On March 8, 2022, Uptime Institute launched Data Center Career Pathfinder with support from Google, Meta, and Microsoft. The Data Center Career Pathfinder is a free online resource tool that provides the industry’s first comprehensive taxonomy of digital infrastructure job roles. It lists about 230 types of job roles for the fast-growing global digital infrastructure industry. The Career Pathfinder makes it easier for job seekers to find a high-growth career in tech, with help from Google, Meta, and Microsoft. However, it is not a job site, but an exploratory resource that lists different types of job roles that span the design, build and operation of data centers. It also includes minimum education requirements and key competencies required for the different roles.
The Career Pathfinder resource informs and raises awareness about career opportunities in the unseen world of data centers, Through the Career Pathfinder, Uptime Institute aims to provide concrete information to anyone considering their future career journey in the digital infrastructure industry, expanding a talent pipeline that’s suffering from a shortage of qualified and diverse candidates.
The Career Pathfinder will also be helpful for Governments, education institutions and industry groups to support efforts to expand curricula, training, and other programs specific to the data center industry.
The number of data centers is increasing with the increasing trend of digital transformation and so is the concern over the industry’s ability to meet its workforce needs are growing. Uptime Institute’s 2021 Global Data Center Survey of IT and data center managers of reports that 47% of respondents had difficulty finding qualified candidates for open jobs, up from 38% in 2018.
“The data center industry is one of the fastest-growing markets on the planet and offers a wide variety of job roles, yet far too many people are unaware of the career opportunities within it. Regardless of your background, there’s very likely a career path in the data center industry that matches your individual goals, and our new resource can help you find it,” said Rhonda Ascierto, vice president of research at Uptime Institute.
Uptime Institute estimates that staff requirements will grow globally from about 2 million full-time employee equivalents in 2019 to nearly 2.3 million in 2025, based on the listed roles. The Career Pathfinder links to the job sites of the key collaborators and various industry groups and other resources too.
“We are frequently asked for input on how to direct job seekers in our communities to more information about possible career paths supporting data centers, so I am pleased that we can share the Uptime Institute Career Pathfinder to continue the mission to demystify data center careers and drive more talent into the industry,” said Wendy Peterson, program manager, Google Data Center Workforce Development.
“At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. The Career Pathfinder will help job seekers from all parts of the area discover and build datacenter careers, empowering them to explore new opportunities,” said Bob Reitinger, Microsoft Datacenter Community Workforce Development lead.
“The data center industry is full of opportunity across a wide range of expertise and skills. We hope the Career Pathfinder will help us reach and attract new diverse talent into this growing industry,” said Darcy Nothnagle, Director of Community and Economic Development at Meta.
