MySQL DBA Question
 

Lately I've been getting a lot of calls from job recruiters for MySQL DBA positions in a LAMP environment. I've been running a few different mysql databases for a little over 2 years now and to be honest I never really found it that difficult. The sites I've administered were all fairly low traffic, but aren't the admin concepts still the same? I used mysql administrator to monitor performance, phpmyadmin to create and modify DB's and Tables, and I used a mysqldump shell script which ran every night via crond to backup the DB's data. I also designed a lot of the db backends for web apps still being used by my former employer. I understand normalization and I'd consider myself to be pretty darn good at designing DB's. I haven't got into server clustering, and I'm just wondering what else is involved with enterprise level MySQL database administration.

I guess my real question is, with the experience I've listed, would you think that I'm ready to take a full time mysql dba position or do I still have a lot to learn?

I would say so or at least shouldn't have a hard time picking up things. I've taken on a new position where we have zero DBA's and we are almost a 100% MySQL DB environment, quite a drastic change coming from Oracle DB backends. But as a system administrator, it is quite easy to administer. My only suggestions would be to look further into performance tuning, InnoDB and learning more of the administration from the command line instead of using GUI tools.

There will *always* be something new to learn but I think you've probably got the right skill-set for the position. The real question is whether or not you are happy with your current position, and if moving to another company would be to your advantage. Unless you consider your current gig to be the ideal setup for you for the foreseeable future, I'd suggest at least going in for the interview.

Worst case: you and the company are not a good fit for one another, you don't get an offer, and you end up staying with your current company. In other words, no change.
Best case: they make you an amazing offer, with higher pay, better assignments, etc, and your career gets a major boost. I'd say go for it

thanks for the feedback guys! I'll definitely start doing more administration from the command line and I'll probably pick up a book on advanced mysql administration. I bought an entry level book way back when I first starting using mysql and it really helped out a lot. Thanks again!