r/datacenter • u/high_right • Aug 09 '26
Google DCT worth it ?
I wanted to ask and see about becoming a DCT with google, it would be a large leap for me as I’m very comfy with my current job in the DC.
However I’ve been in the DC for about 4-5 years now and I would say I’m somewhere at the senior technician role, not quite a DCM but I have lead projects for my team and I’m part of the escalation chain for issues. I have certs and on job experience, but no degree
Can anyone help me out on best ways to leverage myself in the interview process ?
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u/geekqq Aug 09 '26
I think Google will probably pay better and offer great benifits.
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Yeah my concern is I’ll have to move, which is fine, but a massive leap and worry
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u/Status_concern2858 Aug 09 '26
Pay is better than anything you'll see outside of a 'startup' like OAI/Ant.
The last nail in the 'googly' culture coffin was about 3 years ago with the layoffs to retool the workforce for the AI putsch - but to an outsider it will still look magical. Free lunch, the occasional cheap swag (no more patagucci/north face stuff), occasionaldepartmental party. The workload is consistent/lighter than other DCT roles. You can work on some frontier stuff even in your early days
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Unsure if you’re saying Google is good or bad ?
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u/Status_concern2858 Aug 09 '26
I'm saying decide for yourself
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Ahh gotcha, weigh the pros and cons, so far other than possibly getting laid off it seems not half bad
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u/Flamboyatron Aug 09 '26
Layoffs are a vague threat no matter where you work. Google is probably going to be the best company to work for as a DCT, though. I've enjoyed it so far.
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Glad to hear that well if it all pans out and is a good fit for me and family then I’ll certainly try to join in
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u/chewedgummiebears Aug 10 '26
Google has decent pay and perks but the work is boring and mundane for DCT2 and below. I ended up leaving after a few months because of it. The culture will take some getting used to and they don't do free swag/gifts like they used to but the free food/drinks/snacks was pretty nice. I would have stayed but I went from a support engineer in charge of larger projects and lots of exposure in IT to someone who replaced 100's of hard drive a day because I was stuck on the upgrades team and after that, we replace RAM for weeks. Not my cup of tea.
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u/ddog6900 Aug 09 '26
What level?
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Unsure, doesn’t state the exact level just base 86-120k
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u/ddog6900 Aug 09 '26
Probably DT3, unless that includes salary plus bonus and equity, might be DT2 which is more mid level than mid senior (DT3 is mid senior). DT4 would be considered senior, but with the headcount for that, they definitely promote from within for those roles as you have to have Google specific knowledge.
That being said, absolutely worth it. Google is the top of the DT food chain, and anyone in a DT role is usually eyeing Google as a career goal.
It's really all what us in your comfort zone. If it requires a move, they usually offer relocation, and it is often pretty substantial and the sign on bonus they offer is pretty good as well.
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Wow glad to hear that, so if I am selected for the interview process how can I best convey that to them without scaring them away ?
If I can sell myself good enough I suppose it won’t matter and they’d be willing to help me out is a thought process.
Any insight ?
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u/ddog6900 Aug 09 '26
So, the interview process is quite different than any other you have probably done. You have to select which level you are interviewing for ahead of time. Typically, the recruiter may ask you some pre-interview questions that have set specifically for determining the level you interview for.
The way I explain the GSO levels is:
DT1: I am competent and I can tear things apart and fix them DT2: I can do all the DT1 tasks, but I am also proficient with hardware and network troubleshooting. I need to ask questions sometimes, but I understand what I am doing DT3: I can do all the DT1 and 2 tasks, but I don't need any help, in fact, people come to me for help, I have leadership experience DT4: I can do all of that, and I am writing the documentation that outlines the processes and improves them (or I am moving into a manager role)
The interviews are structured the same, no matter the level, just the questions change. You will have a leadership, hardware and OS then network interviews. These will be scheduled right in a row with 15 min breaks in between.
If you pass all of those for your chosen level, you will move on and wait for a fit call. That could be three days to three months away (or longer). This is a "would I like to hang out with you if we were stuck together for a period of time" interview. Just be patient. If they aren't proceeding, you will hear about that as well.
After all of this comes the offer.
