Brendan Tompkins [MVP]

We're hiring. Give me a call or email.

Thanks for the post.

Two comments:
1: Bravo.
2. Brass ones. 100% pure brass.

I recently wrote to my congressman about the offshoring trend. Personally, I understand why a business would do this when looking *purely at bottom line.* However, there are many pitfalls on the road to profit, one of which is lack of experience for otherwise fine developers (as mentioned in your previously referenced InfoWorld article. Another is how to manage the project from so far away. If the per hour cost is .25 of US cost, but takes 5 times as long to get it right .... well...

But mostly it's the effect on the economy, both now and in the future. These jobs aren't "anybody can do 'em .. hire an illegal immigrate" jobs. They require years of training and experience to do well. When you start to remove the need for these types of services, you'll end up with US companies that have a CEO, President, and bevy of Vice Presidents each telling the janitors and offshore representatives what to do. They will also be the only ones contributing to the unbelievable unemployment and welfare state.

Well ... thanks again. I have to finish developing some device drivers, web services and a new, powerful high-security tcp/ip stack. Then I have to apply for that job at 7/11.

Best wishes.

I agree with the others who have commented so far. I admire your willingness to stand up for what you believe in, and what a lot of us believe in as well. God Bless.

Aw Shucks. Thanks everyone! Well, I can tell you that this is something I've been thinking about for the past year. Yes, this offshore issue has pushed me into it, but as my wife will tell you, her frequent "conversations" with me were probably the bigger reason for me finally doing it. She's the light of my life, but if any of you are married, you'll know what I mean.

Bob... Can you post your letter somewhere? Perhaps we could let others use it as boilerplate for writing their own congressmen.

-B

Brendan.. I would do it in a heartbeat except that I sent it through the house of representative's web site. Kinda expected them to bit-bucket it, but got back a two-pager about how he is on (or will be on) some committee to research it.

Sorry....

Bob, you're in Texas, right? I'd like to know what Anne Richards thinks about this.

Actually, I'm a fellow Virginian. Of the northern variety.

I live near and actually work in the viper pit. Sorry. DC.

Ah. Your IP# Traces to Dallas.. I guess that doesn't mean anything these days... Cheers. B

There was an article in this morning's Washington Times about oursourcing. I wrote this note to the editor...

This morning Wednesday's (3/17), I read Thomas Sowell's column concerning outsourcing and have been reading other conservative writings on the same topic.For the first time that I can remember, I have found myself at odds with many of my favorite columnists, thinking that the reasons given for supporting outsourcing (profits & protectionism) do not outweigh the future of this country.

Here's my reasoning. During the past few decades, we have been subjected to various commentators decrying the deportation of jobs that are typically low-paid, requiring little skilled or education. These jobs are often in the manufacturing sector and involve creating products that are purchased by everyday consumers. The logic stated that there is a never-ending supply of cheap labor overseas that can be had for a fraction of the cost of similar American labor. Unfortunately, this is quite true. Unskilled labor is available across much of the world and is likely to continue as long as there are countries that discourage individual achievement and excellence.

Now comes "outsourcing". In this round of job exportation comes a new and better way to make profits. We will be subjected to various commentators decrying the deportation of jobs that are typically high-paid, requiring significant skill and education. These jobs are often in the service sector and involve creating products that are uniquely tailored to those who purchase them. The logic stated that there is a never-ending supply of cheap labor overseas that can be had for a fraction of the cost of similar American labor.

This is where the argument falls apart. It has been my experience that in jobs requiring high-skill and education, there are a few who are great, several who are good and many who fake it. As the resources overseas are tapped (and tapped out), the prices will inevitably start to rise at an ever-increasing rate until they match that which can be had in America.

Unfortunately, the once-great American high-skilled and educated workers have immigrated to India and are working at McRavi's saying, "'Would you like Tandoori Chicken sticks with that?"

I just want to mention something. About 8 years ago, I helped start up a company that experienced enormous growth during the Internet boom. We actually went from one full-time non-contractor employee (me) to about 75 in 4 years. We went from working out of the Presidents' apartment in Brookline, MA, to an entire floor of an office building in Post Office Square in Boston. We could never have done this without hiring consultants from India like Sudheer Nagalamadaca, Sankara (?), Venugopala Iyer and many more just to name a few. These guys were stellar and had moved to Boston to work with us... they were in our offices.

I just want to mention this, because I'm afraid that people reading this blog will feel that this is all somehow anti-asian. Nothing could be further from the truth.

-B

I understand and agree. I have worked with some incredible technologists from India, Iran, China and Russia. As far as I am concerned, let them flood into America and help us build our economy. More power to them.

Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but I think the point is that it is "American" companies are the problem. In the quest for the almighty dollar today, the future is being forfeited (to some degree or another.)

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the companies are capable of stopping the outflow of work without some legislative encouragement. Make companies that outsource certain types of work ineligable to compete for government contracts. Make the cost of outsourced work non-tax deductable. Remove patent and copyright protection from all outsourced work. Impose import tariffs on products created by outsourcing.

Gee. All these great ideas, and I'm just a layperson. I'm sure our elected sadists could get truly imaginitive if they thought it would help them stay in office.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

(thanks, Dennis.)

Check out washtech.org for lots of info on outsourcing.

Brendan - way to go! Like Darrell said, we're hiring. Get in touch.

Boy am I going to get slammed for being the bad guy... I am one of these people who outsources .NET development work to China. And the experience for our company has been tremendous. The pay rate is 1/10 of a US engineer, and their work ethic, on average, is far better than our US engineers. Yes, there's a translation issue, but we went out and hired American software developers who were fluent in English and Chinese, and when we hire Chinese, we hire those that our bilingual as well. They work the night shift producing code for the US half of the team, who spends their day, testing, writing code requirements, and making strategic code changes or wrangling with sensitive portions of the systems we build. They do the heavy lifting, but our American programmers do the heavy thinking.

The result has been that our company has grown wildly--the American team memebrs are all VERY highly skilled. The Chinese team is paid very well for China. Could we keep those jobs over here? Sure, buy I'd have to hire cheaper US programmers, who wouldn't have the same level of skill, and therefore I'd need more of them (and thus negate any cost savings, by hiring cheaper labor). We would dilute our team's skill, bloat our payroll, and be far less able to compete in the market place. The company would go under, and those American programmers could go stand in the unemployment line...

So, I'm afraid I don't believe that outsourcing jobs is an erosion of the American workforce. We live in a global community and the faster and sooner we realise this, the better off we'll be. Pretty soon, the 4 billion chinese will be coming out of their industrial age and into the information age and our overpriced, under-trained, workers will be growing rice for a living.

So, stick your heads in your shell if you want, but its not likely to help you compete in a world gone global.

Kevin.

No, not at all. This post is dated for sure. I'm not sure how I feel about it still, but I was on a tear for a couple of months back then, just frustrated that my company was outsourcing projects that I was competing for.

I'm so happy I've left my company. I'm happy my current contract has not outsourced. I'm still worried about it in general. I'm worried about the issues it raises, human rights, security, fair trade, etc. But, I'm not going to try to fight it.

I agree with you.

It is a global community now. You just can't live in your own small world.

Be prepared to survive or be prepared to die. :P