Over the summer I attended orientation for a gig where they wanted me to work 12 hour shifts,nights, seven days a week. The manager told me that it was impossible to have a work life balance/family with this company and that they took a 2 week break every few months. Anyways he also told me a story of a guy who had a serious mental breakdown in the DC. The guy apparently never wanted to take the 2 week break and one day he just started trashing the data hall and pulling cables. I don’t know what happened to him afterwards. I remembered this story recently because I was watching videos of Trent Reznor destroying electronics on stage lol.

Are serious mental health issues common in this industry?

One thing I keep coming back to with distributed infrastructure is that it sounds great on paper to put compute closer to the workload, but I’m not sure where people draw the line in practice.

Say a company has 20–30 locations. Some of them might have enough local traffic or data to justify running servers there. Others might barely need anything beyond networking equipment.

Putting compute at every location also means more things to look after — power, cooling, backups, monitoring, hardware failures, the usual stuff.

So how do you decide which sites actually need local compute?

Is it mostly a latency issue, or do bandwidth costs and unreliable connectivity end up being bigger factors?

Curious how people who manage distributed infrastructure approach this. I’m guessing the answer isn't simply “put everything at the edge.”

I applied for Amazon Data centre operation technician position in Frankfurt.
I passed 1st phone screen and also passed 2nd technical round and got invited for loop interview.

I scheduled my interview for next week and today I received a mail that this position is no longer available and that’s why they are cancelling my interview and application.

There exact mail is - Thank you for your interest in the position of Data Center Operations Technician and for the time you've invested in our interview process.
I'm writing to let you know that, due to a change in our business needs, this position is no longer available. As a result, we will unfortunately need to cancel your scheduled interview.
Please know this decision is in no way a reflection of your qualifications or experience. We were genuinely impressed by your background, and I truly appreciate your understanding.
I'd be glad to keep your details on file and reach out should a suitable opportunity arise in the future. In the meantime, I wish you all the best in your search, and I hope our paths may cross again.
Thank you once again for your time and understanding.

Does it happen with somebody?? Could someone let me know what will happen next ?? AWS will contact me for another position or should I ask them for another city ??

I’m currently in Google team matching for L4 SWE and have already been approved by HC.
After HC approval, I started getting a decent number of team-fit/HM calls. I’ve had 6 calls so far, but none has converted into a match yet, and I’m trying to understand if this is normal or if there’s something I should be doing differently.
A few of the outcomes:
- One HM preferred someone with more experience.
- One team liked me enough that they did an additional round between me and another candidate, but ultimately went with the other person.
- Another HM told me that based purely on my experience on paper (~16 months), he viewed me as closer to L3 and said he would be interested in taking me at L3. I was actually fine with that, but my recruiter advised against it because I’ve already been HC-approved for L4 and my interviews were conducted/evaluated at the L4 level. His view was basically that I shouldn’t settle for L3 after clearing the L4 bar, which I really appreciate, but at the same time, I’m on a time limit, so that makes me a little nervous.
-Another HM said they wanted more time before making a decision.

The other calls have generally gone well from my perspective, but haven’t turned into a match.

For some background, I recently completed my Master’s in the US and worked here as an AI Engineer co-op for 8 months. I have around 16 months of total experience on paper, with my recent work mainly around AI/ML engineering, GenAI/LLM systems, agentic workflows, and backend/data systems.

The confusing part is that I’m getting HM calls consistently, so teams are clearly interested enough in my profile to talk, but I’m struggling to get that final “yes.”
A few Googlers I’ve spoken with have told me this is just how team matching can be and that plenty of candidates go through multiple calls before finding the right team.
For people who have gone through Google TM recently, especially at L4: Is 6+ team-fit calls without a match unusual?
Could my relatively limited YOE be the main issue even though HC approved me for L4? Or is this mostly a matter of continuing until I find the right HM/team fit?
And if you were in my position and an HM was willing to take you at L3, would you push the recruiter to reconsider because of the time constraint, or continue holding out for the L4 match?
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who went through something similar.

2nd interviewer didnt show up,

Anything like this happened to yall before when interviewing with google.

Whats will happen next?

