While you make some interesting points, there is a fundamental flaw in your assertions. Actually I can see 2 flaws.
It has been my experience in the industry that no matter how many times I have explained that to do engineering projects on time and within budget a firm spec is needed up front. So far in 25 years in the industry, I have had that once and then only because I was the expert in the domain and wrote the specs on my time after work. When you outsource engineering work you absolutely need firm specs up front and then you pay dearly for changes during development. The costs of engineering in the US would be reduced significantly by following the same principles and using local resources. In addition, the quality could be managed much more effectively in that scenario.
The second problem with what you are saying is in market. If you force your local labor force to jobs that keep them at a poverty level, you have no customers. We have a tremendous trade deficit now and the effect of shipping work off-shore will be interesting to see.
One last point, how are the shareholders of the companies going to react when their jobs are the ones that are lost due to cheaper labor elsewhere. That could be another interesting reaction to watch.
Having spent younger years in the repair industry and since then having paid many people for repair on various items, I have reach the conclusion that having certification has nothing to do with the ability to perform the work. I am not a certified network engineer but have found myself in a position several times in different companies that the certified network administrator was unable to perform the work but had to rely on me to help them understand what needed to be done and how to do it. So, research on the quality of service and capabilities of prospective employees is far more important than relying on certifications.
I agree with Chris. With a solid understanding of the low level aspects of the machine, OS, and language, learning a language like Java or Smalltalk is not a large hurdle. Someone who has been working with Java or even VB only typically is lost when asked to learn C/C++. Because of a lack of understanding of the machine, OS, and language, many more errors are created and frequently the approaches are flawed. This is a pattern that I have seen repeat itself over the years I have been in the industry.
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While you make some interesting points, there is a fundamental flaw in your assertions. Actually I can see 2 flaws.
It has been my experience in the industry that no matter how many times I have explained that to do engineering projects on time and within budget a firm spec is needed up front. So far in 25 years in the industry, I have had that once and then only because I was the expert in the domain and wrote the specs on my time after work. When you outsource engineering work you absolutely need firm specs up front and then you pay dearly for changes during development. The costs of engineering in the US would be reduced significantly by following the same principles and using local resources. In addition, the quality could be managed much more effectively in that scenario.
The second problem with what you are saying is in market. If you force your local labor force to jobs that keep them at a poverty level, you have no customers. We have a tremendous trade deficit now and the effect of shipping work off-shore will be interesting to see.
One last point, how are the shareholders of the companies going to react when their jobs are the ones that are lost due to cheaper labor elsewhere. That could be another interesting reaction to watch.
Having spent younger years in the repair industry and since then having paid many people for repair on various items, I have reach the conclusion that having certification has nothing to do with the ability to perform the work. I am not a certified network engineer but have found myself in a position several times in different companies that the certified network administrator was unable to perform the work but had to rely on me to help them understand what needed to be done and how to do it. So, research on the quality of service and capabilities of prospective employees is far more important than relying on certifications.
I agree with Chris. With a solid understanding of the low level aspects of the machine, OS, and language, learning a language like Java or Smalltalk is not a large hurdle. Someone who has been working with Java or even VB only typically is lost when asked to learn C/C++. Because of a lack of understanding of the machine, OS, and language, many more errors are created and frequently the approaches are flawed. This is a pattern that I have seen repeat itself over the years I have been in the industry.