How I became a data centre expert (and how you can too)
The honest method behind the expertise people keep asking about.
People often ask how I know so much about data centres. The honest answer is that there's a method to it, and it's one you can use to become an expert in whatever field you hail from.
For #UnfilteredFriday this week, let's talk about the data centre content I write and how I learn.
What's your secret?
During SIJORI Week, I must have met and spoken individually with more than a hundred people from the data centre and AI industry. The same questions kept coming up. Where do you learn about data centres? How much do you self-censor? Who are your sources?
I thought I'd answer them here.
Understand how things work
If you ask me, the most important thing about learning is understanding how things work. Too often, we treat the areas we're unsure about as black boxes to ignore.
That's why I love talking to experts. In rapid-fire conversations, I can quickly test my assumptions and deepen my understanding of specialised topics.
The litmus test of your understanding? Whether you can write an explanation a novice can follow, without AI. And yes, that's one reason I write regularly.
Raising the bar
When would I not write on something? I had to pause and reflect on this one. The answer comes down to three cases: when it doesn't help anyone, when I'm uncertain of the facts, and when it's just someone out to smear another.
My key motivation is to raise the bar for the data centre industry. So accuracy matters, not sensationalism.
Now, I've written my fair share of negative stories. But the proof of the pudding is that I've gone on to do commercial engagements with some of those very operators.
Hiding in plain sight
Though I do sometimes reach out to contacts to verify facts, there is no secret pool of informants feeding stories to me.
The boring reality is that just about everything I write comes from the same news sources you can find yourself. The only difference is the context and interpretation I add.
I don't actually think I know that much. But what I've done is address a key challenge we all face: not knowing what we don't know. And that brings me to what I often tell anyone who asks. There is no reason they cannot write and contribute too. So what's stopping you?
