The Talent in Tech Industry Initiative is a transformation education generation opportunity for the data centre industry.
The initiative invites young talent to attend each event through sponsorships from the data centre providers, allowing them to connect with senior members in the industry.
The programme has proven especially beneficial for Ashley Haghighi, a senior in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington with a minor in nuclear engineering.
“I was really passionate about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) growing up, so it just made sense for me to go into engineering,” she says.
As a first-generation university student, Haghighi has pioneered her way into the industry by meeting senior figures at conferences.
Throughout her educational career, Haghighi has taken on several extracurricular roles and is part of six different organisations, holding leadership roles in three of those including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
This, she says, is what enabled her to travel to Datacloud USA in Austin, Texas.
By being part of several organisations, Haghighi believes she has been able to expand her resume to a point where she is able to visit conferences and speak for herself as an advocate, while meeting several key industry figures in the industry.
Common misconceptions
Before attending those conferences, Haghighi was under the impression that the data centre industry was reserved for those who work in tech and software engineering.
“I did not realise how expansive the field was and that’s part of the reason I wanted to attend this conference – because mechanical engineering is so broad,” she says.
Haghighi says that the range of people at the event exemplifies the broad spectrum and scope of the industry. This includes senior figures with several specialities including power, data centres, software and business.
“But I’ve not met anyone that specifically went into data centres straight out of school,” Haghighi adds.
“Although it’s something I’m now considering as a potential career option because there is the need for nuclear within the data centre industry and that’s what I want to go into.”
This includes using nuclear power in a more sustainable way for data centres – something that was a key theme at the event in Austin.
The Talent in Tech initiative was co-founded by Susanna Kass, data centre advisor on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Energy Fellow at Stanford University.
Haghighi says Kass has been an inspiration and her relationship with the industry veteran has allowed her to rub shoulders with pioneers in the industry.
“The data centre industry really needs young people right now,” Haghighi believes.
“And I think the Talent in Tech initiative is doing what it needs to spread that message.”