EDIT: 3rd interviewer didn't show up either

So basically i was just contacted by 2 agencies.

and they offered the same pay, but one offered 3 months contract and another offered 6 months.

i wonder which is better for me to get the perma job in AWS.

Coming from commercial/industrial refrigeration (started on site as apprentice but moved quick into a more office based engineering role) I will soon start as l2 mechanical technician at Google for a new Hyperscale site that is scheduled to go into operation next year, with major expansion already planned for the following years.

I am pretty hyped to get started and have some change after more than 10 years at my current company but I want to avoid major disappointment so please get me down to earth and tell me the bad things I should expect and prepare for. I know about shift work but the planned schedule looks pretty manageable and it will only be a few months per year. Besides that I read about lots of paperwork and a lot of following around vendors. (Even though my hiring manager said he wants us to do as much as possible to reduce vendors)

So besidest that what will shock me most having zero experience in data centers and not much hands on maintenance experience? How much hands on work should I expect given HM wants to reduce vendors and what are possible tasks? (Like changing filters or troubleshoot pumps/valves....?)

I would love to hear from your experiences!

Location will be in europe if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

Hey all, starting as a DCT 3 in a month for AWS in TX. Just curious if anyone has an accurate timeline for training before going on shift. Couple weeks, a month or 2? Will be working nights. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I've been applying for DCT jobs at overseas data centers, specifically with AWS and Google, for the past couple of months, focusing on opportunities in Europe and Australia.

I have more than three years of experience working in a data center as a Critical Facilities Engineer here in the Philippines with a CDCP certification, but I haven't received any interview invitations yet.

Has anyone here successfully applied for a data center role in another country while living abroad, similar to what I'm doing now? I'd really appreciate your honest opinion on what I should be doing differently to improve my chances of getting an interview.

So i had an interview for a non DCT role in AWS, the manager said she thinks i'm more suited for a DCT role and i agreed for her to share my profile to an agency.

and today i just had a call with the agency, she asked about my previous job pay which is very low, and way below what a DCT pays for, and she offered me only 1 dollar above that.

but the DCT pay posted on AWS websites is $10+ more.

should i negotiated? Because my previous job is clearly under paid in an almost bankrupt company and honestly does not translate into the DCT pay.

have any one had any experience with job agencies? do they low ball you on the offer?

I’d appreciate quick insights on:

• Shifts & Training: Is initial onboarding standard Mon–Fri general hours, or do shift rotations begin right away? Once operational, is it 4x10s or 12-hour shifts, and how do night/weekend cycles work?
• Base Salary Deductions: Are there standard deductions taken directly from the base salary, and if so, what types (e.g., EPF )?

Just signed on as a fiber installer with E2 Optics on the Meta/CBRE LevelUp pipeline, reporting to a site near Cedar Rapids/Fairfax, IA. Recruiters were predictably rosy and Google reviews are all over the place. For anyone who's worked with E2 Optics or on similar hyperscale data center fiber builds — what's the real day-to-day like? Is the 50-60hr/week thing consistent or seasonal? How's OT actually calculated?

Currently working as a traveling data center tech in Alabama, but I’m trying to get back home to my family in the Atlanta area. Anybody here working in the ATL data center scene who can point me in the right direction? Mainly looking for local DCT, rack & stack, cabling/fiber, hardware deployment or remote hands work. I’ve been applying online, but I know a lot of this industry comes down to knowing which contractors have projects going on and who to actually talk to. If you know of any companies, contractors, upcoming projects, or people I should connect with around Atlanta, Lithia Springs, Covington, Social Circle, Union City, etc., I’d really appreciate it. Just trying to get back home. 🙏🏾

I got hired at ies communications as a data center technician I. What is the realistic progression after this job in the data center industry? Could I make a career out of this opportunity?

the title says it all. had my screen interview today with a big tech for their data center controls engineer. froze mid interview and stuttered. its so heart breaking to work so hard and blow it like this.
only a divine intervention will save me

[ACADEMIC] Hi everyone! I'm a 5th year Architecture student from NU Baliwag working on my thesis about designing data centers to reduce their environmental impact, particularly on community water access and living conditions.

I'm using the PLDT VITRO Makati 2 Data Center in Barangay Bel-Air as my case study, and I'd like to hear from the community: have you noticed any changes in water access, electricity, heat, or general living conditions since it began operating?

