Hi Virgil,

You're right about the big lie. The real issue is that outsourcing looks so attractive on paper because of the wage disparity. The theory is simple... a X is a X is a X no matter where they are working, so if I can find a X who will "do the job" for 15%-20% of what I have to pay locally, how can I refuse.

It's no longer just happening with factory workers. And programmers are but 1 of a growing list of jobs now being outsourced. There is Radiology (reading of x-rays and such, which is one of the most highly paid skills in the medical field), various areas of lawyering, various areas of architecting and fields we never dreamed would go that route. But the almighty $$$ is driving this, and we can only expect the trend to grow. Then, when most of us are unemployed and so we can no longer pay for the goods and services the corporations have outsourced the corporations may fold (they don't really pay enough in the outsourcing countries to support purchase of their goods and services there). It's economic suicide, but the buzz of higher profits clouds the vision.

Good luck to you (and the rest of us).


>I just wrote this email after reading an article in the Jan 2007 Redmond Channel Partner magazine about offshoring and I'm curious if others see the same problems that I do.
>
>I do not check this area frequently, so please respond to me at vbiersch@ktc.com should you wish to let me know your opinion.
>
>Message follows:
>--------------------
>Subject: Interesting article you wrote titled "Seeking solutions for the skills shortage"
>
>Dear Mrs. Stuart,
>
>I read with some interest your article in the Redmond Channel Partner, Jan 2007 issue.
>
>Looking at your resume, I see that you have quite a large audience and so I would like to ask you to consider another viewpoint which is this:
>
>1. There is not a shortage of skilled IT workers as there are many such as myself that have been unable to find work for the last four years and I would put myself up against anybody currently holding a position whose duties are to build the next generation of software and to bridge the gap between the business users and the IT dept and I am sure that others that are unemployed and capable feel the same way.
>2. The actual problem is that the engineering depts have turned over the interviewing and selecting process to the HR dept which is doing the best that they can to match buzz words and not really having a clue as to the suitability of the individual for the position and because they have been taught that a degree and the proper matching buzzwords are required, they eliminate a lot of qualified individuals who are more then capable of excelling in the position, but they may have joined the military or a trade school out of high school instead of pursuing a degree.
>3. We have forgotten the lessons that made us a great country and this is that by hiring a suitable person with the correct aptitude, we can take their natural skillset and enhance it by transferring the knowledge that we as experienced individuals have acquired over the years and we can help to build the team that is necessary to create the next generation of technology, whether it be software or hardware.
>
>I wanted to show you some web pages that I have created about the offshoring of jobs, but my web site at http://www.bierschwalesolutions.com is currently down until I can find some more work to pay the bill. Should you be curious as to the content, please check back occasionally as I will have it up and running again as soon as possible.
>
>I would love to discuss this situation with you in greater detail should you be interested in doing so and I believe with myself and others writing articles such as this that perhaps we can show that the current tendency of companies to state that they cannot find qualified employee's is just one great big lie and that the actual problem is that the engineers who are qualified to make a determination as to a persons skill level need to take back these functions from the HR department's of our american companies.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Virgil Bierschwale
>http://www.virgilslist.com
>http://www.tccutlery.com
>http://www.bierschwale.com
>http://www.bierschwalesolutions.com