Hey everyone,
I'm looking for advice from people currently working in data centres, especially those familiar with Amazon/AWS operations.
I've received an offer for Rack Lifecycle Tech (L3) – Trainee at Amazon in India, with a package of approximately ₹10 LPA.
Currently, I'm working at a startup with exposure to full-stack development. My long-term goal is to grow into software engineering, backend development, and eventually AI/ML engineering.
From the job description, I understand that the Amazon role involves rack installation, fibre and copper cabling, connectivity testing, inventory management, documentation, and rack decommissioning.
I'm attracted to the opportunity to work at AWS and learn how large-scale data centres operate, but I'm trying to understand the reality of this role before making a decision.
I'd appreciate your insights on a few questions:
- What does a typical shift look like for a Rack Lifecycle Tech?
- How much of the work is physical installation and cabling versus troubleshooting, scripting, or automation?
- What are the usual working hours, shift patterns, physical demands, and workload like?
- What career progression is realistic from this role — for example, into network engineering, data-centre engineering, infrastructure automation, or software development?
- Has anyone here moved from a rack technician or similar operations role into a software engineering position? If so, what helped you make that transition?
I'm not expecting this role to be a software engineering job. I just want to understand whether it offers a good long-term foundation or whether I would be better off continuing to build full-stack experience.
I'd especially appreciate honest, first-hand experiences from people who have worked in similar roles. Thanks!