Future of Work

It's amazing to still here there is a shortage of trained programmers and Engineers in the US. It seems there is a shortage for a certain age of programmers. Of those just out of college and are seen as cutting edge, and relatively cheap. And the competition is overseas in India, Eastern Europe, and even China.

What is not mentioned is the hidden costs of moving an operation overseas. Of the communication issues that can often increase development time when there is a lack of a good specification that reduces constant changes. Communication with offshore workers can also be a challenge. Of the hidden infrastructure costs. And also the increase in the wage of programmers in other countries.

For some companies it makes sense to outsource overseas. For others it does not.

And for the workers, how do they stay competitive so they can stay employed? Theoretically by staying on the cutting edge. But from stories I have heard from out of work people I have met over the years, I wonder about this. With age discrimination a fact in the technology field, it becomes more challenging to find new opportunities.

Once a Dynamo, the Tech Sector Is Slow to Hire - NY Times