Information Technology Outsourcing refers to hardware, desktops, servers, remote infrastructure management, application maintenance and application development. How Outsourcing Affects Your Career in IT? In the United States, corporations have outsourced many thousands of Information Technology (IT) jobs to offices outside the country. Many of these jobs belong to so-called offshore organizations in India or Southeast Asia. The media buzz and corporate momentum around IT off-shoring and outsourcing reached a peak in the mid-2000s but continues to be a topic of discussion in the industry. As a current Information Technology professional in the U.S., or a student considering a future career in IT, outsourcing is a business trend you must fully understand. Don't expect the trend to reverse any time in the foreseeable future, but don't feel powerless to cope with the changes either. Changes Coming with Information Technology Outsourcing In the 1990s, workers were attracted to the Information Technology field given the 1. challenging and rewarding work 2. good pay 3. numerous opportunities, the promise of future growth and 4. long term job stability Outsourcing has been altering each of these IT career fundamentals (although the extent has been heavily debated): 1. The nature of the work changes dramatically with offshoring; the future may be equally rewarding, or it may prove wholly undesirable depending on one's individual interests and goals. 2. Information Technology salaries have been increasing in the countries that receive outsourcing contracts 3. Likewise, the total number of IT jobs have increased in some countries and may have decreased in the U.S. as a result of off-shoring much future growth will happen outside the U.S, and job stability from country to country varies greatly depending on the maturity of off-shoring business models there. How to Cope with Information Technology Outsourcing IT workers in the U.S. are already witnessing some impacts of IT outsourcing, but the future impacts will possibly be even greater. What can you do to prepare? Consider the following ideas. • Don't panic. The prospect of job searches or career changes can be quite stressful to Information Technology workers. IT students may understandably begin to question their choice of career. However, the more stress and worry a person takes on, paradoxically the more difficult it becomes to successfully reach their career goals. • Don't count on an upturn. So-called experts have predicted a sharp upturn in the U.S. economy and increase in IT jobs many times since the dot-com crash of the early 2000s, that largely has not happened. Expect that businesses with operations in the U.S. will continue to manage their IT budgets conservatively in the future. • Become a generalist. Years ago in Information Technology, specialization was king. Those with the heaviest technical backgrounds and loftiest job titles, like Enterprise Architects, commanded the highest salaries. Nowadays, a person is much better positioned if they are skilled in multiple areas of both technology and the business side of IT. Flexibility is king.
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