[CapnJack]

"My reason for posting this is that my job was recently outsourced. I am 34 and am contemplating a career in IT. Are there any opinions on which Information Technology sector or jobs are least likely to be outsourced?"

IT is a good field, but programming knowledge WITH business knowledge is where to be. If you can provide a business solution as well as a IT solution, you will be a very valuable asset.

I work in with the ERP (Enterprise Resource Package) SAP. And SAP consultants are in high demand. I am a developer (SAP ABAP language) as well as a configurator (someone who "flips the switches" to deliver a specific business process).

If you desire a field in IT, consider pursuing a career in SAP and focus on business knowledge: Logistics, Production Planning (MRP), Finance, HR mgmt, Purchasing, etc.. Take a look on Monster.com or DICE.com a put in SAP and ABAP in the search and you will see quite a few open positions.

[sgtyork]

No, don’t work with SAP, work with an American ERP company Oracle! ;-)

[Woodman]

Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner (not a whiner). Good IT jobs are still there, but you need to have the flexibility and build the proper skill sets to take advantage of them.

[Non-Sequitur]

IT is a good field, but programming knowledge WITH business knowledge is where to be. If you can provide a business solution as well as a IT solution, you will be a very valuable asset.

How do you develop such a skill set? You start at entry level and build up your skills and business knowledge by hands on experience over years. The problem is that the entry level jobs are gone and not returning. We're losing the jobs that used to grow our leadership in the IT and financial areas. It's the same with SAP. We outsource a lot of our SAP development to Asia.

I look at the IT area where I work and I would have to say that almost three-quarters of our resources are mid-40's or older. There is no next generation in the pipeline. Not any more.