I am a fresh grad from Singapore and I recently received 2 job offers and I’m trying to figure out which is the better choice long-term:

1. Data Center Engineer role at a FAANG company - shift work (12-hour shifts, 4 on / 4 off)
2. Tech Consultant at a Big 4

The compensation for the FAANG is 10-20% higher which does not matter much to me. The career growth/progression, job environment and exit opportunities is what I care about.

If you were to ask me which I have more interest in, I honestly have no preference because I have not tried either roles before, but i’ll give my all for whichever i choose. (Maybe leaning a little more towards the Big4 as the working environment will probably be better since it’s in a nice office rather than a data center HAHAH.)

I’m likely to stick with whichever path I choose for the long run, so I’d love to hear perspectives from people in this community (although i understand it might be biased since this is a data center community after all)

If you were in my position, which would you choose and why?

There seems to be a lot of confusion with what each team actually is. Ive seen job postings that have conflicting work tasks also so I wanted to ask a more experienced AWS tech to tell me the general work load looks like for each team

After the interview, I discovered mistakes in my CV that I hadn’t noticed before. I also currently have active applications, so I updated my CV. (But while updating, the “Submit” button remained inactive. However, there was a note that said: "You can view and edit your profile details here. Any changes you make will be reflected in all your active job applications.") I don’t know if all my previous applications were updated. Will the update only apply to active applications (I mean the ones still under “Review” where I haven’t had the interview yet), or will it also update the ones where I already had the interview? I’m really worried. I hope someone who has gone through this experience can explain it to me.

Hi! I live in Europe and want to get into the DC field, but in a very specific niche - energy consumption optimization. I have a list of questions that I think should fully cover the basic understanding of the situation in the field. Would much appreciate if you can answer some of those:

1. High-level context

• From your perspective, what’s the biggest pain point in powering data centers today — cost, reliability, sustainability, or regulation?
• How do operators usually measure efficiency beyond PUE? Are there metrics outsiders often overlook?
• How much does EU regulation actually drive energy innovation in DCs, versus market economics (electricity prices, cooling costs)?

2. Operational realities

• What does the day-to-day work of an energy/facility manager in a DC look like?
• Where are the “data blind spots” — things operators wish they could measure or predict but can’t easily?
• Which parts of energy usage (UPS, chillers, servers) are most unpredictable or hardest to optimize?

3. Opportunities for new players

• If you were a small data/AI team, where could you realistically add value in energy optimisation?
• Are DC operators open to piloting solutions with startups, or do they prefer to stick with big vendors (Schneider, Siemens, ABB)?
• Where do you see gaps in the current vendor ecosystem?

4. Future outlook

• What changes do you expect in EU energy regulation for DCs in the next 3–5 years?
• Do you believe alternative cooling (liquid, immersion, free cooling) will dominate, or are incremental optimizations more realistic?
• How important will renewables integration + storage be versus efficiency gains?

5. Networking angle

• If I wanted to understand this market better, which associations, conferences, or journals would you recommend?
• Who are the unsung experts (roles, not necessarily names) that outsiders should be talking to?

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I have an upcoming interview for a Data Center Electrical Engineer position, and I’d love some advice on how to prepare.

From what I understand, I should brush up on topics like:

Power distribution systems (medium voltage to low voltage)

UPS systems and batteries

Generators and paralleling

Power quality, harmonics, and grounding

Arc flash and protection coordination

Building automation / BMS / EPMS integration

Redundancy (N, N+1, 2N)

I’m also expecting some scenario-based questions (e.g., what to do if a generator fails, or how to handle an unexpected load increase).

For those who work in data centers at Google or have been through similar interviews:

What technical areas should I focus on the most?

Any tips on explaining past project experience in a way that resonates with data center hiring managers?

What kind of practical or problem-solving questions did you face?

Anything you wish you had prepared for but didn’t?

Any resources, study guides, or personal experiences would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

I have 2 years worth of experience at a hyperscale data center and i’m always looking to invest in continuing education, especially since it’s free through my employer. Has anyone heard good things about DCD>Academy’s Design Engineering courses? I’m based in the U.S. so i’m curious about the professional weight of the credential.

Title pretty much says it all, I have a phone interview with them coming up and would appreciate any advice, stories (good or bad) and tips. This will be my first data center job so any information I should know for the interview would be helpful as well. Thanks all!

I’ve heard about the background check — some people say it’s complicated, others say it’s just thorough. Some say it takes a week, others say it can take months. My question is for those with experience: what are the actual procedures of the background check and what does it include? Maybe there are details we don’t usually know about.

In addition, for those who have certificates and experience from outside the United States, how are they handled?

I mean, are there any steps a person can take in order to prepare for it? I hope someone knows people who have gone through the same experience.

We have a rare opening at our Chaska, MN facility at Stream Data Centers

This does not require any data center experience

Any experience, education or training with electrical, mechanical, HVAC or controls will suffice to get an interview

Going through interviews with Crusoe to work in one of their main offices. Curious if anyone can share their work experience with the company. Culture, management, benefits, etc.

