DBA vs Software Engineer/Developer

[Analyzer]

I know both these two careers overlap a bit, as database administrators can develop software applications to organize data, but what is the better career path especially for an INTP?
The pros and cons.

 

[Cognisant]

The latter, more freedom, wider range of opportunities.

DBAs are either cogs in the corporate machine or stuffing in the public service pillow.

 

[Architect]

What Cog said - the latter.

DB's are rather beautiful but it's a lower job, usually inhabited by S types in my experience, and offers less intellectual range.

 

[Felan]

I agree with Cog, too.

Working with databases alone would feel crippling to me.

 

[Analyzer]

The latter, more freedom, wider range of opportunities.

DBAs are either cogs in the corporate machine or stuffing in the public service pillow.

So, developers are less prone to those negatives?

 

[Felan]

So, developers are less prone to those negatives?

It's not so much that developers are less prone to the negatives in every company, but that good developers are needed and better companies are applying better practices/benefits to hire them. Increasingly developers are the engine of business. These days almost (if not) everything business wants to do will have a good deal of software involved.

Aside from that I just enjoy putting code together. Particularly toward the end when you all these different pieces all connected to by this little piece of metaphorical yarn and you pull that one little piece of yarn and it all almost magically self-assemblies into a functioning and hopefully artful whole.

I've done database in a previous job when they all quit, but it was never as delightful. Additionally when I was helping support databases there was a lot more early morning (off-hours) work.