This is the E-mail I received today from an old friend in Canada and I want to share the content and reply with all of you.

 I was exploring in Microsoft website to find more about MCDBA. I was confusing about the new certificate "MCTS" which it's books aren't available yet. I thought you are the best person who can help me. How can I start to study for DBA certificate. As you know, I'm in Canada. Please introduce me the books. I will find them here and start to read as soon as possible. Thanks

Dear Nazanin
Let’s take a look to the role of a Database Administrator. I believe we’d better be more specific and just talk about SQL Server administration.
SQL Server is a service that works with integration with Windows (2000 or 2003) server. So as an efficient administrator one should have a solid knowledge about windows 2003 server. So as a starting point the best place I believe is the book MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-290): Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Environment, Second Edition. If you have the chance to attend a course, the courses 2274 and 2275 are better choices. If you have a good knowledge of Active Directory it is always considered as a plus, but I believe what you get from these courses out of active directory will be enough.
 Now it is the right time to start with real SQL Server. I assume that as a person who decides on a career in SQL server administration has a good background in SQL language. If so the next step is starting SQL Server administration courses. The courses 2779 and 2780 are decent courses. But anyway considering that now .NET Framework is embedded in SQL Server 2005, it is always expected from a database Administrator to have at least the .NET knowledge to read the .NET code. Consider any course or book that can give you a clear idea about .NET Framework. Worst case scenario, you can take the MS 2559 which I believe it is enough to start SQL Server 2005.

Some Friendly Advices for DBAs
 Don't forget that a Database administrator gets a high salary for almost doing nothing! but gets fired with the FIRST mistake. Make sure you will be quite confident in what ever you read. A DBA must know at least one thing down to the last details which is "HOW TO RESTORE A DATABASE". Remember for anything you have time to go through the training materials, articles and references and you have lots of free time to do them. But in a case of a database disaster, you will have a very limited time under extreme pressure to have the server up and running in minimum duration to minimize the production down time.
Best of luck
Alireza