Career Outlook In US - Outsourcing and Creativity

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I awoke this morning to a local news station reporting that the main job market in the US for the coming years will be in "creative" fields such as interior designers, real estate, obstetrics and chiropractic practices.

The reasoning was that Americans are stressed at work(chiropractic services), relaxing more at home (interior designers / real estate) and placing more emphasis on family (baby docs).

Well, I guess if you're one of the lucky ones still employed and insured that would apply. This struck me as sounding rather odd and out of touch (or perhaps I am) since those things would seem to have more aptly applied to the '90's.

The report continued, noting a trip by Bill Gates to DC recently where he hammered home that the US is not creating enough "creative people" to fill positions in the computer / tech / software fields.

Then I come across this:

Quote:

Please, please, please someone tell us that this is a joke: The Virtual Secretary

In a chic downtown lobby across the street from the Old Executive Office Building, Saadia Musa answers phones, orders sandwiches and lets in the FedEx guy.

And she does it all from Karachi, Pakistan.

As receptionist for the Resource Group, Musa greets employees and visitors via a flat screen hanging on the lobby's wall. Although they are nine hours behind and nearly 7,500 miles away, her U.S.-based bosses rely on her to keep order during the traffic of calls and meetings.

The Resource Group, a call-center company, represents a model that might sound familiar: U.S. companies save money by offshoring certain tasks to developing countries with cheaper workers who can telemarket, integrate data and program computer code. These "back-office" functions have created a booming, multibillion-dollar industry in countries such as India, Ireland and the Philippines.

(Oh, and for those of you that don't know: the Old Executive Building is the much larger grey building next to the White House that houses stuff like the Vice President)

Source

It's a pretty sad day, IMO, when even secretaries and receptionists are being outsourced.

Maybe I'm wrong. But, where are Anericans supposed to work? What careers do you see as "up and coming?" What industry is likely to be the most prosperous for our country over the next decade? Any ideas or thoughts?

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Selling apples on street corners.

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Good question?

I used a payroll service from a major bank whose calling
center was in India. Shocked

However, due to repeated
payroll errors mainly because of pronunciation and
language barriers, I received a letter last week from this
major bank announcing the cancellation with their Indian
contractor. From now on, the calling center will be on
american soil again.

In essence though, I think there is a worldwide shift
from industrial countries contracting cheap labor into
third world countries. In the future (so I think) industrial
nations will gear towards research, development,
knowhow and science while third world countries do
all the manufacturing and inexpensive labor task.

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Which might work if we were teaching science and research, but we aren't. There is no comparison between the science education I received and what my kids are getting. The critical thinking, research and development skills are not being nurtured, which is what Bill Gates trip to DC was about.

It's beyond critical for the current generation, many of whom will only be qualified for the jobs that are now being outsourced.

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Career Outlook In US - Outsourcing and Creativity

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