Podcast Link : Data Centers Engineer Podcast

Data Centers have enabled the digital economy by offering reliability, performance and guaranteed access to mission critical data !

Shalaka Sawant, our next pathbreaker, Project Engineer at Clayco (Arizona), works as part of the project management group responsible for building data centers.

Shalaka talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about how her background in civil engineering drew her towards the field of construction, and subsequently building sustainable infrastructure such as data centers.

For students, if you want an active career that is not limited to the desk, being a civil engineer gives you wide range of opportunities to be in the design team (Architectural, Structural, Mechanical) or be a consultant or be on the project management side.

Shalaka, can you share your background with our young readers?

I was born and raised in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. I went to a state board school. I was an average student with interest in sports and passion for learning. My father is a civil engineer too, so I have grown up looking upto him. He was my inspiration to select civil engineering. As a family, we would often visit a lot of places, especially forts during vacations. That grew my interest in construction. I was also fascinated by buildings and structures around me.

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?

I did my Bachelors in Civil Engineering from Mumbai University. After graduation, I worked in India for about 5 years, gained understanding of different areas of Construction and then came to the United States for my Masters in Construction Management from Arizona State University.

What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and rare career in Civil Engineering?

Ofcourse, the key influencer was my father. I am also very passionate about building things and like to be physically involved, and not be restricted to my office table.  I felt construction is the place where I can be constantly involved with a lot of people and everyday can be a new challenge , a new opportunity. I wanted to “see” my work and create an impact in the community I live in. After speaking with a lot of people including my relatives, I selected this path in civil engineering.

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted?

After my bachelor’s degree, though I wanted to study more, I first wanted to understand my interests because there are so many options once you graduate. So I started as a Field Engineer for an infrastructure company. I was working onsite for a flyover, communicating with sub-contractors and taking in first hand experience. Then I worked in the tendering department and then with the drafting team. When I felt more inclined towards the Project Management side, I decided to pursue my Masters in Construction Management in the US. During this time, I participated in a competition where I had a chance to meet a lot of companies at a career fair. This led me to my internship with a general contractor in California. That gave me immense exposure on how a big team works and what it takes to manage a $300M project.

So Webcor is a General Contractor (GC) who specializes in building vertical structures in California. Vertical structures are Educational institutes, Hospitals, Hotels, Commercial offices and so on. I was a Project Engineer intern, meaning I was assisting a project engineer with her duties. I got to learn how to do checklists before any activity like pre-pouring of concrete. I would also assist in technology like doing 360 degree video walks, reviewing photos in newmatrix ( app where you can find safety issues in the uploaded photos). I also learned how to do RFIs and review submittals. As a Project Engineer, I also had to communicate with various sub-contractors to make sure they submitted their documents on time. So, even as a Civil Engineer, I navigated to the Project Management side.

Right now I am doing same things at my current workplace in Clayco. I am also learning to look at the cost side of things. Like reviewing change orders ( When we ask sub-contractors to do anything extra other than what is in the specifications, they submit extra pricing). I also have to look at the procurement of materials so that they are here per scheduled dates. This requires immense coordination with project team members and sub-contractors. I have to do constant field visits to check the quality of the work. This involves making sure the work is done per the drawings and specs.

Through active networking, I bagged the Job at Clayco that I was interested in.

How did you get your first break?

My first break in India was with SMC infrastructure. I worked there as a field engineer on a flyover in Thane. I did submit my application for the position and got a call for an interview. I was involved in tasks such assSubcontractor coordination, tracking daily progress, working with Thane municipality on getting the documentations correct, doing Bill of quantities, helping in billing with my Project Manager etc.

I had started networking in the US since the day I came here to understand the culture here. That made me develop my speaking skills and understand the industry requirements. I also participated in a competition. From there, I bagged my first internship offer.

Linkedin helped me a lot when networking. I got an offer at Clayco through a linkedin connection.

Civil Engineers working in a Data Center is a very unique field. Can you explain a bit about this?

An owner who wants to build a datacenter contacts a General Contractor like Clayco. That is how construction professionals get involved in data centers. I understand that Civil Engineering would limit oneself to infrastructure or calculations, but all that knowledge plus some more exposure can navigate one towards construction management. I took my first 4 years before doing masters to explore my opportunities and interests. That is how I landed in construction management. Working on construction of a data center does require you to be on your toes and one needs to put in a lot of hard work within a tight schedule and varying owner demands. A General contractor is expected to take care of the Core and Shell ( Concrete, Structural and Architectural ) and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) as a part of the responsibilities. Generally, owners have their own systems that they bring in later. There is lot of demand for electrical professionals in this sector too.  

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Challenge 1: There’s clearly a lot of competition in India, with limited opportunities for growth. It took me some time to recognize the importance of networking and connections. To advance, we need to step out of our comfort zones and seek out growth opportunities. This involves meeting new people and gaining insights into industry demands. Once I identified my challenges, I focused on addressing them and committed to ongoing self-reflection to stay aligned with the evolving demands.

Challenge 2: As an immigrant in a new country, I’ve had to restart my career. At 30, I’m in the same position as a typical 23-year-old, but I’ve turned this into a strength by leveraging my five years of experience to benefit my team.

Challenge 3: Living away from my family is definitely tough. Seeing them only once every two years for a few weeks can be challenging. However, the pride I see in them when I visit or even just talk daily is what makes this sacrifice worthwhile.

Where do you work now? Can you tell us about what you do?

Clayco is a full service construction firm that provides real estate development, architecture, engineering and design build services. The area I am working in is on the General Contractor side where we have a project management group helping owners build a data center. I use my knowledge of civil engineering to understand the structural requirements from the design team. I also draw upon the knowledge from my Masters program. There is a lot of learning on the job as well.

So I am a Project Engineer working from a General Contractor side building a Data Center for a well known client. My job is to ensure that the right materials are being procured on time to meet the schedule dates, as well as check if there are any design or coordination challenges, any budget issues that need to be addressed. I am also responsible for quality of construction, implementing technology for field use and so on. The main skill is learning on the job, because there will be a lot of things that a college or course will not teach you. You have to identify your weaknesses and work on them. It could even be soft skills like learning how to be polite or aggressive and maintain a balance. I also had to take some certifications like the FAA for drone license, LEED certifications etc.

What is a typical day like?

On a typical day, I would start with a foreman’s meeting where we have a foreman/ superintendent discussing material delivery, field issues, inspections and me making sure they have everything they need to be on the field. The entire day will have me chasing items in order to meet the schedule. We also have meetings with owners to understand their expectations, meetings with the city to understand what we will need to have the permit, reviewing change orders to see the sub contractors are getting paid for their work done. One thing I love about this job is my team and how everyone wants each other to succeed.

How does your work benefit society?

Currently, the data center which I am building will support Artificial intelligence cloud storage. This is a big wave. I feel fortunate that I will be connected through this building infrastructure for this new revolution. This building is also LEED certified and I make sure all materials we use follow the requirements which means this building will make efficient use of resources and will leave less carbon footprint.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

The one that I am doing right now has helped me to learn and grow so much. I have to constantly communicate with 20 team members and learn so much about the new technology which will also enable cooling inside the data center. I think this is going to be a memorable one for me.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

Never stop investing in your self. Understand the power of believing.

Future Plans?

I would like to learn more about the progressions of technology in Data centers and keep benefiting the community with more sustainable buildings.

Being a civil engineer gives you wide range of opportunities do be in the design team (Architectural, Structural, Mechanical) or be a consultant or be on project management side. I would suggest students to follow people in their interested domain and see what they have studied, what are their certifications and experience that helped them get that position.