Learning Database Management and other IT/Finance-related skills

For database management books, I think perhaps you should just go to Amazon and search for "database administration".  There are several kinds of databases, each with its own set of relevant books.  Maybe try this one out:

http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Microsoft-Server-2008-Administration/dp/0470440910/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276932966&sr=8-14

I would caution you though that db administration is difficult to learn without a deep technical background.  The contents are verbose and dry, and without some real context, you won't be able to easily remember or synthesize the things you read into actionable knowledge.

see if any community colleges in the area offer courses in any of the subjects you are interested in.  this will help keep you focused, and it typically only costs a few hundred dollars for the entire semester

depending what role are you exactly getting.if this is about finance(especially funds,fof,derivative,fx...) i can probably give you some advice or templates for you to learn and investigate.

if you've never got a related job before, remember "investigate";"active learning" is very important to show in the interview. of course you will need to show some skill but definately you have to tell the manager you are a quick learner and can analyse and learn new stuff without too much help.why i say "without too much help' instead of 'all by myself' is to say "I realize the importance of communication and actively communicate with the team member".

interview skills are important if you dun have absolute advantages in skills the recruiters are looking for.

pm me if you would like to discuss more.

Take a temp job anywhere to get the money, if you want to learn database administration it needs to be hands on.  A community college will give you that opportunity with structured labs.

You can download trial versions of Oracle and DB2 to use on Linux which would help out.  You haven't said how your skills are in SQL or understanding of database design.  If you are shaky on that you won't be a very good admin so don't go putting the cart in front of the horse so to speak.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia 

Oh I don't want to go that far.. plus I don't have money coming in, currently looking for work. 

I think searching for an entry level job in a technical field is the best way to break into database administration.  Even something like customer service for a tech company, working hard for a few months/years while learning database administration, and then applying to an opening within the company.  By doing this you get an opportunity to gain domain knowledge (i.e., knowledge of the industry, something outside applicants often lack), and an opportunity to show your employer what kind of aptitude you possess and the type of person you are (e.g., loyal, easy to work with, punctual, reliable, intelligent, inspired).

The problem with pursuing something like database administration is that it truly does require a thorough, holistic knowledge of the database and system.  For that reason, it's not something that someone without a lot of education or experience can easily break into.

If ultimately you find that you can't pickup database administration from a book, it won't be because of you or your aptitude.  The stuff you're reading, without any context, is so completely dry and abstract.  Nobody could really learn that stuff except people who work with/around it all the time.