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Magna Cum Unemployed
Computerworld ^ | APRIL 28, 2003 | Donald Finley

Posted on 05/02/2003 1:58:28 PM PDT by Mini-14

When I changed my college major from mechanical engineering to computer science in 1998, I had few reservations about making the switch. After all, the salaries of the two professions were comparable, and IT seemed to be thriving.

Unfortunately, my graduation in December 2000 roughly coincided with the crash of the dot-coms and a dip in the economy, which made job searching much more difficult.

No fear, I thought, I have an academic record that will impress employers and help me stand out among job candidates. I had graduated magna cum laude, made the dean's list multiple times, won awards for academic excellence -- and no one seemed to care. The liability of my inexperience seemed to outweigh any advantage that a solid academic background provided.

The slowing of the economy has left many experienced IT professionals looking for jobs, and companies have their choice of workers with proven track records. This means decreased opportunities for entry-level programmers with resumes heavy on skills and education and light on job history.

Illustrating this fact are the employers and headhunters who call to express interest in the skills I have listed on my resume online. One of their first questions is, "How much experience do you have?" Answering this potentially damning question with honesty usually ensures no future correspondence.

The lack of opportunities made me increasingly worried, and in September 2001, I committed an act of desperation. I had been job searching by myself and through employment agencies for almost eight months when I accepted a knowledge management position at a government agency in Washington, where living expenses are high and the pay is low. The job was part intern/part employee and kept me on the periphery of working with IT (checking e-mail was my sole interaction with computers). After six months in the program, I decided to return home and earnestly look for opportunities in software development, the area of most interest to me.

Searching online job sites yielded few possibilities for someone with my level of experience; I fared better by contacting hiring managers directly. After three months of research and many phone calls to managers, I landed a job as a Web developer at a struggling e-learning company. But after being told almost every week for six months that the office might not be open the following week, I was searching for another job by December 2002.

During this time, I had also enrolled in a graduate program, thinking that another degree might help me find a job. However, since starting the program, I have considered the possibility that even this move may not help, because there are factors affecting the job market that are beyond my control.

For instance, the controversial H-1B and L-1 visa programs exacerbate the situation by importing foreign IT workers, placing them in direct competition with American workers for jobs. This, by far, is the most disturbing discovery to me. Abuse of these programs is obvious, and their necessity escapes me.

My heart sinks when I read stories about IT workers such as those at Siemens in Lake Mary, Fla., who were replaced by L-1 visa workers and made to train their replacements. The matter is compounded by the trend of sending IT jobs offshore, as summed up in the ominous proclamation of Ann Livermore, HP's services chief, when she stated, "We're trying to move everything we can offshore," in an interview in a December 2002 Forbes article. Taking these things into account, I am convinced that the IT industry is being undermined.

This point was driven home as I sat with the head of the computer science department at my university and we spoke about the scarcity of IT jobs. "I shouldn't be saying this, because I am from India," he said, "but India has really prospered through this." I told him that I was aware of all the outsourcing, but he explained that companies such as Microsoft were going a step further and setting up shop in India. Then he reassured me that creative IT jobs such as research would be safe in the U.S., but he corrected himself midstream by saying that GE was in the process of constructing a research center in India.

Finally, he punctuated his remarks by saying, "It's been a tough three years," an understatement with which I emphatically agree.

Donald Finley is a computer science graduate student and a graduate assistant in Tennessee. Contact him at dcf1922@yahoo.com.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: employment; h1b; job; jobs; l1; outsourcing; unemployment
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To: Reeses
...These same vendors sell buggy products on purpose to plant the seeds of future sales... ...there are a large percentage of IT workers that build job security into their work. They make systems overly complex which then break a lot and require constant attention. ...

I seriously doubt there is some great conspriacy either by large companies or individual programmers to design flaws into their systems so as to secure future work. I wouldn't deny that there are some coders that will knowly protect information about how a system works for that purpose, but that's no different than any other engrained employee protecting "their" business processes, contact lists, or whatever in the name of job security. That's just mediocrity.

When you think about it, you'd have to be really smart to purposely build in flaws in a plausible way. I'm sure more of these overly complex systems support overly complex business processes that no one ever documented. That's not necessarily the programmer's fault. Plus, I'd bet most systems evolve over time.

