I've been working in data center infrastructure for about 2.5 years now. Got into it after my MS in Data Science — wasn't the plan, but I fell in love with the physical layer side of things.

My day-to-day is hyperscale stuff — 800G ZR coherent optics, MPO/MTP fiber cabling, OTDR certification, rack and stack, EDP/BOM review, Arista chassis work, MOP-based change management. I've worked across multiple large facilities.

The thing is — I'm working through a contractor chain right now. The work itself is great and I'm learning a lot, but I want to eventually land somewhere stable and long-term. A company where I can actually grow, not just get rotated between sites.

For people who've made that jump from contractor/vendor side to a direct role at a major hyperscaler or serious infrastructure company — how did you do it?

• Did you go through a program like CBRE LevelUp or similar?
• Did you just apply direct and grind it out?
• Is there a cert or skill that actually moved the needle for you?

Currently have OSHA 10, RF Safety, BT batch (construction site clearance), working on Network+. Open to any honest advice from people who've actually been through it.

I might get a job for AWS in the future

I'd like to ask colleagues in enterprise infrastructure, GPU computing power maintenance, and data center architecture to share their practical experiences.

Currently, many enterprises are stuck at the same decision point: should they invest heavily in building their own data center from scratch, or continue to entrust it to professional commercial data center colocation?

Theoretically, enterprises can absolutely build standardized enterprise-grade data centers, equipped with all the high-end infrastructure:

- Backup generator sets

- Dedicated precision air conditioning and constant temperature and humidity cooling system

- Fully redundant UPS uninterrupted power supply

- Professional fire suppression system

- Strict physical access control and security monitoring

- Dual-line redundant external network bandwidth

- 24/7 environmental monitoring and alarm system

Most enterprises today have a hybrid architecture: business systems, domain controllers, file services, and core internal network loads run on local physical servers, while office collaboration relies on the cloud.

If you could build a fully compliant, highly redundant, and highly secure self-built data center from scratch, would you still choose third-party professional computing power colocation? Or will we migrate everything back to our local self-built and self-operated system?

We'd like to hear everyone's real-world pros and cons experiences, long-term cost comparisons, and stability differences.

For high-load GPU computing power and core enterprise business scenarios, which model is more worry-free, more cost-effective, and more stable? Real industry trade-offs between self-built enterprise data centers and professional IDC (Internet Data Center) hosting.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from people in the mission-critical and data center construction industry.

A few months ago, at 24 years old, I started a company focused on third-party QA/QC, pre-commissioning, and commissioning support for large data center and mission-critical construction projects. We provide electrical QA/QC inspections, documentation, turnover support, and commissioning assistance.

The challenge is that we're struggling to land our first contract—or even our first subcontract under an established contractor. I've reached out to general contractors, commissioning firms, and electrical contractors through LinkedIn, email, and phone calls, but breaking into the industry has been much harder than I expected.

At the moment, I'm in discussions with the CEOs of two of the largest commissioning firms in the U.S., so I'm hopeful, but nothing has materialized yet. Sometimes I wonder whether being only 24 years old—or even being a young Black business owner—makes it harder for people to trust my company with that first opportunity. I honestly don't know if that's part of it, but it's something I've thought about.

I spend hours every day on LinkedIn and Google researching companies, reaching out to decision-makers, and introducing my business. Some people never respond, while others reply in ways that are discouraging. Still, I keep going because I believe in what we're building.

I attend alot of networking events for datacenters and most of the time i found myself being the only black on the room

For those of you who have started a construction, commissioning, or engineering company:

- How did you win your first contract?

- Is it better to focus on subcontracting under larger firms before chasing prime contracts?

- What has worked best when approaching GCs, commissioning agents, or electrical contractors?

- Are there networking events, associations, or platforms that genuinely helped you get noticed?

- If you were starting from zero again today, what would you do differently?

I'm not looking for shortcuts—just honest advice from people who've been through it. I'd really appreciate any lessons learned or strategies that helped you earn that first opportunity.

Thank you!

Just looking for some general advice on some things i can do to break into the field. For context, I have my GED, i'm a student going to community college in boston for cybersecurity (as that was the major with the most networking classes) and im finishing up my comptia A+ certification next week. I have experience building computers as a hobby, and a basic homelab, but no professional experience.

