Jose Ruiz shares his thoughts on why roles in data centers go far beyond engineering, how we can do a better job making people aware of the career paths available – especially for those coming from non-traditional backgrounds – and the importance of mentorship. Article originally shared on LinkedIn.
Data center development delivers economic value on a local, regional and national level, but even for individuals, data centers represent more than just the facilities in the background powering our digital economy — they’re a livelihood.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Census Bureau noted that national employment in U.S. data centers increased more than 60% from 2016 to 2023. While most of that growth is centered around prime hubs (and some emerging markets), across the nation, data center development continues to offer ample job opportunities.
Those of us in this industry know that if we want to sustain our growth and innovation, keeping our ranks stacked with talent is a priority — and fortunately, this industry has a lot to offer. High-value, growth-based roles in an expanding, mission-critical industry can be hard to come by, but data center developers are creating more every day (and having a people-first culture with built-in pathways for career growth like we do at Stream certainly never hurts).
Still, our ability to connect applicants (of which recent graduates are just one type — military vets entering civilian work is another, and so on) to these job opportunities is crucial. As an industry, we’ve traditionally been private about our operations and customers and therefore relatively insular about what we actually do. So, until recently, much of the data center world has been a hard-to-access, ‘if you know, you know’ situation, and if the general population knows us at all, it’s as the super tech-y people.
To sustain ourselves, we need more talent than ever — and more types of talent than ever. But perhaps more importantly: We’re in a position to share the wealth and opportunity at hand.
Now, nurturing, acquiring and keeping valuable talent in part rests on our willingness to mentor the next generation of leaders, but it also depends on our ability to highlight the breadth of opportunity that really exists here.
Career Growth Takes Mentorship — But in Data Centers, Awareness Comes First
Mentorship in any aspect of life is indispensable, but when breaking into a new industry, it’s an invaluable resource that helps build skills and connections that serve newcomers for the rest of their careers.
I am fortunate to consider myself a product of excellent mentorship, and after taking up my role in this industry and seeing its potential, I knew mentorship was an opportunity I wanted to pay forward. It’s why I became a Founding Member of HOLA DATA, a non-profit organization transforming the data center industry by creating education and opportunities for the Latin and Hispanic community. Today, I’m honored to be part of a movement that expands our industry’s accessibility to a greater number of diverse candidates by pairing industry newcomers with established professionals.
However, there’s one misconception I continue to encounter on this side of my work that I think we must challenge at scale: Many assume that to be a part of this industry or succeed in this sphere, you need to be an engineer with highly technical skills.
While our facilities, designs and innovations do depend on these kinds of professionals, this is far from the only type of role our industry relies on — and we need to start underscoring that.
Non-technical roles in the data center sphere are abundant and vital.
At Stream, we continue to find that a well-rounded range of skill sets, backgrounds and talents is part of what makes our team great — and it’s what will continue to give our industry strength and creativity as it solves new challenges. As this industry forges ahead along its growth trajectory, filling non-technical or technology-adjacent roles will always be just as important as filling our teams with engineers and other technical innovators. Still, if nobody knows these roles exist, we’re only harming ourselves — and the professionals looking for a great industry to call home.
When I think about how important it is to create awareness around this industry, one story comes to mind. Back in 2020, my in-laws had just moved to be closer to my family in Texas, and they did what anyone would do when moving into a new house: called someone to set up their home internet.
When the installation technician showed up and got started, it was immediately clear that he put a tremendous amount of care and diligence into his work. It was the kind of care and commitment to service that mission-critical systems, teams and operations thrive on — so I asked him if he had ever heard of data centers. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t. But I offered to connect him with some data center folks that I knew were looking for a great technician, and he was interested.
Today, he’s five years deep (and counting) into a rich data center career and has served two of the most recognizable names in our industry as a facility technician and engineer.
It just goes to show: Awareness is the starting point that can change everything. When you’re deep in this field, it can be easy to forget just how inconspicuous our facilities and operations are, but when we act as a bridge for outsiders, great things can happen.
In my experience, generating awareness becomes doubly important when it comes to matching non-technical professionals up with our non-technical (but equally important) roles.
Data Centers: More Than Just Feats of Engineering
Data center development is not just about the mission-critical technology systems that support applications and IT deployments. Even news headlines, like those from Business Insider that state how the data center job boom is primarily in construction, not necessarily big tech, will back me up. But even beyond traditional construction, keeping those sites safe, selling those sites, communicating their value to communities and various other job functions are just as critical to our work as those that create and build our solutions.
To anyone looking to tap into this industry’s paths for career growth, expansive opportunities for skill development and strong demand fundamentals, don’t be dissuaded just because you don’t have a STEM degree — or even a college degree at all.
Some of the greatest, most dedicated maintenance technicians and security managers in our industry developed their skills in the field, and for those newer to the industry, there are a growing number of programs in place to give you a foot in the door.
Furthermore, some of the most valuable teams in any data center organization never even touch the IT in our facilities. Instead, they’re connecting customers with solutions through communications outreach, exploring community enrichment through public relations efforts, managing our people, culture and hiring, overseeing our organizational structure, assessing leasing documents — and much, much more.
At Stream Data Centers , our team consists of people with liberal arts degrees, people who came to us directly out of the military, older professionals, total newcomers and beyond. For us, and for others in this sphere, the adage of ‘it takes all kinds’ is still absolutely true. Furthermore, I think the developers that embrace variety in their team like we do at Stream are the ones that will really continue to be a cut above. (And, in case you’re wondering, we’re almost always hiring — so if you want to be our next superstar, check out our opportunities here.) Ultimately: For new additions to this industry, a career in data centers might just be your next and most exciting step. If that sounds like something you’d like to explore, let me know how I (and HOLA DATA) can help you get connected.
Finally, to the developers and existing data center professionals out there, consider aligning with initiatives that offer resources to newcomers — remember, the stranger you encourage today could be your company’s next MVP tomorrow. Even if they aren’t, sharing the wealth of knowledge we have in this industry and extending a helping hand will always pay dividends.
Become a member of HOLA DATA, make a contribution, or learn more about Stream’s vision, mission and values here.