Think about what would happen if you built a house one room at a time and lived in it as you went along.

41 posted on 05/02/2003 4:27:23 PM PDT by Vortex
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To: sourcery
I had to go to the office today (I usually work from home) and every other office I looked into to had and Indian sitting in it. My company has been importing them like crazy. They've been shifting some of our operations to other countries even though the quality of labor is abysmal. The management just can't seem to see this. They think less money paid out is the ONLY criteria. They're gonna be very suprised when their systems just stop working.
42 posted on 05/02/2003 4:36:20 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: Bobber58
You're right, you never got it. Things change at the speed of light in the IT industry. It's really insane.
43 posted on 05/02/2003 4:38:11 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: dljordan
I was a nuculer physicist...now I build hardwood furniture. There was no recession for me, and I have all the work I want...time and space are illusions...so is the whole IT pipe-dream
44 posted on 05/02/2003 4:48:51 PM PDT by Bobber58 (whatever it takes, for as long as it takes)
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To: templar
NAFTA and GATT have made corporate profitibility more important than domestic employability. That's the way it is and the way it will stay. Learn to be more versatile and expect less if you want to survive in the future.

Your advice could prove invaluabe if you would please elaborate. How exactly does one survive with "less" -- less then what? Less than a job? Less than a future? Versatile as in . . . dumpster dining?

45 posted on 05/02/2003 5:03:25 PM PDT by EverOnward
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To: Bobber58
You are right on, Bobber. There are some jobs that are almost impossible to ship overseas. This poor sap better get himself into a trade school fast! If he had a valuable skill, such as plumbing, his retirement portfolio would be a whole lot better than those of his deluded classmates within just a few years.

But, then, he probably wouldn't want to hear that, right?
46 posted on 05/02/2003 5:04:34 PM PDT by jacquej
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To: Mini-14
bump
47 posted on 05/02/2003 5:09:34 PM PDT by VOA
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To: jacquej
the IT people have done wonders, and will do more...I commend them and pray for the best for them...but I have read, and it makes sense to me, that the physical, hands-on skills are what persevere through time and change...just because you have a pig-fat fuel cell doesn't mean the electricity magically appears at your desktop with the touch of a button...someone still has to route the wires or configure the beam-station :)
48 posted on 05/02/2003 5:14:52 PM PDT by Bobber58 (whatever it takes, for as long as it takes)
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To: FourPeas
At one time I had a file folder of 350+ rejection letters. Even when I did finally find a job, the company went belly-up in three months. It was a long and rocky road.

I had a similar experience during the recession of 1979-82. My IT consulting firm went down in 1981 and I applied for jobs in various industries our in which our firm had expertise. In ten months I amassed 1500 rejection letters, had two interviews scheduled (both of which were canceled) and was almost on the street before getting hired by a consumer products manufacturing company.

Since then, I've been through nine leveraged buyouts, been laid off four times (the fifth will be the end of this month), and I don't know how I've made it this far.

Don't think I'll survive this one, however. There is no domestic IT profession anymore.

49 posted on 05/02/2003 5:16:35 PM PDT by Euro-American Scum
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To: Poohbah
"Let's see. We can modify our insane civil tort system to prevent the sort of outrageous lawsuit abuse we presently have; we can lower taxes across the board; we can demand that the insane government regulations that provide zero (or less) benefit to anyone in return for inflicting massive costs on the business..."

YEAH BABY!!!

50 posted on 05/02/2003 5:35:32 PM PDT by AAABEST
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To: Bobber58
who the f*** are you kidding, with a lot of construction/trade jobs now ending up with illegals, plumbing is pretty close to next in line. Of course, illegals only take jobs americans won't (like welding, construction work, rebuilding Navy carriers etc.).
51 posted on 05/02/2003 5:45:43 PM PDT by RJS1950
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To: Mini-14
made to train their replacements.

I'm never sure who is more idiotic. The person who would train someone to take their job or the person who would ask them to do it.

52 posted on 05/02/2003 5:46:59 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult ("Read Hillary's hips. I never had sex with that woman.")
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To: Bobber58
guy shoulda been a plumber...

