Svante Horn advises individuals interested in client-facing roles in digital infrastructure to pursue careers that spark their passion and play to their strengths.
He highlights the growing importance of fiber and communication exchange within data centers, predicting significant career opportunities in this sector despite the commoditization of power and cooling.
Horn emphasizes the value of persistence, citing his own experiences at Dartmouth and Morgan Stanley, and suggests gaining relevant education and networking early to build credibility and secure opportunities.
Joshua Feinberg shares similar anecdotes, underscoring the importance of proactive career planning and seizing unexpected opportunities.
This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #46 Svante Horn, CEO & Co-Founder of Scandinavian Data Centers | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.
Action Items
- Network and persistently pursue internships or entry-level roles, even if the job requirements don't perfectly match your background.
- Pursue opportunities within the fiber and communication exchange part of the data center business.
- Identify your strengths and passions, and focus on areas that excite you.
Outline
Career Advice for Entry-Level ICT Roles
- Joshua Feinberg asks Svante Horn for advice on career paths for less technical individuals interested in client-facing roles in digital infrastructure.
- Svante Horn emphasizes the importance of passion and excitement in choosing a career, suggesting people should play to their strengths.
- Svante Horn mentions that power and cooling in data centers are commoditized, but development in fiber and AI will be more significant.
- He advises pursuing roles within the fiber and communication exchange parts of the business for more growth opportunities.
Regional Market Insights and Career Growth
- Svante Horn believes that getting relevant education and experience is crucial, regardless of the growth of the global data center capacity.
- He explains that the data center sector is credibility-driven, and experienced individuals are highly valued.
- Svante Horn advises newcomers to network and persistently pursue opportunities within the data center ecosystem.
Importance of Networking and Persistence
- Svante Horn encourages reading books to gain knowledge and using that knowledge to impress decision-makers.
- Joshua Feinberg highlights the value of networking and securing internships early in one's career to build resume experience.
- Svante Horn shares his experience at Dartmouth, where persistence helped him get into a real estate class despite initial rejections.
- Joshua Feinberg recounts his own experience at IBM, where he secured a role despite not meeting all the job requirements.
European Job Market and Early Career Planning
- Svante Horn notes that in Europe, students often need to decide their career paths before starting college.
- He shares his initial steep learning curve at Morgan Stanley, where he had to catch up on financial modeling skills.
- Joshua Feinberg reflects on the serendipitous opportunities that can arise, such as learning Lotus 1-2-3 in college, which led to a good job.
- Both discuss the importance of being open to opportunities and planning early in one's career to maximize growth potential.
Resources
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