Re: Hi

>> I agree...the last time I was in a Mall Wart was last
>> summer, late at
>> night in Cheyboygan, MI. Needed an air mattress and that
>> was the only thing open. I'm sure it was made in China.

> Is it so bad that the goods are made in china?  Isn't it
> better that the cheaper labor stays offshore?  I'm more
> interested in tech services going offshore.


That last statement was really interesting.  So it would seem that the
author is not against someone else's job moving offshore (and letting
the author realize the economic benefit expressed as cheaper consumer
goods), but their own job?  Well!  That is quite another matter!!!

Manufacturing labor used to be expensive.  It became "cheaper labor"
once it moved off-shore, and you can expect programming jobs would do
the same.  If you embrace macro-economics (even if you don't, it
embraces you), the real issue is that the production of goods and
services will naturally flow to the people and places where they can be
produced most efficiently with the fewest amount of resources.  If you
want to be competitive in a global economy, you have to update your
skills so that you can provide something that can't be easily duplicated
by someone willing to work for a fraction of your income.  

Textile workers who produced t-shirts in 1980 essentially the same way
they were produced in 1950 saw their jobs move to people who would work
for a lot less.  Programmers who expect to be cutting code in 2010 the
same way they did in 1980 could find themselves in very similar
circumstances.

I'm not making a value judgment on whether this is good or bad, I'm just
stating that it is what it is.  If your current salary is $75K and you
want to sustain it, ask yourself what are you doing that couldn't be
replicated by 3 off-shore workers that are happy to work for $25K?  

Answer that question successfully (and lot's of people do), and you
won't need any government to "protect" your job.

jte


--
John Earl | Chief Technology Officer
The PowerTech Group
19426 68th Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98032
(253) 872-7788 ext. 302
john.earl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.powertech.com 
 

 
This email message and any attachments are intended only for the use of
the intended recipients and may contain information that is privileged
and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, any
dissemination, distribution, or copying is strictly prohibited. If you
received this email message in error, please immediately notify the
sender by replying to this email message, or by telephone, and delete
the message from your email system.
--