Data center electricians and maintenance engineers can make more than $100,000
Parents steered kids toward college and office jobs for decades, leaving too few workers to build data centers and other big projects.
WSJ What's News · The Tesla SpaceX Mega Merger is UnderwayThe electricians, maintenance engineers, and heating and cooling specialists who build and run data centers can make more than $100,000.
Data centers are the giant buildings full of computers that power AI, online shopping, and video streaming, and the people who wire them and keep them cool are in extremely high demand, according to Sander van 't Noordende, the CEO of Randstad. Demand is strong well beyond tech, with big infrastructure projects underway in stadiums, factories, bridges, and railroads.
There are too few workers to meet demand, and the gap goes back decades. Van 't Noordende explains it this way: parents told their children to "go to college and take a job in an office." He says that attitude is shifting, but training enough new workers will take some time.
Questions people ask
What does HVAC mean?
HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. In a data center, HVAC engineers install and maintain the powerful cooling systems that keep thousands of hot-running computers from overheating.
Why do data centers need so many skilled trades workers?
Data centers use enormous amounts of electricity and generate enormous amounts of heat, so they need complex wiring, backup power, and industrial cooling. Electricians install the power systems, and maintenance and HVAC technicians keep everything running around the clock.
How do you become an electrician or HVAC technician?
Most enter through a trade school or a paid apprenticeship that combines classroom learning with on-the-job training, usually lasting three to five years. In most states, electricians and many HVAC techs must also pass a licensing exam before they can work independently.