Competing with the global market

[ponetguy2]

My company released a memo informing us that our jobs might or will be shipped overseas. I'm a UNIX System Admin for a financial company, and my job is one of them. I'm sick and tired of hearing this. I think it's time for a career change. Maybe in health care.

Competing with techies overseas is impossible to beat. They have the same or better skill set and will work for a lot less money than me or my pears. The only thing I have over them is people skills and a better understanding of American English.

Please provide your take on this rant. I'm frustrated and scared for the future. I have a family to support and I need to figure out a plan B.

"Not all OSs suck, it's just that some OSs suck worse than others"

 

[KenCunningham]

Hi Fella. I do appreciate your problem and sympathise immensely. However, you may get a broader range of response somewhere like forum655.

Whatever, I do hope everything works out for you and yours.

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[kHz]

I agree with Ken you will get a better response in another forum, however, you might not get much because the topic has been debated numerous times.

Keep in mind though that IT permeates society and is entrenched in almost every company regardless of size. The companies that will outsource are the largest of them, namely Fortune 500 or 1000 companies that have very large IT staffs. But the small to medium size companies are not (well, not very likely) going to ship their work overseas.

My first job in IT was for a company that had a total of maybe 300 people and had revenue of $120 million per year. Today they have grown through acquisitions and probably have 500 employees and are surely in the $250 million per year revenue. They are not large enough and never would send jobs overseas but they are dependent upon technologies. And the pay, although not what I make with my Fortune 50 company, is very good for the area where the company is located and those in the IT department are probably better off than most people pay-wise.

So don't think it is all doom and gloom because not every company will send jobs overseas and people will still be needed here in IT. But keep yourself available for different opportunities. You might be a Unix admin today, but in 3 years you might need to be doing something else in IT. If a mechanic could only work on Model T's and didn't want to learn today's diagnostics, he wouldn't have a job. If all you know is Unix (or don't want to learn something else) then you will become the Model T mechanic.