Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers

Updated for 2025! Here’s your golden opportunity to dive into the thriving data center industry, where an estimated 500,000 jobs (and growing) are waiting to be filled by tradespersons, degreed personnel, apprentices and pre-apprentices.

This updated 2025 edition of Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers breaks down the essentials of data center design and operations.

With a fresh focus on cutting-edge topics like Artificial Intelligence (AI), this book explores how data centers work, and how you can work within the industry. According to reviews, this book is the perfect guide for beginners and career switchers alike. In an easy-to-digest format, it answers the who, what, where, when, why, and how of data centers, revealing:

• Who can seize these opportunities—technical and non-technical seekers, skilled tradespeople, and degreed professionals alike.
• What a data center is and how its ecosystem, from site selection to the cloud, keeps our digital infrastructure humming.
• Where to find scholarships, trade support, veteran resources, and women’s initiatives to kickstart your journey.
• When you can begin your career—jobs are open now, with or without a degree!
• Why this industry matters and why joining its ranks offers lucrative potential, including starting salaries over $100,000 and college debt relief.
• How to jumpstart your knowledge and pinpoint your ideal career path, with over 200 job roles showcased.

This peer-reviewed guide bridges the gap between IT and facilities, offering a holistic view of the data center ecosystem—hyperscale, colocation, cloud, or on-premises—covering power, sustainability, cooling (including liquid systems), site selection, physical security, construction, design, networking, connectivity, servers, storage, cybersecurity, whitespace management, and ongoing operations.

Updated for 2025, it dives into AI as an operator and end-user. Whether you’re exploring trades or pursuing degrees and certifications, this book provides the basics to understand how all the pieces—power, cooling, and smart technology—work together to keep our digital world running.

Packed with resources like scholarships, certifications, and support for women and veterans, this book is a must-have for anyone eager to enter this evergreen industry.

Readers rave about its relatable, fun-to-follow style, with one calling it “fantastic” for simplifying complex concepts, and another praising its career guidance from decades of industry insight. Ideal for IT majors, newcomers, and educators alike, it’s a career launchpad that should be part of college curricula worldwide. Buy this book today and jumpstart your journey into the exciting world of data centers—where opportunities for growth and a great living await!


What others are saying:

“A data center developer friend gave me this book. Thinking it would be dry, I forced myself to start reading. Then, I couldn't put it down. It's fantastic. The author is truly relatable and simplifies complex concepts in a fun-to-follow format. The job opportunities she describes and lists are immense. Additionally, she has pages of resources listed by topic and organization. If you any interest in the mission critical world, I can't recommend this book highly enough.”

“I was excited to get my hands on Carrie Goetz's new book, Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers, which does a great job introducing the fundamentals of what it takes to run the data centre, and possibly the first book to give some career guidance specific to the data center industry.”

Carrie Goetz, Principal/CTO, StrategITcom, and Amazon best-selling author of "Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers," the "Educator's Reference for Data Center Education," and "Polly Packet's Precious Payload, All Smiles to the Data Center," personifies over 40 years of global experience designing, running, and auditing, data centers, IT departments, and intelligent buildings. Amongst her accolades: -2023 Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award AFCOM/Data Center World -2023 BICSI ICT Woman of the Year -2022 and 2023 Top 25 Women in Technology by Mission Critical -30 Top Most Influential Women in Tech 2021 by CIO Outlook -Top 10 Most Influential Women in Technology 2020 by Analytics Insight -Network Computing Inspiration Award finalist 2020 - IMason's IM100 -2020 Comptia Women in Leadership Spotlight Finalist. Carrie is a fractional CTO for multiple companies. She is an international keynote speaker, published in 69 countries in over 250 publications. She holds an honorary doctorate in Mission Critical Operations, RCDD/NTS, PSP, CNID, CDCP, CSM-Agile, and AWS CCP and is an Infrastructure Mason with 40+ certifications throughout her career. She served on the WIMCO national education committee and is a long-time participant in the 7x24 Exchange, AFCOM and Data Center Institute board of advisors, Mission Critical Advisory Board, GoR (Grit over Resume) advisory board, Women in Data Centers, CNet Technical Curriculum Advisory Board, NEDAS Advisory Board, a member of BICSI, Women in BICSI, and an education committee member. A member of Women Leading Technology Sorority. She champions STEM education through outreach projects and her podcast series. She holds two patents.