Microsoft, Amid Dwindling Interest, Talks Up Computing as a Career

New York Times ^ | March 1, 2004 | Steve Lohr

[bvw]

Keep, then, your own stray arrows in their quiver.

[oceanview]

What market are they adapting to? Do you see any Indian startup companies competing with them? Where is India Business Machines taking away all their contracts? Is Goldman Sachs and other major US companies going to sign contracts with Tata Global Services and turn over all their IT infrastructure to them?

At least US based manufacturers have a legitimate excuse: "hey, if we don't send washing machine plants to Mexico, washers made in China and Korea will flood the US market at lower prices and destroy us". Is that happening with IBM?

[_Jim]

what jobs functions at IBM aren't viewed as a commodity? Right now, its the executive suite, sales and marketing, legal and intellectual property, program management.

How many BD (business divisions) does IBM currently have?

I think you've only scratched the surface as far as job classifications go at that behemoth known as IBM ...

IBM, IMO is not near the leader that they a) once were and b) could have been - given a plethora of bad decisions throughout their history; like a lot of businesses, they made a lot of decisions though their history with just the smallest percentage more right then their competition during those years ...

[oceanview]

give them time, this offshoring thing is just starting to get rolling, give it 5-10 more years. those classifications cover alot of positions, and when they can get Indian program managers to cover the needs of their US customers adequately, watch out.

[hotdogjones]

SUn will survive. Alot of folks are taking java certification exams. It is a big training industry now. Most of the government work on Websites is being done in Java.

What is scary is that is seems that more foreigners are getting there java certifications than Americans.

[_Jim]

"If you invent a breakthrough in artificial intelligence, so machines can learn," Mr. Gates responded, "that is worth 10 Microsofts."

THIS is where you people *might* be missing it ... technology as Mr. Gates referring to is capable of replacing those programmers currently employed overseas; the gold cup will go to the individual or individuals who create the program/the computer that writes its own code ...

Years ago, I worked at a telecom company that produced a product called ServiceBuilder that basically took the programmer out of the loop for mundane, routine changes when creating 'new call services' -

- no longer was code written to run on the 'switch', but rather a GUI had been produced that the customer could manipulate and do the 'programming' required for the new services ... no more need to know arcane switch 'script' language or request changes to switch SPC (stored program control) programs ...

[oceanview]

Sun hardly makes any money off of Java.

[kittymyrib]

Gates and the other typically myopic corporate heads want our kids to spend a fortune on a university education in computer science and then have to take a minimum wage job after they are laid off because the companies have decided to save money and go to India. How stupid does he think we and our kids are?

[Lael]

BTTT!!

[Landru]

"'We need your excitement,' he told students at Harvard. 'Most of these jobs are very interesting and very social - you work with lots of smart people. I'm excited about the future of computing, and I'm excited to see how each of you can contribute to it.'"

That would've done it, alright.

Has I been in any of those audiences listening to this crackpot, I'd have stood up & called for a hot kettle o' pitch and sack of feathers.

When the goofy SOB left that day.

...it'd have been on a rail.

[TSgt]

Thank you for the uplifting reply.

I've spent the past 8 years of my life in Information Technology doing work that you refer to as, "flipping switches" and "putting in new cards." It's good to know that I can be replaced with a "monkey" and that my job doesn't require any understanding of electronic architecture or logical troubleshooting skills.

What do you propose I change my major to?

[FoxPro]

What do you propose I change my major to?

Marketing.

[TSgt]

What line of work are you in and why do you say Marketing?

I know of many unemployed Marketing and Communication majors.

You sure I shouldn't try Philosophy or History while I'm at it?

[GraniteStateConservative]

Retrain to become a congressman.

[techie12]

Notice how congressman is the one occupation with a strong legal prohibition against immigrant competition?

[FoxPro]

What line of work are you in and why do you say Marketing?

Landscaping, garbage collection, auto mecanic, construction, HVAC, transportation.

Come to think about it, the list isent very long. We are all in deep trouble.

[dfwgator]

Instead, he plans to head to Wall Street this spring to join the bond trading desk at Lehman Brothers, where he will work on research and analyzing fixed-income securities.

That is going to be offshored as well.

[dirtboy]

I've found that techies, if they want to keep working, need to develop a wider range of skills, beyond programming languages. I had five hot prospects running simulatenously back in February - four were interested in me because I had acquired a pratical QA background, and the other because of my marketing background - they told me I was the only solid candidate that had both technical and marketing skills. So nowadays you need to combine business, quality and technical skills to create a resume that is difficult to outsource.

[dirtboy]

What do you propose I change my major to?

Marketing.

See my post #78 - it's along those lines.

[FoxPro]

You actually found a job? Wow!