What the work is worth. Records of patients, students, and payments only matter if they are there when needed and never lost. The administrator is the reason they are.
An ordinary day. Keep an organization's data available, fast, backed up, and secure; tune performance, manage access, and recover from failures.
The path in. Bachelor's in computer or information science; vendor certifications carry weight.
From zero. The STEM Farm Data / Analytics / AI Operations track starts at zero-STEM intake and ends in this kind of work, with verified proof at every gate.
Take the STEM Compass assessmentZero to Database Administrator →
STEM degree guide for extroverts. A guide grounded in measurement instead of opinion: forty careers with the traits each runs on, what the work is worth to the world, the education path, and a way to find out which are yours. A STEM degree is one path in, not the only one. Web development, security, data analytics and technician roles open through certificates, apprenticeships and portfolios; medicine and research need the long road. Nursing, physician assistant, systems analysis, industrial engineering and epidemiology run on communication and collaboration; if people energize you, they surface.
Database Administrator and the Nelson County economy
Nelson County is farming-typed in the USDA ERS 2025 typology, flagged for population loss, a nonmetro county. Its labor market is the Devils Lake, ND commuting zone (3 counties). By local economy, database administrator ranks #36 of forty for this county.
The personality behind the work
- Detail Orientation. You remember complex facts and catch small errors before they become large ones.
- Meticulousness. You record exact notes and follow strict procedures without being told to.
- Composure. You stay calm and clear-headed when the situation is urgent and other people are not.
- Persistence. You keep going through hours of troubleshooting. A problem that refuses to yield is a reason to stay, not a reason to leave.
- Numbers & Data Affinity. You like living in numbers, tables, and measurements; quantitative work feels natural.
- Skepticism. You question whether the data is accurate, complete, or biased before you trust any conclusion.
Across the Devils Lake, ND labor market
Same search, other careers in Nelson County
What moves it
- WIOA-funded training pays for the credential, ages 14 to 24 and adults: find your local office.
- Registered apprenticeship — a wage from day one: apprenticeship.gov.
- FAFSA — free to file, the gate to nearly all aid: studentaid.gov.
- STEM Farm — the track from zero to the career the assessment says fits: the twelve tracks.
STEM degree guide for extroverts: Database Administrator in Devils Lake, ND → · All careers in Nelson County →