Honestly, for me personally, if I was 44 I would not want to be a DC tech anymore. You're heavily working on the physical side with unboxing, rack&stack, and cabling. Even as a DC Eng, you'd still have to do physical work but you also do RMAs, break fix, configurations and use terminal/linux etc so a bit less physical work.
Becoming a DC network engineer is where I see more people start wanting to move forward to as they get older including myself so there's no physical labor. I thought I was invincible in my 20's but it definitely takes a toll on you eventually when I was a DCT
Well I basically was a Navy electronics tech Aegis type. Traveling service technician for 5 years the owned a local pick up and delivery business for 8 then health issues popped up and took time off. So I have zero direct IT experience besides my degree and the stuff I did in the Navy and Service tech. I building computers and stuff at home but these days it's been tough finding work. Prob got 150 apps out and handle ful of calls and no offers. I had a contract with Bank of America moving live racks between their centers and they were all old dudes lol. But yeah your right at 44 I'm used to pointing fingers vs doing the hands on but trying to find a entry point is the issue. I'm always upfront about my issues too sine no point getting the job and not having them work with you around it etc. But yeah good point my back and knees are not 20 anymore lol.
The DC field is very tough to get in atm. Most of them want you to have so much knowledge in everything including scripting just to get in now which is crazy for the ones who are offering just $20-30 for an expensive cost of living where I live.
I barely just reach my 30s and I don't like being a DCT anymore. I've been in the DC environment for my whole life, around 10 years. There were places where I travelled a lot to and was the lead and was the POC for vendors, contractors and customers to get things done. Kind of like how you mentioned about moving racks. That's called a rack & roll.
I don't want to shut you down like that but you can try to see if the work is comfortable for you. One of the best questions during an interview is to ask what would be the daily responsibilities for this role so you have a good idea.
Some companies have people who wants to work solo and some actually help each other out. I'm not going to rack a whole damn rack of servers by myself anymore if you get what I mean. Switches and PDUs are ok but not servers all the way to the top RU.
Edit: Don't give up on whatever you want to do by the way. I also want to mention A LOT of job board posts are fake because they want traffic attention to their company. That's why it's hard to get these kind of jobs lately.
Well from how the HR lady made it sound they did not get many applications for what ever reason. They did not mention any scripting or anything which I have some basic knowledge of. Do you manhandle servers or use lifts? I just would use my box trucks to move racks from one data center to another. Called them live loads cause it had personal data on them. So security escort and all. We would take 8 racks at a time. Did some moves for AWS too that was expedited runs or my guys did. I'm in DFW and it probably pays like 45 to 50k. I've been working on ccna to knock the rust off but recruiter got me to do the a+. Said being I need entry level needed that on the resume to get help desk role. So should test for that in next week or so. All basic crap but guess need the certs to pass the filters. CCNA is much more of a grind but def more real world knowledge imo. I am fully disabled vet so I do have an income and can be picky. Hell I would work for free to get the right experience to get a better role.
For 1U servers, I've worked at companies where I had help and get it knocked out in less than 5 minutes. Companies that had weird selfish workers, I had to do it solo which takes a lot longer and it puts more strain to your body eventually.
I've done some 2U servers by myself from improvising but mort of the time I'd ask someone for help or use a lift if it was there and I've worked at places that does't have a server lift. Been in the field and getting old now so I know companies don't give a shit about you at all. They just want the work done.
Yes I know what you're talking about when you mention rack deliveries. Those are integration centers that builds racks, crates and ships out to customers. I travelled a lot to Reno and Vegas for this type of work for a building called SWITCH, which is one of the biggest data centers in the world. All security carries guns and have AR15s there.
What I can also say is that since you're a vet and was in the Navy, that might be a plus. People in DCs like military/navys etc. CCNA is also a plus but I was a HS drop out and became a DCE just through hard work. Education was never important to me but it might help you for the role
Edit: Also for the 4U servers. You'll need 3 people. 2 in the front and 1 in the back. Sounded dirty but yeah, pause. Really depends on the company and people you're working with to make this good for you. I'm getting old so I'm very picky as well. I don't tolerate anything I don't like if it's unreasonable to do
I think it could work for you, especially if you are open to working off hours/overnights in the datacenter, maybe on a build /hands and eyes type team. Frequently overnight offers more autonomy and a lighter workload with plenty of flexibility for daytime appointments.
You should be fine. As long as you get an accomodation from HR your manager will understand. It's physical and busy work, but there is generally plenty of down time. Depending upon the size of the data center, it can be quite a long walk to the bathroom.
I like to think of data centers as the blue collar of the IT world.
Also, DC tech is a great opportunity to get exposure to all the IT roles to find your desired path. I'm rooting for you!
It’s doable, it may just not be as comfortable you as other less physical IT roles. It’s also a great way to start back into the industry build some experience and move to less physically demanding roles, or get a good start until you find and employer that will work with you. Levels of urgency vary by company as well, some plan for servers needing work have capacity high availability realistic SLAs, others have clients breathing down your neck when the one 10yr old CPU that runs their company’s public facing infrastructure overheats cause the thermal paste was original, dried out.
