Gates can take his case to Washington, although i think he's not in touch with the reality of the situation. At this rate, i don't think any one would take this field due to the current perception that there IS NO JOB opportunity at all ( or career advancement) . It is kind of odd that in the 21st century, technological jobs are not the " jobs of the future" any more. One is better off being a doctor ( due to the shift in the general population's age; and the demand for consumers in that field starts to grow as the population gets older), than being in the tech field .
Currently at " ground zero", based upon what I have seen in the past few years as a college student, enrollment in the general computer sciences field ( IT, MIS, CS, SE , CE, CIS, ect) have taken a distinct nose dive. Classes used to be around 20 students or so , have now dwindled down to classes of 8 students or less. The current Java class that I am in, only sports 4 students.... 4 students including me. If that doesn't ring warning bells in the minds of CIOs and such, then i don't know what will. The current campus perception is " Don't take a major in that field since it isn't worth your time and money to do so ".
Even if you do manage to graduate in this field with a degree in hand ( as what I've seen from my older peers who have graduated last year) , this does NOT guarantee that you will get a STEADY job. The field is littered with barriers that can easily block out anyone with a 4 year degree in hand. Many employers expect " experience" in a field that does not have many "entry" ( junior position type jobs) jobs at all. So how does one go about getting experience if there are NO entry level jobs? Even more so HR expects that the current newly graduated student is to have a whole array of certifications in hand the moment that they graduate. If they don't have one of the acronyms they're suddenly " unqualified" unfit to do the job. Apparently spending thousands of dollars only satisfies one of the hurdles, college students still need to spend thousands of dollars more to earn their certifications.
The most unrecognized issue that I have viewed from many proponents of outsourcing ( including H-1b usage) is the human costs that are not realized in the immediate future. Although there are benefits in the short run, there are hidden costs associated with these trends. As an IT college student from a 4 year institution( currently in my 3rd year ) , the effects of outsourcing can be noted on the campus easily. It's a microcosm of the domino/butterfly effect. When people hear "X amount of jobs outsourced to a different country in type Y field, such signals serve to be a warning beacon: "Do not enter into this field for there is a bleak outlook on this future for job Y." This type of thinking has gutted the amount of enrollment for sciences across the board.
At the moment there are "labor shortages" in the IT market, which doesn't surprise me since the market has created the notion that the supply far outstrips the demand in the minds of many collegiate apprentices. Even though there are "labor shortages" in the IT market, enrollment remains quite sub-par since many constantly hear "company A has moved Z amount of jobs offshore," or "Why can't I get a reasonable standard of living vs. other non-tech majors." Then one would look up type of company and then generalize that "it's a tech company, if they're outsourcing their knowledge, it is therefore useless for me to pursue a career in this field." At this rate, the rigors of taking a scientific/ tech degree will soon disappear as many will shift on to jobs that are not technologically centric. Thus, in a way, outsourcing is a slow quicksand that if this is not regulated carefully, will have a frightening consequence for the future.
Slashdot Mirror
Gates can take his case to Washington, although i think he's not in touch with the reality of the situation. At this rate, i don't think any one would take this field due to the current perception that there IS NO JOB opportunity at all ( or career advancement) . It is kind of odd that in the 21st century, technological jobs are not the " jobs of the future" any more. One is better off being a doctor ( due to the shift in the general population's age; and the demand for consumers in that field starts to grow as the population gets older), than being in the tech field . Currently at " ground zero", based upon what I have seen in the past few years as a college student, enrollment in the general computer sciences field ( IT, MIS, CS, SE , CE, CIS, ect) have taken a distinct nose dive. Classes used to be around 20 students or so , have now dwindled down to classes of 8 students or less. The current Java class that I am in, only sports 4 students.... 4 students including me. If that doesn't ring warning bells in the minds of CIOs and such, then i don't know what will. The current campus perception is " Don't take a major in that field since it isn't worth your time and money to do so ". Even if you do manage to graduate in this field with a degree in hand ( as what I've seen from my older peers who have graduated last year) , this does NOT guarantee that you will get a STEADY job. The field is littered with barriers that can easily block out anyone with a 4 year degree in hand. Many employers expect " experience" in a field that does not have many "entry" ( junior position type jobs) jobs at all. So how does one go about getting experience if there are NO entry level jobs? Even more so HR expects that the current newly graduated student is to have a whole array of certifications in hand the moment that they graduate. If they don't have one of the acronyms they're suddenly " unqualified" unfit to do the job. Apparently spending thousands of dollars only satisfies one of the hurdles, college students still need to spend thousands of dollars more to earn their certifications. The most unrecognized issue that I have viewed from many proponents of outsourcing ( including H-1b usage) is the human costs that are not realized in the immediate future. Although there are benefits in the short run, there are hidden costs associated with these trends. As an IT college student from a 4 year institution( currently in my 3rd year ) , the effects of outsourcing can be noted on the campus easily. It's a microcosm of the domino/butterfly effect. When people hear "X amount of jobs outsourced to a different country in type Y field, such signals serve to be a warning beacon: "Do not enter into this field for there is a bleak outlook on this future for job Y." This type of thinking has gutted the amount of enrollment for sciences across the board. At the moment there are "labor shortages" in the IT market, which doesn't surprise me since the market has created the notion that the supply far outstrips the demand in the minds of many collegiate apprentices. Even though there are "labor shortages" in the IT market, enrollment remains quite sub-par since many constantly hear "company A has moved Z amount of jobs offshore," or "Why can't I get a reasonable standard of living vs. other non-tech majors." Then one would look up type of company and then generalize that "it's a tech company, if they're outsourcing their knowledge, it is therefore useless for me to pursue a career in this field." At this rate, the rigors of taking a scientific/ tech degree will soon disappear as many will shift on to jobs that are not technologically centric. Thus, in a way, outsourcing is a slow quicksand that if this is not regulated carefully, will have a frightening consequence for the future.