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

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

[bvw]

King Midas was a wealthy Grecian merchant and a popular king with a loving wife and a young daughter, until the day that his beloved wife died while tending to the poor peasants on a winter night. Blaming her death on her foolish charity, Midas looked upon the poor with disdain, and dedicated his life to the one thing he could love that would not perish -- his fortune! But a local outlaw threatens to undo Midas' fortune, and when he steals his golden sword, Midas becomes obsessed with capturing this rogue who gives his gold away to the poor. Wanting more than anything to protect his fortune, Midas wishes for unlimited wealth and is visited in a dream by Dionysus, god of revelry, who answers the King's wish by giving Midas the "golden touch". Overtaken by greed, Midas turns all around him into gold, even the very creatures in the garden that his wife had so lovingly tended to. But his dream of wealth soon becomes his worst nightmare, when he captures the masked outlaw and turns him into a gold statue only to discover it's his beloved daughter.

(source: TV Tome: "Mythic Warriors - KIng Midas: The Golden Touch", http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-10240/epid-151073)

[_Jim]

I ca tell you that he is correct.

See my posts 33 and 39 this thread -

- are you saying we have 'reached the end of the line' in America?

Why is TI (NYSE: TXN) investing 7 billion in new plants in Tejas when 'the end of the line' has been reached?

Maybe it's just in your part of the country and state - perhaps the 'business environment' is not conducive to business ...

[oceanview]

Yes, and the all the further advancements in the consumer electronics field you mention - came from the countries that took the industry from the US. You don't see the LCD and plasma screen market, a HUGE worldwide market, domininated by the US. How could it. Once you lose an industry, you also lose any further advancement (and jobs) that that industry would have brought.

[_Jim]

Several of the largest U.S. IT vendors ...

IT is a 'commodity' - I've mentioned this several time over ...

How do you/how would you propose competing in a bottom-dollar 'commodity' field?

Let's take gasoline/petroleum for example - a) how many new 'oil' companies have sprung up in the last 25 years b) what has the cost of gasoline been (indexed to inflation)?

Do you feel that it's "strategic" enough to warrant higher prices across the board and a guaranteed reduced standard of living for the sake of mandating that commodity products and 'jobs' stay on shore?

[_Jim]

Once you lose an industry, you also lose any further advancement (and jobs) that that industry would have brought.

See post #42

TI (TXN) is also a leading manufacturer of DLP (Digital Light Projector) technology ...

[EEDUDE]

"perhaps the 'business environment' is not conducive to business ..."

Well my friend, you just said a mouthful.

That is EXACTLY what I blame.

It is not GWB and trade policies.

It is over-regulation, high taxes, cost of health care, frivolous lawsuits, environmental regs...

I could go on for hours.

[bvw]

"Tomorrow -- ?"

Tommorrow, dearest _Jim, may you be dragged along after some buggy, caught by a dropped buggy whip, and the doctors -- failing to have antibiotics -- are forced to pour salt in the horrid wounds and gashes you'll suffer. For your own good, Jim, for your own good! Make sure you DEMAND they pour more and more salt on those wounds. Don't want to be infected, don't you know.

Now.

There are computers and software and will continue to be. These are not archaics. They are needed goods and growing developing technology -- growing not longer under our Flag, though. Wholesale looting and piracy is NOT obsolescense.

[oceanview]

what isn't a commodity? only jobs that require a physical presence, or have some form of worker protection, or the protection of the "cliques" like the bond trader job in the article that started this thread.

[_Jim]

what isn't a commodity?

Oh brother ... another 'victim' of too much Wal-Mart/Sam's Club shopping I'm afraid ...

If what you see/envision is only what 'stuff' is shrink-wrapped and on the shelves in 'stores' - I don't think I can broaden your 'horizons' much to a world a little bigger than that ...

[_Jim]

Tommorrow, ...

Now.

There are computers and software ...

I don't know where to begin on this one - you've already decided that 'the end is 'nigh'.

Can I have your Sam's (or any other) discount card, any parking permits you may have, and any property that is clear titled in your name?

[redbaiter]

Never heard so much whining in all my life. I work in software development, I've never been busier (same goes for the whole group) and I just got a decent raise. Just keep working on your skill set and you'll be fine.

[mikegi]

It would nice if the NYTimes would produce a graph showing the number of CS graduates over two or three decades. I'm sure they deceptively picked the peak (1999-2000) as their reference in order to enhance the doom and gloom.

For the other oldtimers out there, doesn't all this D-n-G sound a lot like the Japan threat in the 1980s? Remember? The Japanese were going to kill the US high tech industry, buy up all the valuable US property, etc...

[EEDUDE]

You got it.

When you have x-rays read in India, and paralegal work done in India, tax preparation done in India, accounting done in India.....

Nothing is off limits.

I predict that many of the people now supporting outsourcing will soon be given their very own personal pink slips, much to their utter amazement.

Another thing:

Once Motorola and HP have built all their semiconductor fabs and design centers in China, it may very well happen that someday the Chinese just come in and say, "this is now the property of the Chinese government". All you Americans go home.

Far-fetched?

They do it all the time with intellectual property and patents.

[oceanview]

IBM is offshoring IT, HR, call centers/customer support, accounting/finance, purchasing, payroll services. do you realize how many positions we are talking about if taken to the limit?

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. Those are the only ones they aren't considering offshoring right now. And give the Indians time to learn the business, in five years, program mgmt will be going also.

[_Jim]

IBM is offshoring IT, HR, call centers/customer support, accounting/finance, purchasing, payroll services. do you realize how many positions we are talking about if taken to the limit?

I look for IBM to 'go away' - as many big compamies are like to do - WHERE will those jobs be then?

End result; this 'out sourcing' is just a last breath move to keep the 'firm' alive ...

[FastCoyote]

"No doubt. I've been a software developer since 1988, and the job market is terrible. Companies are no longer willing to pay the big bucks anymore for guys like me. Over the past 12 months I've actually considered a change of careers."

Ditto, I'm trying hard to get out. Not that I've stopped programming, I'm now programming like the dickens, but for myself. Companies just don't appreciate it if you write even the best code for them, they just won't pay. Since the code is invisible to the enduser, it has become worthless in their eyes.

[oceanview]

IBM isn't going anywhere. They survived the PC revolution, which everyone thought would destroy their mainframe centric business. Instead, companies like Sun are the ones dying off. IBM is stronger then ever.

[bvw]

No, dear _Jim, you may not have them. Nor may I.

The Senate Grandees, the Beltway Princes and th House Dim-Wits have given them all to the some representatives of Chinese Army in trade for a sexy fresh young woman at the hotel room door after a hard day of trade-showing.

[_Jim]

IBM is stronger then ever.

Do you think that outsourcing has anything to do with it?

Do you think that adapting to the market - adjusting their business has anything to do with it?

[_Jim]

The Senate Grandees, the ..

Okay - okay Alex (Alex Jones) - I don't get anything out of these rants so you don't have to do 'them' in the future ...