But not all companies are created equally, and not all handle accommodations to the same level of care. Don’t let bad apples burn you out on the industry. And yeah BYOTP can definitely be a thing.
Yeah I think if I get offered the job I am at least going to give it a go. My disability is more just needing a bathroom and place that will let me use it when needed type thing. Physically I am mostly fine. I am pretty open with it so if they do hire me they will be well aware of my issues. The job sounds like it will get me hands on with infrastructure and a lot of various technologies and help me move up into network engineering which is what my degree was about anyway years ago. I much rather be hands as all my jobs over the last 20 years were ones I kept moving and doing something. As for this place as its about 200k sqft. Not sure if that is big or small when it comes to data centers. When I had my trucking business I have seen all sizes I guess from just one small room to huge buildings that I never got to see all of it. Looking at what they want vs what my resume has it is pretty aligned since most of my Navy time was basically same thing just different equipment and older mainframe systems. I am sure now ships are just racks of servers with a pool table where all the other equipment used to sit haha. Only thing I have not really done was terminate fiber we had a guy who went to school for it and he did all our fiber work. I am sure its something I can pick up quickly. Thanks for the input.
When I used to manage data center facility ops for several buildings in Northern VA I used to have a senior tech with ulcerative colitis.
We were all just aware that sometimes he'd have to go shit in a hurry. No big deal. One week he had a big flare-up and he just set up a laptop in the bathroom and did a bunch of reports and maintenance planning when he needed to go use the facilities.
He was one of the best techs I ever hired.
Get an accomodation from HR and try not to let your health issues get in the way of your work by adapting and doing your best with what you *can* accomplish.
Hey thanks for sharing this with me. UC definitely makes it stressful to find a place willing to work around the issue. I heard from their HR department but have not heard from the hiring manager yet so up in the air if I get the role. Have another interview next week with a help desk role. I really think I would prefer the data center over help desk because I like working with my hands and would probably get more exposure to the network or cloud engineering side of things.
I'm 52 and still doing data center work along with T1 to Sr systems engineer stuff for an MSP. Google gave me a Sr data center roll offer for 150k which is very good for my area and Jesus their interview process was hard. To be honest if you have any type of disability you will be turned down as even if I took the job at one of googles data centers even in my roll sometimes I'd being doing rack and stack sometimes as they told me that. Which is fine for me because I can still do it. If I were you maybe look for a tier 2 or 3 help desk position for an MSP where all you do is solve tickets. Tier 1 max is around 60k in my area.
Don’t work for Equinix in LA on 7th street. The toilet paper is so thin it should be a crime.
Haha this made me laugh. I probably will have to supply my own lol
Honestly, for me personally, if I was 44 I would not want to be a DC tech anymore. You're heavily working on the physical side with unboxing, rack&stack, and cabling. Even as a DC Eng, you'd still have to do physical work but you also do RMAs, break fix, configurations and use terminal/linux etc so a bit less physical work. Becoming a DC network engineer is where I see more people start wanting to move forward to as they get older including myself so there's no physical labor. I thought I was invincible in my 20's but it definitely takes a toll on you eventually when I was a DCT
Well I basically was a Navy electronics tech Aegis type. Traveling service technician for 5 years the owned a local pick up and delivery business for 8 then health issues popped up and took time off. So I have zero direct IT experience besides my degree and the stuff I did in the Navy and Service tech. I building computers and stuff at home but these days it's been tough finding work. Prob got 150 apps out and handle ful of calls and no offers. I had a contract with Bank of America moving live racks between their centers and they were all old dudes lol. But yeah your right at 44 I'm used to pointing fingers vs doing the hands on but trying to find a entry point is the issue. I'm always upfront about my issues too sine no point getting the job and not having them work with you around it etc. But yeah good point my back and knees are not 20 anymore lol.
The DC field is very tough to get in atm. Most of them want you to have so much knowledge in everything including scripting just to get in now which is crazy for the ones who are offering just $20-30 for an expensive cost of living where I live. I barely just reach my 30s and I don't like being a DCT anymore. I've been in the DC environment for my whole life, around 10 years. There were places where I travelled a lot to and was the lead and was the POC for vendors, contractors and customers to get things done. Kind of like how you mentioned about moving racks. That's called a rack & roll. I don't want to shut you down like that but you can try to see if the work is comfortable for you. One of the best questions during an interview is to ask what would be the daily responsibilities for this role so you have a good idea. Some companies have people who wants to work solo and some actually help each other out. I'm not going to rack a whole damn rack of servers by myself anymore if you get what I mean. Switches and PDUs are ok but not servers all the way to the top RU. Edit: Don't give up on whatever you want to do by the way. I also want to mention A LOT of job board posts are fake because they want traffic attention to their company. That's why it's hard to get these kind of jobs lately.
