On Outsourcing
Another thought in light of the events of yesterday: we are at a fabulous time in computer history, best illuminated by the existence of the Python programming language. If it was easy enough to outsource to an effectively untrained individual, a computer would already be doing it. And it probably wouldn’t be too hard to implement.
Carrying on from there, I think that many things that are being outsourced are being underestimated in terms of difficulty. No, payroll processing is not rocket science, but it’s also not paint by numbers. Right now, “exception” is like a very bad word that should never be said but is said all the time.
The definition of “professional” often ends up being largely about decision-making. Managing exceptions. Many accountants and IT people (among others, I’m sure) - people in my kind of position - are now trying to argue that they are not professionals, which would ipso facto qualify them for overtime.
But, guys, welcome to the information economy. If you define yourself out of being a professional and aren’t swinging a hammer, I’ve got a netbook on my couch that has better job security than you within the corporate world. It’s only getting more severe as we go.