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 program compatibility test for high school students. Compatibility is measured trait by trait: each career's score says which of your traits meet the role's demands and which the role would stretch. A STEM program is a path to a career. Find the career that fits first, then the STEM Farm track that starts at zero and ends in that job with verified proof at every gate. High school is early enough to choose classes and late enough that a working style is already visible.
Database Administrator and the Alexander County economy
Alexander County is manufacturing-typed in the USDA ERS 2025 typology, a metro county. Its labor market is the Hickory, NC commuting zone (5 counties), MSA rank #151. By local economy, database administrator ranks #25 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 Hickory, NC labor market
Same search, other careers in Alexander 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 program compatibility test for high school students: Database Administrator in Hickory, NC → · All careers in Alexander County →