It’s a Big World - Outsourcing Video

I just finished watching a Discovery Channel video recommended by Robert Scoble in his blog post ”Video on the other side of outsourcing” called “The Other Side of Outsourcing” by Thomas Friedman.

I really enjoyed it. I’ve worked with so many Indians over the years and it was interesting to get a glimpse into their country of origin. It was also interesting to hear about the cultural struggles they are having, a little about the hiring processes, to see the folks working in the call centers, to see their homes, and to learn a little about their culture. I was really struck by the statistic that 54% of the Indian population is under 25 years old. It’s easy to imagine India becoming an economic powerhouse. And to visualize the cultural upheaval that they will soon be living with. It reminds me of the 60’s and our baby-boomers. They totally changed the direction that America was heading in and as a result – changed the world.

A few days ago I blogged about the rejection of the Visa increase. The video really drives home the complexity of the issues involving the globalization of the high-tech industry. When I’ve dealt with the frustration of outsourcing I had only thought about the American jobs that were lost, I hadn’t realized that American companies are supplying a lot of the equipment and software that the Indian workers are using.

I had come to the conclusion that the only way, as an American, to win in the new economy is to become a country of innovators; we need to create new ideas, technologies, processes, and companies. This video reaffirmed that conclusion. India is a hungry country full of bright young people. Bright young people have minds like sponges. With the amount of money and the projects that are being poured into India it’s only a matter of time before those young people become innovators instead of a well educated inexpensive work force.

Coming back to the US, it’s in our best interest to invest in innovative technologies, companies, and our children. This leads me to think that the current education system which is designed to produce workers will need to be revamped to produce creative thinkers and business leaders. But that is a soap box for another day.

Merry Christmas!