Looming Tech Talent Shortage Is No Surprise Except To Those Who Fueled It

When American companies started calling fornot so permanent after all.
exportation of technical resources to off shoreInstead of understanding and correcting the crisis
interests as the next great idea for saving moneythey have created, business leaders continue to do
and boosting profits, there were plenty of alarms andwhat they have always done once they have
warnings within every organization that considereddecided to rip an industry away from middle class
this move a very bad idea. Despite the red lights andhands. As India's talent pool begins to seek more
sirens, business leadership disconnected themselvesreward for their effort and life investment, American
from all their early warning systems, and pulled thebusiness leaders are looking for ways and locations to
rug out from under American technical workersget more for their money by selecting less expensive
anyway.off shore offerings.
In addition to moving operations to India and otherThere are voices in the industry who are calling for
cut rate foreign talent pools, business leaders beganrallying behind American based talent, and doing what
to sunset American resources who were age 40 andit takes to attract our youth and experienced
over, with a message that told people in no uncertainworkers back into service, but so far, business
terms that their services would no longer be required.leaders are not very keen on this idea. The trends
Middle class workers were let go by the thousands,for business leaders are to keep it cheap and try to
and sent out into the job market to get whateverget Congress to ease immigration laws so they can
kind of work they could find, with many leaving theirimport foreign talent who will come here to live, and
technical career experiences far behind. After ruiningspend their money in our economy.
the fortunes of middle class workers, and finding thatHow much faith can we have in a business system
the expectations for off shore resources were notthat builds and destroys middle class work ethics in a
bringing on a new technical boom for Americancyclic fashion, only to conclude that they need help
companies, business leaders decided that they mightfrom the government to rebuild from their mistakes
need a few American based technical resources afterby importing a new kind of middle class from other
all.countries?
As the search for fresh talent began, businessOur business community has finally found a kind of
leaders started looking for young talent to exploit forwork that requires more than highly paid warm
less money and benefits, and higher work loads thanbodies to do the work. Technical work takes a level
older workers with experience in the industry. Theyof talent that cannot be found just anywhere, and
thought there would surely be a broad pool of youngwhen it is available, this talent expects to continue
lions willing to work for pennies on the dollar tobeing rewarded for the effort. Whether the skill set
outshine their predecessors, and bust their humps tocomes from India, China, Europe, Mexico, or the
take on the burden of doing more than ever toUnited States, technical experts will continue to
prove their worth. Now there seems to bedemand as high a premium as possible for what they
something wrong with this picture. Business leadersoffer, and when business decides the price is too
did not consider the possibility that older technicalhigh, the people will stop doing this kind of work for
workers would not go quietly into the night, and thatnothing. Technical skills are not the kind of effort that
they would actually educate their children not tocan be sustained by working in a sweat shop or from
follow in their failed footsteps. A large portion of thea slum. It takes ability, energy, creativity, and
needed pool of college graduates politely said, "Noencouragement to sustain the expectations of people
thanks," to the option of getting a degree inwho make demands upon the industry.
computer science.People who create the technologies are also on the
With American youth turning their nose up at beingforefront of those who spend their money to buy it.
overworked and underpaid, and India workers nowThere are few people in this country who are willing
feeling the pressure of what they are beingto knowingly choose a career that puts them out of
expected to accomplish, our business leaders arework with nothing to show for their effort by the
finding that the cheap price tag for technical skills istime they reach 40.