IT workers are plumbers, and carpenters and architects, and about everything else. You have to draw the whole thing up in your head and then create through keyboard and mouse. Piece work will always be around. It's the factories that come and go.

53 posted on 05/02/2003 5:58:53 PM PDT by glorgau
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To: RJS1950
I am a craftsman...efficient, innovative, adaptive. I build good furniture for many people...those who build great furniture for a few, and those who build crappy stuff for lots of people have both suffered. You are talking about low-skill workers...it's not analagous to an IT professional...I speak of true plumbers, electricians, carpenters, tile and brick layers, etc... these are craftsmen...they might spend more time in training to achieve their station than IT workers. Their skills are in high demand, and not likely to be replaced by migrant workers.
54 posted on 05/02/2003 6:04:55 PM PDT by Bobber58 (whatever it takes, for as long as it takes)
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To: glorgau
what I said was that hands on skills, good tradesmen, will always have a high level of employment and income. comparing a computer programmer with a plumber isn't a contest...people crap far more than they telecommute. :)
55 posted on 05/02/2003 6:09:38 PM PDT by Bobber58 (whatever it takes, for as long as it takes)
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To: All
I emailed this thread to my sister who works for a major software company. She asked that I not say which company she works for. She did give me permission to post her comments here so I will.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I can attest to everything this guy/gal has written, because I live and breathe it everyday. I am not sure what the L-1 program is, but the acronym H-1B is so common that most people simply refer to it as "H" in my hallways.

I work for one of the largest software companies in the world and, as a Caucasian woman, my group comprises less than 12% of the workforce. To put it into a more understandable perspective, people of Indian and Mid-Eastern descent occupy approximately 50%. The rest is comprised of 20% Latino that we relocated from several country locations in South America, and 30% are Americans (white, black, hispanic).

Now, while that seems outrageous on its own, this is the demographic makeup of real live people at a 2,400 U.S. support site in the United States (similar to what the poster's article referred to.) If we factor in the entire 25,000 man total company job force, including our Development employees, the Indian/MidEast ratio goes up to about 62% and that includes all of Sales, Marketing, and Consulting.

I can only speak for my company's Support organization at this point, but what the poster alludes to, and what is more devastating for us, is the fact that the Big IT's have very quietly replaced attritioned U.S. jobs at their sites in India.

Here's how that works: When someone leaves voluntarily (i.e., found a better job, decided to stay home with new baby, died, just plain quit) from one of our U.S. sites, the managers have known for over two years that they can't replace the "head count". The "head count" moves over to our Support Center in Hyderabad, India. So while the "head count" numbers look the same to the public, or shareholders, the profit margin skyrockets.

Here's the tradeoff:

1. U.S. customers are getting very ticked off because of language difficulties, but more so because the support they are receiving is in a time zone that is at least 12 hours different.

2. U.S. Support employees are getting very ticked off because they start their day "picking up the pieces" from angered customers because of #1 above.

3. Morale is at an all time low for U.S. IT Support employees because they know their companies are pushing for their replacements in India.

4. The U.S. public perception of the need for local IT workers is horribly skewed.

5. Support costs for U.S. customers is at an all time low -- BIG PLUS. Information Technology Operations (IT) is an outrageously competitive industry and decisions for all kinds of things must be executed immediately without time for evaluation. (Think IBM and their failure to do this.)

When the first IT company opened up shop in Hyderabad, the rest followed. Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Oracle, Gateway, Intel, HP and more all have profitable new operations in gorgeous new buildings in southern India.

The irony of the situation is that there were several IT Consulting companies already based in India when this revolution occurred. These companies are now claiming that the U.S. influence is boistering the price per hour of their workforce and they are now going to be forced to go to China for IT employees to stay competitive with their Indian customers!

As far as I'm concerned, the biggest travesty to this mess was the call "we" (the U.S.) put out to future graduates 10 years ago and told them all to get trained in IT-related fields. As the poster learned, we are so saturated with Computer Science grads with no place to go, but like he first encountered, it's not because of their lack of "job experience" that they aren't getting hired. They are not getting hired because there is someone halfway around the world that is willing to do the same job for $.60 an hour.

