Recruitment is one of the data center industry’s biggest enemies. Finding people to work in data centers and drive the industry forward can be a tougher feat than securing power, finding land, and convincing NIMBYs that data centers could improve their local economy.

Engineers may not be rockstars or footballers, but the profession ranks second in a recent BBC study to assess the most popular career choices amongst young people. What these budding engineers do not know is that there is a whole industry relying on them for its growth.

A recent CyrusOne survey said around only half of respondents could correctly define a data center from a list of five options. The more challenging question might be to ask what do people in data centers actually do? It’s worth asking what job opportunities even exist in a market that is growing at an unprecedented rate.

Who even works in a data center?

Operating a data center calls for more than a bloke running around fixing servers (though one of those is sometimes needed). Vlad-Gabriel Anghel, head of solutions engineering at DCD>Academy, identifies three career umbrellas in the data center industry: “Operational, design, and business.”

Like any other business, data centers need “accountants, marketeers, salespeople, and all the other roles that make a business happen,” he says.

Mark Yeeles, vice president of secure power at Schneider Electric, adds that the majority of jobs available in the wider job market today also exist within the data center environment, even lawyers and HR teams.

Most major law firms, including the likes of Sidley, ShooSmiths, DLA Piper, and Greenberg Traurig, all have data center experts.

Design roles within the sector tend to be within construction companies, Anghel says. Big players such as the hyperscalers contract their work to other major firms, like Mace and AEC, which have their own data center design teams. Construction companies are now bolstering their data center departments to prepare for data center growth. Mace Group recently made two senior appointments specifically for the data center market.

The operations side is the intersection “between electrical, mechanical, and computer science,” says Anghel. This usually involves a facility manager who, Anghel says, “will run the show in terms of uptime and availability”. Depending on the size of the facility, many other managers will report to him, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, fire and safety, and networking managers.

The engineers are responsible for looking after the UPS, generators, chillers, racks, networking, and electrical installations. However, each engineer’s day-to-day responsibilities can vary and depend very much on the company.

No more ‘Innovation Evangelists’

In the same way Equinix refers to cabinets, and AWS calls the same thing racks, data centers have no standardization of terminology used to define employees. A title like Innovation Evangelist, which can be found within the data center teams of SAP and Google sounds ridiculous and vague in equal measure.

“Standardization is the sign of an industry maturing,” says Anghel, who believes the industry is taking steps to define roles more clearly. By creating formal levels of education, Anghel says data centers can upskill the workforce and set an educational standard for engineers. DCD>Academy was founded with the idea of setting an educational standard.

Anghel provides the example of a mechanical engineer who has all the skills and capabilities to fix a water cooling pump in a data center, but just does not know it yet. Accessibility of education in the industry offers the potential to recruit somebody full-time into the sector, by upskilling them and helping them to specialize in data center operations.

Hardware pulls the short end of the stick

What is clear is that there is no shortage of roles and job opportunities, yet the industry does a pretty hideous job of recruiting people into these roles.

Anghel initially joined Cisco as a network associate after graduating in computer science. The majority of graduates in his position were being funneled into software engineering, which is still happening today.

For many, software engineering salaries can initially appear more desirable, especially compared to a technician changing three servers in a rack in a data center. However, Anghel says, “the moment you get into procurement and the architecture of the network, and everything else in between, you’re leaving the software people in the dust!”

Yeeles adds that jobs in tech are ranking first or second in “payment, salaries, the whole gambit,” yet the data center industry is failing to capitalize on this opportunity.

An industry in need of a makeover

Yeeles argues the industry needs a “shake-up,” particularly as people cannot be what they cannot see. Paul Hammett, chief financial officer at AVK, explains that the perception people do have of the notoriously elusive industry is not a positive one. He says data centers are not “seen as environmentally friendly, they have issues with grid constraints, water usage, power usage,” all contributing to the industry’s negative reputation.

Hammett says, “Younger generations, quite rightly, want to work for a business that has real meaning and gives something back.” For AVK, the company has been asking itself “How can we show that we are an energy company that cares about the footprint we leave?”

Yeeles agrees that young people today place real importance on sustainability, but it is down to the industry to attract people into the workforce. He says, “If people only knew what impact they could have on society in general, they’d be super excited about working in this environment.”

The barrier to entry in the data center environment is relatively low, says Anghel, particularly for young people. For Yeeles, the only prerequisite for joining his team is to be coachable and to be willing to learn. He explains the industry is no longer bogged down with university degrees or academic achievements. He points out that some of the roles today did not exist five years ago, and Schneider has adapted accordingly to hire those who “can think differently.”

That said, the industry has struggled to recruit young people in the first place. Anghel explains that entry-level jobs in the sector seldom offer upskilling opportunities. It is here where DCD>Academy and AVK are attempting to plug the gap.

Hammett adds that AVK “might not be the bright light sexy IT tech provider”, but its newly launched apprenticeship offers young people “an interesting opportunity in a growing market.” He says those skills are entirely transferable and not specific to AVK, though Hammett hopes people will want to stay at the company after completion.

The lack of formal qualifications in the industry has long been a topic of contention, particularly as young people are looking to make themselves as marketable as possible, says Hammett. Attracting new talent is important when an industry’s workforce is primarily “white, middle-aged, and male,” he notes.

Yeeles explains Schneider Electric has recognized the importance of building diverse teams and recruiting beyond those who are already in the industry. For example, the company has a veterans program focused on hiring and upskilling ex-military folk.

Poaching in the data center industry is rife and new blood is really a novelty. Anghel notes the median age in the industry is around 57 years old. An aging workforce in an industry that will require some 700,000 people in this year alone is a recipe for disaster. Hammett explains the number and scale of projects for all involved in the data center industry is ramping up, and operators are facing increasing pressure from the hyperscalers to deliver.

The industry is now tasked with creating a workforce to fuel its growth. Given the opportunity, little barrier to entry, and potential for growth, a career in data centers might be an unexpected yet promising choice.