[PJUG Javamail] Is software engineering in the US dead?

[Nimret Sandhu]

On Monday 28 September 2009 11:02:01 am Brian Mason wrote:
> Some coding, such as maintenance could be seen as moderate skilled,
> Labor Intensive manufactoring work.  Labor intensive manufacturing
> jobs go where the labor is cheap.  And that is not in the US.

actually I would make the case that *sometimes* maintenance can require more 
skill and labor :)

> Personally, I have watched projects leave and come back.
> Unless you can get the job done for about 25-50% of the US cost labor,
> the overhead will eat up the difference.  Overhead in management and
> communication.

yep - I agree. I've managed/interacted with teams in India, China and Brazil. 
The cost benefits are really not there anymore ( salaries aren't as low as 
they used to be a couple of years back). 

The overhead as you mention in mgmt and comm is HUGE imo. Brazil was easier 
cuz it was more like east coast time, India was more challenging cuz it's a 
12 hr time difference. China was horrible in terms of conf calls, etc. 

Communication was a big challenge in both brazil and china .. even India ( and 
I am originally FROM India :)

It's hard enough trying to coordinate with folks within the same office or 
offices within the same time-zone. Add different time-zones and distance into 
the mix and it becomes very, very challenging.

> I personally have not seen quality work from over seas houses and
> dealing with them adds in a lot of overhead.

I saw the same as I see here: mostly mediocore programmers with the occasional 
smart guy. There was a big rush to move work overseas just in the name of 
saving $ but companies find they pay much more in the long term.

> > I am interested in PJUG member’s opinions on whether software engineering
> > as a career direction in the US is still viable, or whether this is a
> > dying industry as software engineers cannot compete in a global economy?

definitely still viable. The key is evolving with the times and keeping up to 
date with new technologies ( continous improvement). Powerhouses like India 
and China may be able to scale more on quantity but quality is a whole other 
ballgame. 

> > I am also interested in opinions of where I should focus my efforts if I
> > do stay in software engineering: Additional certifications in the Java EE
> > platform; learn Spring and Hibernate, EJB3, something else?

always a good idea. Work experience is even better.

> > Will a Masters Degree in software engineering be necessary to be viably
> > employed in this industry in the United States?  Would an MBA be a better
> > idea?  Should I give up and become a homeless bag man?

heh. Employers generally do tend to lean towards folks who have qualifications 
but work experience usually trumps that imo.

How about starting an open source project to scratch that itch you've had? 
Maybe contribute to something? Present at PJUG on some cool technology you've 
been reading about?
-- 
Nimret Sandhu
http://www.nimret.com
http://www.nimsoft.biz