H-1Bs and L-1s visas for foreign workers are no longer an obstacle. The companies were tired of those limits so just moved their whole operations out of the country. Only time will tell if that was the right decision.

56 posted on 05/02/2003 7:43:03 PM PDT by Normal4me
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To: Vortex
I seriously doubt there is some great conspriacy either by large companies or individual programmers to design flaws into their systems so as to secure future work.

I agree, there's no conspiracy and no programmer sets out to insert bugs. What I mean is that software companies that sell crap are the ones that stay in business. If they do their job too well there are no consulting, training, upgrade dollars and the company goes out of business. The software companies that market really well but sell poorly designed systems written by near talentless programmers often end up number one in market share, not only because of repeat business to fix their shortcomings but also because their labor costs are lower. The proven formula for success in the proprietary software business is to do a hack job but sell it well.

Something interesting though is happening because of the internet: open source software is taking market share from actively managed software companies. In many cases the quality is exceptional, written by programmers with talent and craftsmanship. There is no marketing department to junk up the design. Bill Gates can beat anyone at the traditional game but is threatened by open source that has no advertising campaign, no active management, no payroll, no stockholders to answer to, just programmers that love to program and are good at it.

57 posted on 05/02/2003 8:56:18 PM PDT by Reeses
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To: Mini-14
Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 8:08 AM
Subject: Fw: For Bob Shepardson IT Director Siemens
ICN Lake Mary,FL - regarding your "American worker replacement program"

FYI . . .

Heard is was sent to everyone in the Building 1 this
morning. It makes for interesting reading.

-----Original Message-----
From: Emmons, Michael T.
[mailto:usaworker@hannatroup.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 5:41 AM
To: Shepardson, Bob; Nolen, George C;
president@whitehouse.gov; vice.president@whitehouse.gov; bernie@mail.house.gov
Cc: Newsroom Boca Raton News; Delray Editor Boca
Raton News; Greetings Boca Raton News; Letters Editor Boca

Raton News; Photography Boca Raton News; Society Boca Raton News; Sports Boca Raton News; Advertising Boca
Raton News; Classified Boca Raton News; Governor Jeb Bush; Senator Lee Constantine
Subject: For Bob Shepardson IT Director Siemens ICN
Lake Mary,FL - regarding your "American worker replacement program"

Bob,

As you now know, I have been quite vocal over the past 5 months, vocal against your "American worker replacement program". Actually, I looked forward to the day you found out about my efforts so I could go public and let America know of your injustice to your American employees. I am so against your program that replaces your staff with foreigners, specifically Indians from India in OUR country on L-1 "intra-company transfer" visas; the infamous L-1 visa, your "American Worker Replacement Visa".

That is, Intra-company transfer from Tata Consulting India to Tata Consulting USA. These Indians are then sold off as "consultants" to American businesses. Siemens ICN in this case. I spoke to Representative John L. Mica(FL) and he told me the intent of the L-1 visa is to NOT REPLACE American workers. But, you chose to go against the intent of the law and use this work visa to dispose of your staff.

My goal, to make sure that Siemens ICN and as many Americans as possible know how you USED your staff, the staff that worked for your department from 3 to 32 years. You used the Americans to TRAIN these Indians to do their jobs so YOU could lay them off in OUR Country.

Under the L-1 "intra-company transfer" visa Foreigners 1. can come into our country 2. to take our jobs(while management mandates we train them) 3. and send their kids to our schools 4. while we are sent to the unemployment line 5. and our Congress created this visa flawed law

Yes, under the L-1 visa they can bring their families to our country and send their kids to our schools. I have seen documents on Siemens shared drives that list the children of our replacements. And some of those children are of school age.

Under this visa, Our PROPERTY TAXES pay to send the children of our replacements to our schools while we are sent to the unemployment line! Downright amazing that our Congress would do something so stupid as this. But this poorly written visa law allowed Mr. Shepardson the ability to replace his staff of Americans.

Here are some comments from our Indian replacements. The project leader Sunil Kumbhare said "We have to get our money before the Chinese do". I guess he feels he had better take advantage of our Country while he has a chance. When I asked Amarpreet Singh and Swayambikash Panda if they were paying taxes the answer was "I don't know". Now how do you not know if you are paying taxes? Because they are probably not. My bet is they get their Indian salary plus travel expenses to be in our country. ...and their kids are free to go to our schools.

