[Ganesh]

my cousin works as Oracle dba and i works as a php programmer in reputed software company.when we both meet we always have debate on which is better in terms of career,logical and analytical thinking.in my opinion a programmer always have to use his logical skills to write efficient code and develop app in given time frame.while my cousin thinks DBA job is much harder than programmer.i want to know which one is better?

[Abhey]

DBA is always better. It’s not a job where you want to work all day by sitting on computer and typing things. Don’t forget, those who are DBA are aware of programming language and that’s how they manage all the things. Coding is considered as lowest level of development in software company.

[Abhey]

DBA is quite fun, or at least my limited experience of it is. Messing with mysql configs, optimising out of queries etc.

[GloriaFine]

DBA is better and its also harder If you are not careful, you can make serious mistakes Since data is critical.

[SapnaVishwas]

Asking which of two jobs is ‘better’ is completely relative and personal. If you enjoy the job and it meets your needs, that’s the preferable option. A DBA is better if you have a number of large databases to manage, but he’s not going to be the most helpful if you want to build a website. Likewise, a php programmer is needed when building a complicated website and can typically perform needed SQL tasks, but they aren’t normally skilled in managing databases to be as efficient as reliable as possible.

[BuckRenard]

To be a good DBA you have to be able to think like a programmer as well as have DB skills. A DBA will also command a better salary in general (not always, though).

A programmer, on the other hand, has a more varied job although there’s pressure to learn new languages and skills, including those of a DBA (to be able to do DB testing and development).

Neither is “better” than the other: they simply have different skillsets and focus.

[Amit]

I think that being a programmer is better than being a DBA in terms of thinking and career. Software Developing is ranked as the best job in the US currently.

http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs

Being a Software Developer could mean that you know several programming languages and DBAs cannot shift their attention to learning multiple programming languages, as they have to be up to date with their own technology. Having this said, Software Developers are open to getting to know multiple paradigms, types etc. of Programming languages, enabling them to be brighter.

[Abhey]

I think programmer over DBA. I think DBA’s top out.. there is a peak and the job becomes redundant. Programmers have no limit and their skills are applicable to a much wider range of topics