| The market for all those one time high paying | | | | "you get what you pay for", "we tried offshoring |
| computer programming jobs are starting to be filled be | | | | software development once and now we spend all |
| less expensive offshore software developers. | | | | day fixing offshore developers code", "we saved a |
| Welcome to the world of global competition in | | | | boatload of money by offshoring certain tactical |
| offshore software development. Depending on your | | | | aspects of software development", etc. In my |
| context, offshore software development can be | | | | experience, these points have more merit in big |
| viewed as a new competition threat or opportunity in | | | | company circumstances compared to small business. |
| new resources. Or, it can be viewed as a combination | | | | Clients for website development expect to pay lower |
| of both. | | | | fees than they did in the 90s regardless of their |
| As an American, I believe there is mostly a negative | | | | company size. As a small business owner, I'm unable |
| conatation towards the trend of large American | | | | to maintain a sustainable profit margin with lower client |
| companies offshoring jobs. You know, the underlying | | | | fees. What can I do? Simple. Hire offshore developers |
| tone is somthing similar to "big companies only care | | | | at lower rates, so my profit margin allows the projects |
| about profits, not people". Honestly, when the topic is | | | | to be worthwhile. The opportunity for me is to spend |
| big business, I can agree with points on both sides of | | | | more time on clearly defining technical architecture, |
| the discussions. But, what is often lost in these | | | | project management and communicating regularly with |
| discussions of offshoring software development jobs | | | | developers and clients rather than writing code. |
| are the opportunities it creates for small business. | | | | Win-win-win: Client wins, my company wins, offshore |
| I'm living proof that small business opportunity lies in | | | | software developers win. But, when there is a winner, |
| being able to win local clients and then clearly articulate | | | | there usually is a looser? The looser in software |
| and manage the project to offshore developers. For | | | | development landscape shift is the small business that |
| me, more time needs to be spent thinking on strategic | | | | refuses to adapt to global competition or utilize these |
| level concepts and ideas rather than fulfilling tactical | | | | global resources. Or the individual software developer |
| level operations. I did not realize this overnight and it | | | | who refuse to adapt to lower rates and more |
| has taken me years to accept. | | | | pressure and competition to innovate. And no, building |
| As a software developer, my industry is in a state of | | | | walls around ourselves and the industry is not the |
| flux. Is offshoring software development a good thing | | | | answer. If we try create global software development |
| or a bad thing? The jury is still out and the discussions | | | | competition barriers, we are creating a path towards |
| are usually quite lively. Over the years, I've heard the | | | | lose-lose-lose. |
| following snippets in the discussions "quality vs. cost", | | | | |