So much has been said about outsourcing and off shoring it’s almost a cliché to talk about. However, my blog isn’t about the pros or the cons because that’s almost moot. It’s a reality and intelligent professionals understand that and incorporate it into the decisions they make with their careers.

For years UNIX Admins, DBA’s and Developers have been under siege and the smart ones identified the need to take corrective action either moving up the “perceived value chain” of responsibility or simply got out of the rat race of I.T. altogether. Hey, don’t giggle. My Realtor and the local Jersey Mike’s sub shop are both owned by ex-I.T. pros. Both examples (although totally different paths) represent someone taking the time to understand the change happening around them and doing something about it. Different paths but similar results.

The people I’m concerned about aren’t the ones that make something happen, but those who stand by and ask “what happened?” You know who I’m talking about. They’re working on old technology or even worse, jobs that are moving overseas in a hurry. Most recently I’ve been speaking with WebSphere Administrators, many who fit this bill. These folks make 100K in NC (more in higher cost of living areas) and have been in high demand for the last couple of years. However, because there are too few and they’re expensive companies have begun moving towards hiring Contractors instead of FTE’s a couple of years ago. Now they’re starting to outsource and my goodness, off-shore. Haven’t we seen this progression before? Many of these folks were UNIX Admins so they’ve been down this road and have seen the handwriting on the wall. If your job becomes a commodity you’re in trouble. Either move upstream (middleware architecture or management) or open a Jersey Mike’s but please don’t whine when your job is located 10 time zones away!