So, I had an interesting discussion today. Jobs move overseas everyday, for a combination of reasons: union greed, corporate greed, personal greed.. Lots and lots of greed, on all sides–although I’m sure there are certainly other motivating factors.
As a programmer, this is something that concerns me every day. In the last few decades, we’ve seen the United States lose the consumer electronics industry. No longer in any great significance do we manufacture items such as TVs or radios for the general consumer.. Most components for PCs are made in Japan or China.. What if all of the overseas computer science (and other technical areas of study) college students take back not only a knowledge base to their home countries, but also the jobs for which they are training?
Our economy is leading towards (and is already most of the way to) a service economy. Customer service jobs are replacing many technically-driven jobs. Even those service jobs, in many cases, are being sent over to India and other nations across the sea. We’re losing our technical edge–the edge that innovates instead of maintains or troubleshoots.
It leads to an interesting question. I don’t think it would ever get to this extreme, but maybe so…
…would you rather work for McDonalds, flipping burgers for the rest of your life here in America.. Or would you rather go overseas and continue the profession you love?
The third option would be to change careers entirely to something this nation needs and could not get rid of–the fireman, the police officer, the doctor, the lawyer.. But what if that’s not what you love?
Would you jump the sinking innovative American ship for the career you love?