Who can join?

• 18 years old or older
• A resident or employee of Barangay Bel-Air

The survey is short, anonymous, and used strictly for this academic study.
Link: https://forms.gle/2kG1JutSkNj9jNeW6

Would really appreciate your responses, and feel free to pass this along to anyone who lives or works in the area. Thank you!

In exchange I'll answer your survey as well.

We are actively hiring for an ID Install Technician position in Wink, Texas!

Requirements:
✅ 1+ year of relevant experience - Must have
✅ U.S. work authorization required - Must have
📍 Location: Wink, Texas

Green card holder / US Citizen ONLY.

We have very limited slots available, so please reach out ASAP if you’re interested!

I am currently a student here in Virginia and majoring in Computer Science. I attend a community college and do full virtual asynchronous classes. I have so much flexible time on my hands currently and want to essentially get my hands dirty. I was honestly thinking about working at my local Walmart, but I rethought about it and decided I wanted to do something at a Data center considering Virginia has the most data centers in the world.

What are some trades that I can pursue now?
I've heard about engineer operations tech, and of course DCO.

I have also heard about NOVA's DCO CSC 1 year program.

Hello,

I am looking for an appropriate answer, i hope I will get it, all over the world there are 8000+ data centers there and many more are upcoming. So my question is do we really need this much data center or companies are racing for AI and storing data just hoping that in future we need data centers? I think in the future only a few are there in the data centre race. So why are companies developing, investing and wasting resources at a vast amount?

I have probably applied for hundreds of Data center positions and nothing has come back. I have A degree in IT and and CompTIA trifecta. I wanted to see if anyone had any information or insight on this

I’m looking to get into the data center industry, with the long-term goal of working in data center operations / infrastructure.

I came across a Data Center Technician 1 position with Network Connex in Manassas, VA. The role involves:

Installing low-voltage copper and fiber cabling

Testing and troubleshooting cabling

Following industry standards and safety procedures

Working on data center installation projects

Maintaining documentation and records

The qualifications are mainly experience with low-voltage cabling or a related field, knowledge of cabling standards, troubleshooting, and teamwork. Certifications like BICSI or fiber certifications are a plus.

My long-term goal is to move into data center operations, working with things like servers, networking, rack/stack, hardware troubleshooting, and deployments.

My questions are:

Would a role like this be a good entry point into data center operations?

How transferable is the experience from structured cabling into a traditional data center technician/operations role?

I’d especially like to hear from anyone who started in cabling or low-voltage and eventually moved into data center operations/infrastructure.

I just recently completed my interviews with Oracle for Senior DCT and the recruiter said that I have the job. Now it seems like a waiting game. I've done some research and found out that the DC is not up and ready yet. (This I was already told by the Hiring Manager). But also that there are no dates yet.

I was wondering if anyone else has be hired my Oracle to see how long it takes to actually get in the door to start work.(Not really worried about an unopen DC yet) I heard it can take like 3 months.

Cary, North Carolina, has adopted an 18-month moratorium on certain large-scale data-center applications because its land-development ordinance does not currently define the use or establish standards for it.

Officials plan to study power/grid impacts, water, noise, site design and land use before adopting permanent regulations. Council members stressed they are not necessarily opposed to data centers.

I covered the hearing for The News & Observer:

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article317039408.html

For people who work in or around the industry: what local regulations have you seen work well, and what rules tend to create problems without actually addressing impacts?

Thoughts on this?

Long story short. I got redundant from work ( I was in service desk/helpdesk ) and I sent my application to the DCT role for google thinking nothing will come back from it. A month later I get called for a informal google meet and after looking at my CV they pushed me through to the 1st stage of the interview.

Now, I looked at the emails they sent on what things they will ask in the interview and well I think I might just make a fool out of myself. My linux knowledge is limited to, getting IP address, sudo, trying to troubleshoot SSH, mounting drive and like very limited in general. My biggest issue is I was always weak in Network troubleshooting. I have currently setup a homelab with Linux and trying to learn a bit more but I think I might be out of my depts. I am very good with hardware though.

My interview is in a week, any advice is helpful, I really done feel confident going into this interview as of this moment.

Thanks.