AFCOM's Phoenix Chapter Pays It Forward

A few weeks ago, in Chandler, Arizona, a group of high school students gathered after school to witness the inner workings of a modern data center. This wasn’t simply a field trip or impromptu visit; AFCOM’s Phoenix Chapter, in collaboration with H5 Data Centers, coordinated the event to allow these “young budding minds” to observe how data and technology exist and interact in the real world, and how the data center industry itself can be a rich venue for professional development and an eventual career. “I didn’t get a chance like this as a high school or college student,” explained Ryan Gruver, the President of the Phoenix Chapter. “We wanted to show these students what data center jobs are out there.”

Giving Back

Indeed, this event was something of a full-circle moment for Gruver. The students who toured H5’s data center were from his former high school, the East Valley Institute of Technology. “It was nice to give back to the place I attended,” Gruver said. And, just like Gruver, the students apparently had a similar confusion over what exactly occurs in data centers. “These students know about the cloud, and how it lets you play Fortnite and stream Netflix and all that,” he explained. “But they didn’t know the infrastructure behind it, just like I didn’t. They didn’t know that the cloud isn’t magic—it actually lives in a physical building somewhere.”

This event, therefore, was a valuable opportunity for students to learn exactly what data centers provide to their communities, and how they themselves could work in data centers even at an early age. After a guided tour of the facility, the students sat down and listened to four presenters dissect and discuss the various daily operations of a data center: Samir A. Shah, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of TBL Mission Critical, covered electrical systems; Johnnie Martinez, Senior Chief Data Center Engineer at JLL, introduced mechanical systems; JR Garcia, Director of Solutions Engineering at ANM, shared networking; and Ryan Gruver, IT Director at Banner Health, provided a general overview. “At first, [the students] were a little shy, a little closed-up,” Gruver conceded. “But once we started actually walking through the data center and explained things, they lit up and became very attached. It was awesome to see.”

Tomorrow's Talent

“Hopefully this means we’ll be able to attract some new talent to the industry,” Gruver laughed. “One reason I want to continue this series is because … I think that’s one big thing the industry is struggling with. Everyone comes in thinking you need a four-year degree and all that. But that’s not the case. You can start off as a junior operator with only a high school degree and a good personality and an interest in technology.”

Fortunately, Gruver and the Phoenix Chapter have plans to not only continue to provide events like this, but to also expand and offer further opportunities for students. Beyond reaching out to the career counseling departments of non-STEM and non-specialist schools to arrange future tours, the Phoenix Chapter also hopes to hold talks at universities, tech schools, and general career fairs. In coordination with H5 Data Centers, they also intend to launch an upcoming internship and mentorship program called the Power Up Program for high school and college students hoping to break into the industry early.

“We need to start bringing in the talent of tomorrow,” Gruver emphasized. “I encourage all of your readers to get involved with hosting some local chapter events like this because we desperately need that talent. That’s my charge to you: get involved and help.”