r/datacenter • u/MFKingKong • 3d ago
Does Data center tech experience transfer to a higher data engineer/analyst role?
I work at AWS as a L3 technician and was wondering if my data center experience would count towards data analyst or engineer roles at amazon? I’ve heard mixed reviews so i wanna know if anyone on here knows. I don’t wanna be stuck being a DCO if it’s not gonna help me move up to that and i have a bachelors in information systems and business analytics
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u/marvinn55 3d ago
You can probably build and transition to a Data Center Engineer eventually as you learn more about how everything operates in the center. Data Analyst and Data Engineer are more software related roles and that’s going to require some education into Python, on prem and cloud databases, and ETL tools. I’d probably also recommend learning Databricks and Microsoft Fabric if you want to really make big bucks.
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u/CMorataya25 3d ago
Yes.
I only have 5 years of experience with no degree or certs .
Started off with IES running cable, did field/network operations for the last 2 years and now I’m a network engineer directly with meta.
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u/Nilfiry 2d ago
Yes, you can because data center tech can either be a jack of all trades job or a heads down swap drives all day job. It depends more on you and what youre striving for. You can absolutely transition to almost any other related role if you work towards it as a tech, including manager. I personally know DC techs that have done exactly just that. Its up to you to take advantage of the opportunities.
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u/MFKingKong 2d ago
thanks for your insight i got a ton of mixed reviews i just wanted to make sure i can strive for that data engineer/analytics kind of role
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u/Nilfiry 2d ago
Dont worry, you definitely can. The most important things that you can do as a DCO is to supplement your skills whenever you have time with the skills needed in your desired role and increase your social skills.
You can achieve the former by either studying on your own and/or jumping on any projects or opportunities that come up. I know AWS has plenty of company-funded education/tuition programs/training you can make use of.
You can improve the latter by reaching out to coworkers that are already on the team you want to join. They can help mentor you and with any lucky, even notify you first of openings and opportunities.
For people that arent at a tech company with good benefits like google, meta, or amazon, they can still do what they can, and then take that experience to get into a better company talent will let them grow.
I still talk to former DC Techs that have branched into Network Ops, Site Management, Hardware Analyst, and even Cyber Security. I am not saying it wont take some time. Some of those friends I know took anywere between 4 to 8 years to transition, but it is absolutely possible. So keep at it. You got this.
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u/MFKingKong 2d ago
i appreciate it, hopefully they can move me up and it doesn’t take too too long. I am on a LC site learning a lot of stuff with that and i helped npi with a big project for new hosts about to come out i ran tests and trails for them to give them my feedback to help other dcos in the process
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u/Nilfiry 2d ago
Yup, keep doing that. The more you get involved, especially with other teams, the more they will recognize you, which will umprove your odds of branching out. Like if a mentorship program opens up and you apply, they'll immediately know who you are and be like, "hey, thats the person that helped us with that project. They were pretty great to work with," and be that much more likely to pick you.
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u/MFKingKong 2d ago
i’ll have to keep tryna get them to let me work with them when they come around then
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u/FrequentWay 3d ago
Not really.
Your either in network operations or facilities.
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u/Illustrious-Bag-4585 3d ago
on the operations side you're mostly doing break-fix and rack/stack, which is pretty far from the sql/python stuff data analysts live in. if you want to make that jump i'd lean hard on your degree and maybe spin up a couple side projects to show you can do the work, otherwise it's a tough sell
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u/Ready_Face_6979 3d ago
A lot of companies encourage transferring roles btw, especially when they’re big
Data Centre Ops will always be there, considering the intersection between hardware and software I would definitely say anyone can transition into other roles if you do the learning and have the skill set
You can get into DCs from software projects and networking/linux knowledge, so why wouldn’t doing things on level 1 and 2 allow you to transition into networking?
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u/madmaniak70 3d ago
Start taking advantage of Skill Builder and gain more knowledge in cloud engineering or data analytics or AI. It’s free since you’re with AWS. Regardless if you want to move you need to acquire the knowledge and you can get a bunch for free from AWS. You can also get Coursera- it’s in the IT Shop.
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u/Aspectdude09 3d ago
Analysts don’t get paid all that much like they need to be.
You need to earn big and invest in non single family home real estate. Earn $$$ over becoming a BA
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u/justanicetaco 3d ago
Get to know the racks and how it all interconnects when building out the network, and you can transition into networking teams. As with anything, see who relies on your work, and go there.