Response from: Jim Kukral

The Borderline Decision: Outsourcing IT
Author: Jim F. Kukral In the Spring of 2003, I was driving home from work one day when I spotted a man standing on the corner of the Rte. 77/Rockside Rd. exit. The man appeared to be 30-ish, well dressed and groomed, and holding a hand-made sign. As I moved closer, I was able to read the sign. It didn't say, "Will Work For Food". It said, "Programmer Needs Work". It went on to show all the types of certifications and experience in operating systems, plus a contact phone number, etc... Obviously, this visual and blatant reality stuck with me for some time. I kept thinking, "why can't this guy get a job? Why does he have to resort to this? Wow, times are tougher than I thought." I made up millions of excuses like "well, maybe he's just a bad programmer or a troublemaker." Or, "he's just too proud to take a pay cut in this down economic era", or "maybe he's just crazy or something." I absolutely tried to convince myself that this person could have found a job if he really tried and that this person isn't typical of the IT situation in Cleveland. In other words, I really wanted to believe that the problem wasn't what I thought it was: Outsourcing IT. After all, I've worked with over 30 different programmers over the past 5 years. I know how they work and think and how they "are". There could be a million reasons why this person couldn't get a job. At least I hoped so. So what was the problem? Why was this gentleman standing on the street looking for a white-collar professional job? Perhaps it is because business, large and small, continues to outsource work beyond our borders? Is this wayside programmer a road kill specimen of what happens when a CEO utters the phrase, "We can't compete"? Of course their is the reality of business, so stop your lecture going on in your head right now. Yes, business is business and sometimes this must happen to stay competitive, and that business owners should be able to do whatever they want, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... I even agree with those reasons, in general terms. After all, this is America dammit! However, a line has to be drawn at some point. When? When does a CEO say, "I need to find a way to make it work and stay competitive, DESPITE the fact that I'm not making AS MUCH money as I used to be?" At what point should a business owner actually try to NOT TAKE THE SHORTCUT, and instead try to work through the problem creatively instead of jumping the gun and sending all development to China? In other words, is it possible for us to shoulder our greed for the greater good of our community? Or is that directly against the rules of today's economic agenda and pursuit of life, liberty and happiness? I think we know the answer in reality, but it doesn't mean you have to like the taste of it. Can IT America self-contain our resources and still survive? Or are we destined to a roadside full of out of work techies because the company Controller needs to reduce payroll so the board of directors can still get their bonuses? Where does it end? Finally, do you think it's possible to label a business who out sources their work, only because of cost, as a failure? Should a business owner feel responsible for not making it work, or is it acceptable for them to fall back on excuses that perhaps they couldn't control? The answers are not easily found I'm afraid. The long-term effects are already being realized. Where do you stand? Where SHOULD you stand? I guess that depends on who you are. Have you looked in the mirror lately and made sure it's who you thought it was?