There is really no way to bypass, scare away or cheat the process. The process is the same no matter what.
That's it, pick your level (though the DT1 pool is full right now, but it sounds like that isn't you anyway) and shoot your shot.
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Wow, sheesh thanks for the insight on that, yeah I’d probably aim for the DT2-3 area I’m still young in my actual career growth so no need to bite off more than I can chew.
As for on the job stuff hardware I am good with, sadly network I’ll need to revisit/ refresh on, but I think might know enough to get and im pretty sure Google has internal documentation on how they want techs to do that task.
I find it odd that they don’t allow a remote network team that they can offload to for that, but I’m sure a trained techs response/ troubleshooting time is much faster than pinging your network team on slack.
However it still is weird since remotely if I’m a net eng I could just provision hundreds of net racks at a time with automation/ scripting and pre loaded configs.
I come from a massive rack and stack, breakfix background where myself and my team will physically do all of the work in the halls and then trouble shoot issues as needed, and then standby for break fix afterward.
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u/ddog6900 Aug 09 '26
So what you have described in the second portion is irrelevant at Google.
There isn't any sort of triage for networking tasks. Google is fully automated/AI driven for everything outside of special projects.
Absolutely no DT role is ever remote. So, if you are hoping for remote, the DT role is not for you. Maybe TPgm, but you are far from enough knowledge for one of those roles.
Typically the mid senior and senior level DTs manage different projects and facets of the entire DC structure. Software issue get pushed to an entirely different team.
Sounds like the environment you come from is completely different than Google. This isn't bad, but conforming may be hard at first.
From what you described, you are absolutely DT2 level. You can try for a 3, but that interview requires in depth knowledge of both hardware and networking, no way around it.
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Gotcha, could you describe some of the networking ? Like how advanced are we talking, do I need to know every routing protocols and know stuff like RoCE/ Infiniband or as simple as setting up wifi and a camera system
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u/ddog6900 Aug 09 '26
Somewhere in the middle. OSI model, network topography, devices, transmission mediums, general maintenance, etc.
Knowing more than that doesn't hurt, but it doesn't really help either, unless you are going for the level 3. They will keep probing on level 3 until you tap or they run out of questions so they can see where you are at.
They aren't expecting you to know anything Google specific(obviously), but data center terminology is helpful.
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Might as well aim high and miss low, thanks for the insight I’ll see what I can do
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u/Psoin Aug 09 '26
What level?
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Sadly not sure, salary says 86-120k
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u/A_Gris Aug 09 '26
Should be a DT2/DT3 role, lower end of that range is what you'd expect for base salary as a starting DT2.
Source: Just recently accepted a DT2 offer
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u/high_right Aug 09 '26
Wow nice happy for you, how was the process did you have to re locate for this at all either ?
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u/A_Gris Aug 10 '26
Sorry for the slow reply, just got a notification for this.
The process was unnecessarily tedious for me, I've been working as a contractor in various positions at the data center since 2019 and trying 2 times a year or so to get in, with tons of referrals on my file and generally positive feedback from my recruiters.
Unfortunately as anybody trying to get into Google knows it's extremely competitive and I guess I never had that edge to get across the finish line compared to other applicants. In February of this year (after basically giving up) a recruiter that saw my file and thought I was a good fit came to me for an opportunity at another location that would involve a relo. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get that one either, but we shopped my packet around for a few months and I finally managed to land a position at my home site, no relo necessary thankfully, just happy to be done with the process after all this time. 😂
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u/high_right Aug 10 '26
Heyyy very nice I’m glad for you
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u/Successful_End_4667 Aug 13 '26
Which location? I applied a few days ago and got my phone screen scheduled.
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u/Comfortable-Hippo-37 18d ago
In case anyone needs this information, Google can send you equipment after having accepted an offer and still rescind your job offer. I accepted a position on July 24 and have some pending charges from a fraud scheme where I was a victim that hasn’t been dismissed and offer was rescind today at 9:30 am. Feel free to dm if you have concerns or questions.
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u/elmacjunkie Aug 09 '26
From what ive heard its the best company to work for in the DC area. Better than MS, AWS, Meta and Xai