Financial Reflections

The second entry in my rules comes straight from today’s headlines.  Dell computers announced that it’s going to double it’s staff in India.  Outsourcing is a topic that’s been in the headlines for some time now and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.  However, outsourcing is only one part of the rule.

Which, of course, leads me to my second rule:

No Matter What You Do For a Living, Someone is Thinking of Ways To Eliminate Your Job

Think your job is safe?  Think again.  Most news on the outsourcing phenomenon focuses on computers and call centers.  But accountants, financial analysts and surgeons are finding that work is being sent overseas.   People are worried about this, and with good reason - even innovation can be outsourced.  But outsourcing is just part of an age old problem.

No matter what you do, the people who pay for the goods or services you produce will look for a way to pay less for it. Immigrants would come to the US and take jobs for less than those that lived here, then blue collar jobs went overseas.  Outsourcing is just another way this rule manifests itself.

I honestly don’t see a way to turn the tide on outsourcing, or any other trend that threatens to take away my job.  The best I can do is come up with a way to compete in spite of the obstacles.  Here’s what I’ve come up with to beat outsourcing (with props to MoneyCentral and TechWeb):

• Find jobs that give you face time with your customer - My current job puts me face-to-face with the people I’m developing software for.  No matter what area you are in, if your job requires personally meeting the customer, you have a better chance against people who are geographically separated from the customer.
• Always develop your skills - Seek skills that keep you from being a commodity in the market.  Yes, there are some very highly skilled positions moving overseas, but often the jobs that move abroad are the commodity skills, such as call center jobs, or tax preparers.
• Be culturally aware - Jobs that require knowledge of one’s native culture give you an advantage.  Offshore call center employees struggle to understand American accents and culture, the struggles can be even greater for other positions.  Also, be aware that you might manage people from other cultures in the global economy.  The new manager will need to work with people from multiple nations.

After all the doom and gloom we hear about outsourcing, its important to note that outsourcing isn’t a magic bullet and that the hiring outlook is still steady after a surge in February.  So don’t despair, just be aware of Rule Two.