Hi,

it depends on what you really are interested in doing? In simplistic terms you can ask yourself: 'Do you want to play with data or look after it?' Do you want to become a SQL Developer or a SQL Production DBA?

When I started out many moons ago (1999) many DBA jobs were simply that, a company wanted to use SQL Server so they needed a SQL Database Administrator however this might have meant a work load of 75% production skills and 25% development skills. However I've been in jobs where these numbers have decreased/increased maybe even to 50-50 but I've always saw myself as a solid production DBA, but if asked I can design Data Tier systems from scratch from buying blade servers, SQL Clustering etc, to creating a 3NF database schematic. I can debug a complex stored proc (slowly!) but I'd rather install a SQL Cluster. 😉 I seemed to have stayed away from Analysis Services though, cubes don't really do it for me. 😛

In the last 5 years though I've noticed that there is a clear shift in technologies - more and more companies (although not all) seem to be specific in what they want: a SQL Production DBA or a SQL Developer or SQL Reporting Specialist or SQL Data Warehouse Specialist or SQL BI Specialist. If you look at MS Exam structure for espcially for SQL Server 2008 you can now specialise in one of these areas.

You mention you like t-sql programming so maybe becoming a SQL Developer is your thing, check out the job market and see what is on offer, possilby look at some studying, home learning etc. SQL Server is such a vast product that can do many things you can easily spend years rooted/focused on one level of it (clusters/index fragmentation) and know nothing about other parts of it (eg - Cubes, ROLAP, MOLAP, etc)

Good luck.

qh