $50k/year.

Middle Tier DBA

A DBA with a Bachelors degree and ten years full-time work experience can earn up to age*3, with a 35 year-old DBA earning about $105/year.

Senior DBA

A senior DBA with a Masters degree, 20 years experience managing mission critical database can earn up to age*4, with a 45 year-old DBA manager earning up to $180k/year.

Superstar DBA

For those DBA Superstars with advanced degrees and specialized skills (RAC, Oracle Apps), the pay is often as high as age*6 and a 35 year-old superstar can earn up to $210k per year.

Also see:

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