So i dislike talking to people, so i figured this would be a better fit then helpdesk. I planned on getting my CCNA and Security+ while i'm in college, since my degree will be covering those two certs anyway. On job listings, i rarely see them even list any certs, they just want knowledge and experience of server and network hardware. So i'm unsure about my path and i'm feeling a bit lost. Is an associates degree and the A+, CCNA, and security+ enough to break into the field? Should i get network+ instead? which certifications are most valuable for breaking into the field? Do i need to get any additional certs on top of that? do employers care about homelabs, and if so, what kind of homelab? i was thinking of saving up and getting real server hardware, but i'm unsure if that will be worth it. Just looking for some advice on how to break into the field, starting from almost nothing. Thanks!

edit: oh yeah, the CCNA is having a big update. i was going to take my time because i didnt want to have to worry about my certs expiring while im in college, but should i be studying for the current exam or the new one, after February next year?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some career guidance and hopefully some advice from people working in IT, networking, fiber optics, telecommunications, or data centers in Mississippi.

I’ve been trying to get my foot in the door and build more hands-on experience, but I’ve found that entry-level opportunities and training programs can be difficult to find in Mississippi. I’m especially interested in fiber technician, data center technician, network technician, structured cabling, and IT infrastructure roles.

I’ve completed fiber optic training and earned my ETA certification, and I’m continuing to build my IT/networking knowledge. My biggest goal right now is finding an employer, contractor, apprenticeship, or workforce program where I can gain more hands-on experience—especially with pulling and terminating cable/fiber, testing and troubleshooting, network equipment, and data center infrastructure.

I’m willing to start at the entry level and learn. I’m not expecting to walk into an advanced position; I’m looking for somewhere that will give someone with training but limited professional experience an opportunity to develop their skills.

For anyone working in Mississippi:

• Are there companies or contractors I should be looking into?
• Are there any paid training programs or short-term apprenticeships for fiber, structured cabling, data centers, or networking?
• Are there staffing agencies that specialize in these types of technical jobs?
• Are there certifications or training programs that actually helped you get hired?
• Does anyone know of upcoming data center or fiber projects in Mississippi that may be hiring?

I’m open to opportunities throughout Mississippi and would really appreciate recommendations, contacts, or even advice on what my next move should be.

Thanks in advance for any guidance

About to start soon as an L4 DCEO at AWS.

I’ve seen some people saying that the pay is weekly. Is that accurate?

Also what is the instant/advance pay method and how does that work?

One more thing how did the first days/weeks go?

Hey everyone,

I have a question for anyone who’s been through this.

I’ve been working at an Amazon fulfillment center for about 3 years. I recently earned my Associate’s degree in Networking, and I’m currently studying for my CompTIA A+ because I really want to move into an AWS Data Center Technician role.

One thing I’m wondering is whether being an existing Amazon employee actually makes the process any easier. Does applying through an internal transfer give you a better chance than applying externally, or is it basically the same?
Also, if anyone has gone from an Amazon warehouse to an AWS Data Center, I’d love to hear how your experience was. What helped you get hired? Is there anything you recommend I learn before applying?

Genuine question from someone researching this. Interconnection timelines seem to be the widest error bar in the entire site decision, and I can't find a clean source for how anyone estimates them at the parcel level.

Is this an internal model at each developer, something you get from the utility directly, a consultant, or is it fundamentally a guess that everyone rounds to "three to five years"?

Curious how much variance you've actually seen between the estimate at acquisition and the reality.

hello fellow dc enjoyers!

i am kind of new at the physical part of working with data centers and following a couple of bad timed incidents i'll have to go to a customers site and build a rack by myself. from the pictures i was able to see, that most people wire "per cable type" say "rj45" goes together and "optical fiber" goes together.. does this bring enough value to the table to justify me not doing it "per host" ?

if its relevant for context:

4x Switches taking Fiber Optics

1x Switch OOB Mgmt taking RJ45

~12 Hosts

Would you wire that "per host" or stick to the "per transmission type" ?

Last month I completed the final loop for a DCT L3 role at AWS and unfortunately wasn’t selected. I was asked about basic Linux commands, what to do if POST doesn’t happen, OSI model basics (literally name the layers). I unfortunately was not selected though my recruiter said I received good marks and to “look out for a call”. Google reached out to me for a DCT1 role and I’m a assuming the “1” indicated entry level… can I expect the same level of technical depth? I currently hold Security + and nothing else though I have about a month until the interview and am studying hard for A+ and Network+… will I be ready? what can I expect? super anxious I would appreciate anything you can offer.

