Hey everyone, I just graduated from the AWA fiber technician training program, which places people into data center fiber jobs. There's not much about it online, so I figured I'd answer questions for anyone considering it. Happy to cover how you get in, what the weeks of training actually look like (housing, food, the hands-on material), how the placement and job offer process works, and whether I'd recommend it. I'm just a graduate, not an official rep, so this is my own experience. Ask away.

Hello everyone
I’m an electrical engineer working in a Tier II data center for a local telecommunications company. We have around 70 cabinets, serving both enterprise customers and internal IT departments.
I’ve been working there for about 1.5 years and my role involves supervising contractors and projects, following up on operations and maintenance, performing preventive maintenance, conducting daily electrical and mechanical checks, responding to emergency alarms, and preparing daily reports.
I’m not an IT specialist, so I’d like to grow specifically in the electrical, mechanical, and critical infrastructure side of data centers knowing that we are working in expanding the space for extra 30 cabinets.

My question is: What skills, certifications, or practical knowledge would you recommend I focus on to become an outstanding data center engineer and stand out from others in this field?
I’d appreciate any advice, especially from experienced data center engineers.
Thanks

I’m a relatively new L3 EOT at AWS. I am on shift now and ahead of target on my CST qual. I feel like I’m doing pretty well and my manager has given me positive feedback. I enjoy the job, like my team, and like the schedule.

We have some self proclaimed “terminal EOTs” on my team who have no interest in moving up to chief engineer, but I think I would like to eventually move up to chief engineer or FM down the line. I wanted to know how EOTs end up moving out of the technician silo and into management — what senior leadership wants to see, what they NEED to see, and what they don’t wanna see.

I would greatly appreciate any input from those with experience climbing the ladder, or those who are in the process of climbing the ladder! Thanks in advance.

We're working on a construction site that needs internet for the next few months before fiber gets installed. Site offices, security cameras, and some equipment need reliable access. The main issue is coverage. It's a large area and the layout keeps changing as construction progresses, so running cables everywhere isn't practical. I've been looking at Starlink with some kind of wireless distribution setup to spread it across the site. Point to point links and outdoor APs keep coming up but not sure if that's overkill or if there's a simpler option I'm missing.

We're talking about covering a few hundred meters with multiple zones that need access. Power availability also varies across different areas. Anyone dealt with temporary setups like this? What actually worked for you?

Hi everyone!

I recently applied for a Data Center Operations role at Amazon and received an invitation for a virtual telephonic interview.

Has anyone recently attended an interview for this role? I’d like to know what kind of questions are usually asked in the first round, especially regarding technical topics, troubleshooting scenarios, and Amazon’s Leadership Principles.

Also, what are the next steps in the hiring process after the initial telephonic round?

Any interview experiences, preparation tips, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I received a call last week from my Google Recruiter stating that I have passed all of the interviews for DCT Mechanical II. They did inform me that they will reach out for a fit call. Just seeing how long this process usually takes and or works. My recruiter did state that since it’s getting towards the end of the year and there will be lots of positions at different locations open up. Just wanting to get some feedback on the process. Any feedback would be appreciated thanks.

Since so many data centers have been built, I am curious about your day-to-day structured routine. There are a lot of these companies out there and I know that they all have different requirements and I think it be good opportunity to learn from each other and potentially share some ideas.

Again, this is pertaining to data center operation safety, not construction safety.

1. What is your title?
2. What are your normal hours?
3. What is your yearly focused target/targets?
4. When it comes to environmental, do you have it out or are you doing full responsible party?
5. What is your companies focus on what measures your success?