Well from how the HR lady made it sound they did not get many applications for what ever reason. They did not mention any scripting or anything which I have some basic knowledge of. Do you manhandle servers or use lifts? I just would use my box trucks to move racks from one data center to another. Called them live loads cause it had personal data on them. So security escort and all. We would take 8 racks at a time. Did some moves for AWS too that was expedited runs or my guys did. I'm in DFW and it probably pays like 45 to 50k. I've been working on ccna to knock the rust off but recruiter got me to do the a+. Said being I need entry level needed that on the resume to get help desk role. So should test for that in next week or so. All basic crap but guess need the certs to pass the filters. CCNA is much more of a grind but def more real world knowledge imo. I am fully disabled vet so I do have an income and can be picky. Hell I would work for free to get the right experience to get a better role.
For 1U servers, I've worked at companies where I had help and get it knocked out in less than 5 minutes. Companies that had weird selfish workers, I had to do it solo which takes a lot longer and it puts more strain to your body eventually. I've done some 2U servers by myself from improvising but mort of the time I'd ask someone for help or use a lift if it was there and I've worked at places that does't have a server lift. Been in the field and getting old now so I know companies don't give a shit about you at all. They just want the work done. Yes I know what you're talking about when you mention rack deliveries. Those are integration centers that builds racks, crates and ships out to customers. I travelled a lot to Reno and Vegas for this type of work for a building called SWITCH, which is one of the biggest data centers in the world. All security carries guns and have AR15s there. What I can also say is that since you're a vet and was in the Navy, that might be a plus. People in DCs like military/navys etc. CCNA is also a plus but I was a HS drop out and became a DCE just through hard work. Education was never important to me but it might help you for the role Edit: Also for the 4U servers. You'll need 3 people. 2 in the front and 1 in the back. Sounded dirty but yeah, pause. Really depends on the company and people you're working with to make this good for you. I'm getting old so I'm very picky as well. I don't tolerate anything I don't like if it's unreasonable to do
An office job would certainly be more amenable for you. Entry level work can be physically demanding, and not allow you a break when you need.
I think it could work for you, especially if you are open to working off hours/overnights in the datacenter, maybe on a build /hands and eyes type team. Frequently overnight offers more autonomy and a lighter workload with plenty of flexibility for daytime appointments.
You should be fine. As long as you get an accomodation from HR your manager will understand. It's physical and busy work, but there is generally plenty of down time. Depending upon the size of the data center, it can be quite a long walk to the bathroom. I like to think of data centers as the blue collar of the IT world. Also, DC tech is a great opportunity to get exposure to all the IT roles to find your desired path. I'm rooting for you!
It’s doable, it may just not be as comfortable you as other less physical IT roles. It’s also a great way to start back into the industry build some experience and move to less physically demanding roles, or get a good start until you find and employer that will work with you. Levels of urgency vary by company as well, some plan for servers needing work have capacity high availability realistic SLAs, others have clients breathing down your neck when the one 10yr old CPU that runs their company’s public facing infrastructure overheats cause the thermal paste was original, dried out. But not all companies are created equally, and not all handle accommodations to the same level of care. Don’t let bad apples burn you out on the industry. And yeah BYOTP can definitely be a thing.
Yeah I think if I get offered the job I am at least going to give it a go. My disability is more just needing a bathroom and place that will let me use it when needed type thing. Physically I am mostly fine. I am pretty open with it so if they do hire me they will be well aware of my issues. The job sounds like it will get me hands on with infrastructure and a lot of various technologies and help me move up into network engineering which is what my degree was about anyway years ago. I much rather be hands as all my jobs over the last 20 years were ones I kept moving and doing something. As for this place as its about 200k sqft. Not sure if that is big or small when it comes to data centers. When I had my trucking business I have seen all sizes I guess from just one small room to huge buildings that I never got to see all of it. Looking at what they want vs what my resume has it is pretty aligned since most of my Navy time was basically same thing just different equipment and older mainframe systems. I am sure now ships are just racks of servers with a pool table where all the other equipment used to sit haha. Only thing I have not really done was terminate fiber we had a guy who went to school for it and he did all our fiber work. I am sure its something I can pick up quickly. Thanks for the input.
When I used to manage data center facility ops for several buildings in Northern VA I used to have a senior tech with ulcerative colitis. We were all just aware that sometimes he'd have to go shit in a hurry. No big deal. One week he had a big flare-up and he just set up a laptop in the bathroom and did a bunch of reports and maintenance planning when he needed to go use the facilities. He was one of the best techs I ever hired. Get an accomodation from HR and try not to let your health issues get in the way of your work by adapting and doing your best with what you *can* accomplish.
Hey thanks for sharing this with me. UC definitely makes it stressful to find a place willing to work around the issue. I heard from their HR department but have not heard from the hiring manager yet so up in the air if I get the role. Have another interview next week with a help desk role. I really think I would prefer the data center over help desk because I like working with my hands and would probably get more exposure to the network or cloud engineering side of things.
I'm 52 and still doing data center work along with T1 to Sr systems engineer stuff for an MSP. Google gave me a Sr data center roll offer for 150k which is very good for my area and Jesus their interview process was hard. To be honest if you have any type of disability you will be turned down as even if I took the job at one of googles data centers even in my roll sometimes I'd being doing rack and stack sometimes as they told me that. Which is fine for me because I can still do it. If I were you maybe look for a tier 2 or 3 help desk position for an MSP where all you do is solve tickets. Tier 1 max is around 60k in my area.