Outsourcing hits US techies hard

Times of India ^ | MAY 26, 2003 | CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I know several programmers who are making a good living at their trade, and with the same company for the past 9 years. The article is slanted.

[WhiteKnuckles]

Not to get into the suicide thing but any large corporation that outsources jobs that it can handle in house is stupid and the CIO that thought of it is criminally negligent.

If you are one of the biggest banks in the country are you really going to outsource projects that are mission critical and involve huge transactions of money to some shmoe in India or God knows where?

Talk about the Mother Of All Backdoors.

BTW - I hear that the trend in IT is away from outsourcing.

As for the guy that sucked the gun, well, I don't approve but I can understand. Especially if I had to train my replacement.

[BrooklynGOP]

Nope, I only flew jets for two decades, while managing to save enough money to not be worried about finding a job anytime soon.

Two decades in the Navy. How about private sector? How would you do if they flooded us with Indian pilots? They have close to a billion people over there. I am sure there would be a sufficient number of pilots who are as qualified as you. How would you be saving money then? No, I would say I am just clueless.

I would say so, too. I specially enjoyed how you suggested that he should go over your house to show you how to turn your pc on. Cool.

Have a nice day.

You, too. Unless you have other plans.

[Ace's Dad]

Most of us are living the "Cost of keeping up with the Joneses" rather than the cost of living.

For me it was keeping up my child support payments. Try telling the friend of the court you want to pay less so you can take a pay cut, and they throw you in jail! This whole thread is based on a very complicated situation, and yes, suicide is not the answer.

[Texaggie79]

Are you, by any chance, in a union????

[oceanview]

In all seriousness, I would tell a person coming out of high school, who was techically inclined and had good mechanical and computer skills, to skip traditional engineering and do this:

Go to Mercedes Benz and train to be one of their automotive technicians, and get a job at the dealership out of high school, even if you start out prepping cars, and move up the ladder. You would be amazed at what these tecnicians and service managers earn, but stick with the high end dealerships: Mercedes, BMW, etc.

[leadpencil1]

I remember when it was manufacturing jobs that were heading overseas. As a consumer, it seemed like a good deal to get better quality goods (most of the time) for less money. As an American, it was painful to watch. Same thing happening today, only the collars are white, not blue.

[oceanview]

they are not "out working" or "out thinking" the americans, they are working for 1/10th the wages, with a much lower living standard. At 1/10th the wages, the american worker has no chance of competing.

[BrooklynGOP]

I know several programmers who are making a good living at their trade, and with the same company for the past 9 years. The article is slanted.

Several? I live in NYC, and practically everyone I know got laid off from the IT jobs. Those who didn't are considered to be *very* lucky. Unless you are in the industry you don't realize how bad it became. I lost my job in 2001 and it took me over a year to find the job I have today. I was looking for any job that paid $10 or better, too.

[YankeeReb]

Now his software company is outsourcing its development to India. He would like to stay, and I would like someone with his skills to stay here as well. None-the-less, he and his family are on their way back to Bombay next month where he'll work for the outsourcing company.

Here's the kicker, at least the guy you refer to has the option to go back to his home country, where he'll pick up a job probably making more (by local standards) than if he just stayed in India. For the U.S. born tech, no such option exists. If tech jobs dry up in this country, his options are limited.

Another thing I heard (maybe someone else knows more) is that in India, higher education is subsudized and people are generously rewarded for going into the technical fields.

[WhiteKnuckles]

Amen!

[Sonny M]

Dude, I've been to India over 30 times, maybe in some a$$ backwards parts its like this, but seriousley, your whole post is living in the past. These techies hardly care or follow the caste system, I've never met a hindu who really cared for it one way or another, your more likely to see that kind of discrimination here in the US, then you are over there.

Also, to note, most of the untouchables have either converted to another religion, or simply wound up lying about there caste long long ago to the point no one really knows whos what anymore. If you can find somone who claims to be from the untouchable caste, good luck and more power to you.

[Calpernia]

bump for later

[Marauder]

When will the trend to outsource lawyers start?

Watch how fast the congress critters scramble to head that one off. They will move when it's their livelihood on the line.

[oceanview]

the state bar association licensing boards can stop that cold.

[Sonny M]

They have close to a billion people over there.

Correction, they have over a billion people there as of now.....and growing.

[Huber]

Are you, by any chance, in a union????

You raise a good question. Clearly the answer is more trade protectionism by the US, including higher tariffs, quotas and tighter government regulation of our labor markets. After all, free markets simply exploit working families for the benefit of the rich. We need to be careful not to fall for those misleading arguments put forth by mean spirited conservatives that a rising-tide raises all boats and that situations like this are not a question of zero-sum gain.

Furthermore, the unfortunate loss of life by the displaced worker is clear indication that we need more gun control now.

[Tokhtamish]

What smug nonsense.

If the Democrats really want this issue, it will be the wedge issue that will give them the White House, the House, and the Senate in 2008. Right not they are futzing about civil unions for homosexuals, not the problems that have decent, hard working Americans staring at the ceiling at 2AM wondering what is going to happen to their lives.

You may be willing to destroy the standard of living of most Americans to profit a few. Most Americans will not and they will register that preference at the ballot box. Just depends whether you want the GOP to be on the side of the offshore fatcat or the American people.

[STONEWALLS]

.......my cousin's husband worked for Earthlink and was very happy there.....he got the boot in March along with 4000 others.....the jobs went overseas to India and the Phillipines....we've all seen cases where municipalities give incentive packages to businesses to locate in their city....tax abatement, water and sewer, highway construction, industrial revenue bonds, railroad spurs ect, are common....those packages should have strings attatched regarding relocation and outsourcing.....if a company won't agree, then screw 'em....they don't get the package...

[YankeeReb]

You are right. Its totally unreasonable for me to desire to keep my standard of living. I should pool my money with several other IT workers and share my 1 bedroom and car with 10 other people, thus driving my cost of living down. Cool.

Exactly!! What many of these people fail to realize is that if the standard of living keeps falling for everyone else, eventually their's will also fall. Either that or they'll be living in a gated community with private security forces to keep the rabble out. No great country can survive without a strong middle class.