That IS good advice. I know that an MCSE is not for me (I do Linux and OpenBSD as much as I can). I have found that the ability to do SQL has really paid off in my consulting. I do some database work as part of ZillNet and it is a distinct advantage.
I give the same advice to go after database skill to anyone that asks, and they usually respond something along the lines that they are really more interested in some of the more exciting stuff (like the internet, etc...) People not real familiar with corporate information systems tend to go with the stuff they know about or see in the news. Databases don't make much news in the press.
When you think about it, a databse is at the core of most business applications. Take the forum we're on, FR. There isn't much doubt that most of the major functions of this site rely on a database. The OS it runs on may be Linux, but the heart of the system is the database. Almost any site on the internet that carries large amounts of info, be it a catalog, news articles, customer info, or search info is driven by a database.
Its been my experience that while different technologies come and go there is always a need for database people, and never enough of them. If your interested in some specific technology, learn how it ties in with databases.
Interested in the internet, learn about tying internet sites into a database backend.
Interested in Linux, learn about installing and maintianing database systems on Linux.
Interested in networking, learn about distributed database systems.
I know I sound like the guy in "The Graduate" who pushes plastics, but it has really been my experience that database skill are always in demand, and there is never enough of them to fill that demand.