Nice article and mirroring other comments, it still amazes me how unaware non-DBA's are (especially if they are aspiring to be DBA's) about the bredth of skills a DBA needs to do the job properly.

For new DBA's, I would certainly favour them getting the basics covered before they delve into a speciality. Although not covered in the article, I think too much credance is given to 'certification' in deference to the importance of 'experience'. As an analogy, it is relatively easy to pass a driving test, but it takes experience to better judge what to do in a given situation.

I am keen to see what is covered next time.