STREAM DATA CENTERS IS HIRING FOR A CONTROLS ENGINEER

$140,000-165,000 BASE SALARY + BONUS + BENEFITS

CAN LIVE IN PHOENIX, CHICAGO, DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, ATLANTA OR FULLY REMOTE

TRAVEL EXPECTATIONS 20-40% DEPENDING ON WHICH LOCATION YOU CHOOSE

APPLY ONLINE TODAY

Hello All,

I have an upcoming interview for a critical facilities engineer role at a new 50-75MW data center being built 12min from my home, in support of project Prometheus. My background includes a B.S. in industrial engineering, Pmp, six sigma, security+ certs plus 8years combined experience across technical and leadership roles in big3 auto (facilities engineer -> industrial engineer -> ICT operations lead -> engineering pm).

I’d greatly appreciate any advice, pointers or suggestions from those who have been through Meta’s interview process on how to best prepare. Thank you in advance.

I have a possible L4 Network Deployment Technician interview coming soon. Other than the behavioral LP questions, what can I expect for the technicals? Any information would be much appreciated. Feel free to DM as well. Thanks in advance.

Hi, I'm a recent graduate and I found some IT/ data center jobs under Global insight, it's a 6-months contract job working for amazon. Seems to me, they need people, I can get experience from Amazon, and best part is they will provide training as well.

Right now, I know is that this is only a 6-months long contract, I need to relocate and house lease usually 1 year long. anyone got a similar experience and can give me more insight? Like how hard is it to continue the contract, job oppotunties after the contract, experience similar to this, or whats the job experience be like. I never work for Company A doing jobs for a Company B before so this is new to me as well. Any info will help and thanks ahead!

Hello everyone, so I’m interested in IT and data center work. I like computers, technology but also like working with my hands and physical work. Tried software for a period of time, challenging but I don’t think I’m really cut out for it, I found it very mentally taxing, and stressful.

I know A+ is recommended, but also have seen people mention DCCA here too. I’m studying for DCCA, got CompTIA ITF+ and have learned a lot but I still feel like I’m lacking a lot in terms of knowledge and skill set to be a competitive candidate. Would a program like Northern Virginia data center degree or certificate be a good option? Covers power, cabling, mechanical concepts, hands on labs and it’s also partnered with Microsoft and AWS.

If I want to break in, but also move up within a company is DC tech a good role for me? And would college or certificate program with hands on exposure be the most beneficial path? Also would a degree be easier to earn a visa for EU jobs? I would like to be closer to family.

Link to the program if anyone is curious, they offer an associates and a one year certificate.

Looking for any insights, thank you

https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/programs/data-center-operations.html

Here are my qualifications: AWS CCP AWS SAA Security+ CCNA(in progress) 6 month Help Desk intern at local company

***I am also about to start another help desk internship with my school just for this semester

I’m currently at a community college and in my last semester for information technology. Notable courses that I took was a CompTIA A+ and Network+ course. I decided to not take the A+ exam because i just don’t think it’s worth it given the price and it’s 2 exams. I didn’t take the Network+ exam since I figured that the CCNA will be more valuable to employers, and it’s cheaper. Correct me if i’m wrong in that please.

So, what else will I need to stand out in order to land a data center technician or network technician role?

I’m a bit shocked to see that I’ll be interviewed by seven people. WTH, are they recruiting for a CIA position or some Scientist role? Anyway, any suggestions or tips would be helpful.

Besides NTT and Oracle, who are the remaining remote friendly data center companies?

I'm an economist studying the location of large infrastructure projects and have recently been doing work on data center location siting. Qualitatively, my impression is that they are either located in major tech hubs or fairly rural locations. I wanted to know if any of you all have insight on why this is? Is it a regulatory issue, electricity cost or market structure matter, or something else?

Can anyone help me? I'm trying to start working in Data Centers as a technician but I keep getting turned down for not having atleast 1 year of experience. I'm trying to get experience but even entry level they're asking for experience. I worked as a security guard for data centers so I understand how things work.

Finished my full loop interviews and felt very good about all 6. Waited 2 weeks and followed up with my recruiter to get a generic response email almost immediately saying I would not be moving forward and they can't provide any feedback. Being turned down doesn't suck as much as the lack of feedback after investing so much time and genuinely feeling great about all the interviews. Makes me not want to try again for sure, but that's life I guess.

Was recently offered an L3 DCEO technician position with an Amazon data center in northern VA(Manassas), $35 an hour(72,800/yr) to start and a relocation package from southern VA.

I got this offer because I have four years experience as a maintenance mechanic for a large hospital in VA.

I got the hospital Job because I’m a licensed plumber with 8 years of experience.

Which is where my problem lies, I received another offer from a large private construction company(also northern VA) to be a plumber on a government project over the course of the next three years.

This comes with a prevailing trade wage of 68.75 an hour, or $143,000/yr before overtime.

I honestly have no idea which opportunity to choose. Should I take the 72 and learn a new valuable skill set and hope to move up?

Or do I follow my current career path and take the 143 even though it’s only guaranteed for three years?then hoping to be picked up on the next project and follow the money, which might not be at the same prevailing wage.

I’m currently still with the hospital making 60k yearly.

Any advice on which option will be best long term?

Thanks in advance!

I am trying to wrap my head around why so many datacenters are located near quite expensive (capital) locations.

I would have assumed the most important elements would be cheap access to power, labour & land. Latency (being close to an IXP) felt less of a priority. What obvious element am I missing ?

Very keen to spar with someone/consultant that could guide me on optimal data center locations & different strengths/weaknesses of plots of land.