One of the best near-term jobs? Electrician for data centers in Washington.

[thewayne]

From a paywalled NY Times article posted on Slashdot:

US Data Center Boom Creates Windfall For Electricians:
Data center construction is driving an unprecedented influx of electricians to central Washington state, where abundant hydropower and tax incentives have attracted major tech companies building AI infrastructure, New York Times is reporting.

Microsoft alone projects needing 2,300 electricians in coming years for facilities across three counties along the Columbia River. Union electricians earning up to $2,800 weekly after taxes are transforming agricultural communities like Quincy, where data centers now account for 75% of local tax revenue.

While the construction boom has funded community improvements including a new high school, rising housing costs and limited long-term employment opportunities raise concerns about sustainable economic benefits for longtime residents.

Arizona is also projected to be very data center intensive in forthcoming years. If you're young, it doesn't take too long to train up and get your union card to be an electrician.

https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/12/26/1513222/us-data-center-boom-creates-windfall-for-electricians

Comments

[disneydream06]

Union electricians earning up to $2,800 weekly after taxes
I wonder if it's too late to become an electrician? :o :o :o
Hugs, Jon

[bibliofile]

w00t, a few skilled trades jobs in exchange for accelerating climate change for no reason?

Fuck that.

[ghostpuppet]

It pays to bone up on your skills non??

[silveradept]

Copilot and OpenAI money isn't going to go very far, but I can certainly see why some places would happily accept being thought of as a data center town rather than anything else.

[makovette]

Go #TeamSparky :) Ebb 'n flow is part of any trade, look at the oil field roughnecks for a recent example of that.

Cheers!