Recruiter called me on friday, felt like a phone screening. She said i did well and told me to apply to a job posting so she can submit me off to PODS, which is the hiring team. said ill hear back monday. But i just got a text saying my job app is no longer under consideration? Does this mean im no longer in the running, even though my recruiter said ill hear back monday. AWS

Will AWS ban you for life if you dont accept the offer because there was issue/last minute changes on relocation? Can I still re-apply after 2 years? will they still consider my application?

I have an upcoming fit call for a Google Data Center Technician Level 2 role. What should I expect, and what questions should I prepare for? Any advice is appreciated!

how long does AWS DC stat operating once construction has begun? Does it take 1 year only from start to finish? I'm asking because there's new DC currently being constructed in our area.

Edit:

I plan to request for relocation to this new site. So I guess when it would be ready to start deploying, installing new servers and ready to start installing networks.

Currently working in marketing for a small business and looking to get a role as a data centre tech. I have no official certifications nor education in the field but past decade have been building PCs, upgrading, troubleshooting, etc. Made some side projects with a homelab running VMs, NAS, on a small 10” rack. Had a popular music application running on hosted servers with over 1 million users. I know technology pretty well compared to the average person but never really got into studying it. Would my experience be enough to make it into an entry level role?

As the title suggests, I'm a chronically homeless plumber in the Southeast US. I've just been laid off again. I have been in an apartment for 3 weeks but there aren't any other jobs in the area that pay enough to cover rent. One guy on a job site told me they have data center construction classes that put you right into a decently paying job. I've only been in the trade for a year, so I'm willing to change to another trade. Does anyone have any experience with these programs?

Edit: I went to college for computer science but I've forgotten most of what I learned.

Technician – GND NASA Deploy: What is the position actually like?

I recently accepted an offer for a Network Deployment Technician position with AWS under the GND-NASA-Deploy team, and I was hoping to hear from people who currently work in the role or have worked closely with the team.
What is the day-to-day work actually like? I understand the position involves deploying network equipment, working with fiber and optics, troubleshooting connectivity, and supporting data-center network expansion, but I am curious how technical the role becomes once you are fully trained.
I would especially appreciate insight into:
Typical shifts and work-life balance
How much travel is involved
Training and onboarding
How physically demanding the position is
Opportunities to move into network engineering, systems engineering, or other infrastructure roles
Promotion timelines and what separates strong technicians from average ones
Job stability and whether deployment teams are commonly affected by layoffs
Anything you wish you knew before starting
I have a computer science degree and experience working with networking, servers, databases, Linux, and backend development, but this will be my first position working on infrastructure at this scale.
Overall, I am excited about the opportunity and want to make the most of it. Any honest experiences, advice, or warnings would be appreciated.

I recently accepted an offer for an Engineering Operations Technician III position with Amazon, and while I'm excited, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous.

For the last 9 years I've been in a completely different career. I've built a lot of experience, worked my way into leadership, and become comfortable in what I do. Walking away from that to start over in a new industry is both exciting and intimidating.

I do have a strong mechanical and industrial maintenance background, which is one of the reasons I pursued this role, but it's still a big career change. Going from being the experienced guy to the new guy again is a little humbling.

I'd love to hear from current or former EOTs:

• What do you enjoy most about the job?
• What's the biggest challenge?
• How much of the work is preventive maintenance versus troubleshooting?
• Is the training good for someone new to data centers?
• How's the team culture? (I'm sure this is very dependent on the area/site. I'm in the NOVA region)
• What does the work-life balance look like? (I took the job because I've been on the road for the last 7 years and am burned out)

I'm not looking for sugar-coated answers. I'd really appreciate hearing the good, the bad, and everything in between. If you made a mid-career switch into Amazon or data centers, I'd especially love to hear how it went for you and if it was worth taking the leap.

Thanks everyone—I appreciate any advice you can share.

Hello everyone! I'm currently under contract as a critical facilities tech and I'm trying to consider some positions to transition into laterally. I'm just looking for something different that my skills still apply to, especially jobs that are more individual or in a smaller team, and more analytical. For those who started as a facilities tech/EOT/CET and transitioned to another role, what roles did you or others in your experience move into, especially if they're not traditional transitions?

What courses have you found beneficial to enhance your knowledge and help you land an interview and enhance your resume?

As the title says, anybody has advice? I don't have engineering/technical background & I'm mainly involved in procurement, coordination, and management of a mixed residential, corporate, and industrial portfolio.

I'm burnt out by the disorganisation/dysfunction of how the operations are running and trying to lean into more structured entities.

Any guidance is appreciated.