On the Siemens shared drive(\\lmyr2aaa\Data\TCS-Project Management ) there are hundreds of documents that describe how Mr. Shepardson chose to displace his American workers. There are also the "infamous" Knowledge transition documents. Knowledge transfer from Americans to Indians that document dates, times, attendees and discussions of how mandated Americans trained these foreigners how to do their jobs before they were laid off.

For those with knowledge of the situation, the only reason Tata Consulting has any Americans contracted at Siemens is because we raised such a stink with Representative John L. Mica(407-657-8080), Senator Bob Graham(866-418-9569) and Senator Bill Nelson(407-872-7161) and they somehow were able to stem the tide. Not well enough, IMO, since most of the Americans have been displaced and the Siemens Lake Mary, FL IT staff is composed of predominately Indians from India.

To the Siemens employees, watch your back. In my 5 months of battling for the rights of Americans to work in OUR country I have been contacted by many displaced citizens, displaced like us via the H-1b and L-1 visa programs. Individuals contacted me from Infineon San Jose, CA, and they contacted me from Siemens Automotive & Energy Atlanta, GA. And I cannot forget the deceit at Siemens Shared Services Lake Mary, FL where they used the L-1 visa program to import Indians and mandated the Americans in Accounts Payable to train the Indians. Then the Americans were laid off. The Siemens way is not an American way.

Watch your back, it is not just an Information Technology issue. Every American worker should be concerned.

To all other Americans, I urge you to contact your representatives and voice your opinion. http://www.congress.org , http://www.house.gov, http://www.senate.gov

To Bob Shepardson: I hope, for the rest of your life, when you lay down for bed each night that you remember how you treated YOUR own employees. You threw them out on the streets so you could import cheaper foreign labor that you hope will give you better financial numbers. And when you wake in the morning, hopefully you have those same thoughts. ...FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Can you live with that? And, you might wonder why I fought so hard. As a contractor at Siemens for 6 years I really have nothing to gain by standing up to this corporate corruption. Luckily, I landed a new job but I feel for all those Americans/Siemens employees you put out on the streets so you could import cheap foreign labor, right here in Lake Mary, FL USA. Maybe it is just in my blood, to fight for what is right in our country

I am a grandson of 3 star General Troup Miller JR Air Force, graduate of West Point I am a great-grandson of General Troup Miller Sr, Army, graduate of West Point I am a nephew of 4 star Admiral Means Johnston, graduate of Navy. My uncle commanded the entire Mediterranean during WWII

I am an ancestor of George Michael Troup, former Governor of Georgia 1823, Troup County Georgia is named after him. My brother is a pilot in the Air Force and a graduate of the Air Force Academy. He flew A-10's over Iraq. I guess my destiny in our heritage is to fight the corporate and congressional greed that this country has come to know.

I thank Lisa Vaas at eWeek magazine for reporting our story in the Jan 6, 2003 issue, page 46. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,809079,00.asp

You can read my documents at http://www.hannatroup.com:81/USA/tata/MyStory_20020918.html We will have much more information regarding Mr. Shepardson's "American Worker Replacement Program" in the future.

Michael Troup Emmons

usaworker@hannatroup.com

http://www.hannatroup.com:81/USA/tata/

http://www.hannatroup.com:81/

http://www.geocities.com/troup/

Rob, Please post this on the H-1b Hall of Shame http://zazona.com/ShameH1B/

58 posted on 05/02/2003 9:26:06 PM PDT by fso301
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To: Bobber58
Well, the pipedream started for me in 1975. I'm one of those mainframe turkeys that they said was going the way of the dinosaur. The internet and PC's were going to be the salvation of us all. But you know what? You can't do major business processing and large databases on PC's. It's been a good living but it's extremely stressfull. I quit and became an Aircraft Mechanic in 98 and loved it. Unfortunately you can't make a living unless you work on the big planes which I don't like. I think our society and mankind is going insane with greed and all the evil that goes with it.
59 posted on 05/03/2003 3:12:49 PM PDT by dljordan
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