A large discussion is taking place over at Slashdot on the viability of lifetime careers in information systems. What do you think?
Related links:
MSN: Is it possible?
ComputerWorld: Panel Advises U.S. IT Pros To Consider Changing Roles
ComputerWorld: Big shift in IT jobs to outsourcing predicted
“Programming is becoming commoditized. If you can do programming for $20, $25 an hour, why would you pay $150 an hour?” asked Amit Govil, managing director and CEO at Sapient India in New Delhi. “
Classic computerworld. The problem with the whole X-will-put-everyone-out-of-work-because-they-do-it-cheaply is, why are Americans getting paid all this money in the first place? The market isn’t THAT broken, there must be something going on that makes them (programmers in the US – which, more than probably any other profession, means a huge percentage of people from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds) worth it.
This isn’t a zero-sum game. Comapnies that are concerned with thottling the lines-of-code-per-day metric can outsource to these other places. Those that want quality software can set up shop in the US or certain places in Europe. There will be enough growth to keep everyone employed and happy…this isn’t a commodity, it’s a highly specialized skill, and you definitely get what you pay for (on average).