> > But that's really not the issue, is it? What does rate of
> pay have to do
> > with whether or not I telecommute? Or, does it mean that my
> work can be of
> > questionable qualities, if I am willing to work for much less?
> >
> No, it means you're competing against people who will work
> for much less
> and do an excellent job.

Right. That's who I'm competing against in general. That does not mean that
this is who some real or potential employer will actually use to replace me.
And there's the rub. So 11 of the top software mills in the world are in
India. Out of how many software mills in India? And, who is going to manage
the work, to make sure it is, in fact, done well? If you have few or no IT
staff, who will evaluate the quality of the work? Suppose they breach
contract. What recourse does someone have? Rather than relying on the innate
human tendency to fear the unknown and distrust those who are apparently
different, how about focusing on the business issues? CGI (my employer) has
long had off shore and near shore facilities, and just bought IMR Global,
which has facilities in India. But even internally, all of these
relationships have to be managed. Since we are also management consultants,
we at least have a framework which we use. The work and the relationship
must both still be managed.

Still, all this misses the spirit of my jest. If work like this can be moved
off shore, then I ought to also be able to telecommute, at least some of the
time. Even in offices were telecommuting is not so unheard of, managers seem
reluctant to let additional employees start telecommuting. This exposes the
strange attitudes toward staff.

> > Why not just hire college Computer Science majors for the
> same money?
>
> Where can a company get CS majors for $ 150-300 US/MONTH ?
>
>    http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-8324464.html
>    India becoming world's back office -  Tech News -  CNET.com
<snip>
>    With starting monthly salaries of $165 to $210, the
> opportunities are
>    good for many of India's job-seeking graduates.

Note that this is a starting salary. For which of the outsourced positions
is this the starting salary? And, you do not have to explain to most college
students too much about what a checking account or an insurance claim or a
postal holiday is.

Now, as to the changes in the industry, I do not believe that we have yet
exhausted our ingenuity. There will continue be work, and there will
continue to be increasing demand for certain skillsets, while that demand
appears to wane for others. There is cause to be both alert and diligent,
active and progressive. But not alarmist. And I for one have no problem with
college kids deciding that IT is not the road to easy money. We probably
could do with fewer kids taking IT classes with dollar signs in their eyes,
and more taking these classes because they genuinely find the topic
engaging, and don't mind working hard to learn it.

Greg Stigers
http://www.cgiusa.com

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