Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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New Zealand has always prided itself on having some of the best programmers
in the world and indeed, our code-cutters have produced some world-beating
software.
One only has to look at the likes of Virtual Spectator, the guys behind Weta Workshops
stunning visual effects, the authors of Ghost, the NavMan people and a long
list of others who are leaders in their fields to realise just how good
we can really be.
Unfortunately however, if this report from IDG
is to be believed, we're about to encounter a bit of a problem.
It seems that one of the most critical resources in our quest to become
a viable player in the IT section of the global knowledge economy is running
out and we're not doing enough to replenish it.
So why aren't our youngest and brightest being attracted by the prospect of
spending long periods of time bathed in the glow of a CRT or LCD screen while
guzzling coke and scoffing pizza?
Has the dot-com bust tarnished the image of computer programmers?
Or is it simply that computer programming is "so 1990s" as to be
unfashionable these days?
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Well perhaps the answer is simply that those who might previously have been
queuing to line up for IT degrees and jobs are smarter than we thought.
In case you hadn't noticed, an increasing number of IT companies are
taking advantage of very low cost of outsourcing and sending their code-cutting tasks
to countries such as India.
Why pay a local programmer a huge amount of cash each month when, for a small
fraction of that, you can get the same job done by someone who thinks that
$100 a month is big-bucks?
And just watch what happens to outsourcing costs when China wakes up and
starts to train an army of programmers so that it can set up their own
outsourcing operation.
Indeed, outsourced computer programming is a fantastic opportunity for many
countries where labour is cheap.
Just as we now have sweat-shops in 3rd-world countries spewing out cheap
clothing, kitchenware, appliances and other items -- we'll soon also have
them spewing out code cut to your own specifications.
Sure, there are problems with the language barrier and many of those Indian
outsourcers speak far more fluent C++ than they do English -- but the smart
outsourcing companies have very good people handling the customer/programmer
communications so this isn't really a problem.
Given the choice of paying $10/hour and $50/hour for programming services
on a project that may involve thousands of hours of code-cutting -- which way
do you really think many of our IT shops are going to go?
Across the ditch, major IT organisations (such as Telstra)
are already turning to outsourcing to save development costs and you know
that it's highly likely that a number of NZ companies will follow suit
before long.
The only question that will remain unanswered at that time will be whether
they jumped or were pushed.
Will Kiwi IT shops use low-cost outsourced code-cutters because they can't
get local programmers, or is this a move that many have already planned for?
If you're a programmer working in NZ, do you feel threatened by
the rising tide of off-shore outsourcing?
Would you advise others to consider computer programming as a viable
career option in today's cut-throat commercial environment?
And, even if we do train up more programmers, how do we encourage them
to stay in NZ rather than skip to other parts of the world where they
can earn far more with their skills?
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