The Pragmatic Craftsman
:: Simplicity from complexity : by Stanley Kubasek ::
The Pragmatic Craftsman
:: Simplicity from complexity : by Stanley Kubasek ::
A very good, 6-step guide for the thinking technologist @ ComputerWorld.com
You should read it if you’re work in IT, as outsourcing is becoming more of an issue for us — and it will probably increase over time.
So what’s the ultimate solution? Put yourself into a position where you cannot be outsourced: give them value that they cannot get anywhere else!
Anyway, read the article here that tells you how you can actually do that (or help you in that direction).
A fall-off of computer science majors — 23 percent fewer this year, according to a poll of several hundred North American universities by the Computing Research Association — has prompted industry leaders such as Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to lecture at schools, telling students that their skills can still earn them a healthy salary even as companies export jobs overseas.
Professors report that students are less enthusiastic about computer science at even the most prestigious academies, and are concerned that this attitude is fostered by more than just the disappointment of the dot-com implosion. On the other hand, computer science students who have elected to follow other career paths claim their computing skills give them an edge: Matthew Notowidigo, who has chosen to become an investment banker after majoring in computer science at MIT, says an understanding of computing technology will be critical to nearly all fields in the future.
John V. Guttag, head of MIT’s computer science department, says that in order to combat the erosion of computer science majors, “we have to emphasize…that a good computer science education is a great preparation for almost anything you want to do.” Gates says the most talented students are not being drawn to computer science because there is little excitement or understanding surrounding the field. He told students in a series of lectures that breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, speech recognition, and machine-to-machine communications are on the horizon thanks to years of research, faster computers, and better software. Gates added that computer analysis and modeling is becoming increasingly vital to well-entrenched disciplines such as biology and industrial design, as well as emergent disciplines such as nanotechnology.
NY Times Article (free registration required).
Bill Gates: The kind of top-notch skills that the U.S. universities create will always be in demand. The challenge for the U.S. is to have an even higher percentage of its work force have these incredibly world-class skills.
I think that’s a great answer by Bill. We’re going to have to learn to live with outsourcing. You cannot eliminate it completely. So what’s the answer? Compete with them and WIN!
If you’re a top-notch U.S. developer you should not worry. You will always be in demand (minus the occasional downturn or correction, of course). But if you’re not, you should strive to be, as you might find somebody else with your skills somewhere else.
The U.S. software industry lost 150,000 jobs last year, according to the Cyberstates 2003 report released last week by the American Electronics Association (AeA). In the seven years that AeA has published its report on jobs, 2002 was the first year the software sector lost jobs. In fact, it had posted the largest gains of any high-tech sector to that point. A new trend now seems to be at work, one that programmers can only view with alarm.
If there is a bright spot in the report, it is a lessening of job losses in the software services category, which includes software publishers, custom computer programming services, computer system design and computer facilities management.
“Software services employment fell by 146,000 jobs between 2001 and 2002, compared to 2002 to 2003 where that number dropped 30,000,” said Michaela Platzer, AeA vice president of research.
In the overall high-tech industry, AeA reported that its preliminary data for 2003 indicates that “the decline in high-tech employment slowed considerably.” Another potential bright spot was high-tech R&D, which posted a gain of 7,000 jobs in 2002, according to the AeA report.
“Hopefully, we’ve turned the corner,” Platzer said.
See the whole article at ADTmag.com here.
I think that, as the economy rebounds, so will the programming jobs. I do not believe that outsourcing is the major catapult here: it is, mainly, the dot-com effect and the slowdown in the economy.
Maybe the software industry (for software-engineers) is not looking that bad after all. According to Time, computer-software engineers (or applications developers), is one of the top 15 jobs with the largest projected increases for 2000-2010; it’s actually number 9 in the biggest gainers category, expecting 380,000 new jobs.
They say, “As long as computer upgrades are constant, so will be the jobs.”
I also think that software engineers will be in great demand in the next decade. Why? It’s still a very young field, and a lot of companies will need the engineers to develop software properly — according to the software-engineering standards. Good for us, software engineers, developers!
