IT jobs that can't be outsourced - Which ones?

I am just beginning my journey in IT and while I understand that the most important thing for me to do is follow the path that interests me most, I also know that several years from now (or right now for that matter) many of the jobs related to certain specialties will be/are outsourced to other countries. With the inequalities in pay and rampant cert cheating (for a laugh, check out what countries the vast majority of traffic to braindump sites come from) it will be impossible to compete in those areas, particularly for someone with relatively little experience.

So here's my question. What cert paths qualify someone for the range of jobs that are most difficult to outsource? Which of those job types will be easiest/possible for an inexperienced-yet-intelligent person to land?

Thanks!

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Comments

rsutton

If you are thinking about jobs that won't be outsourced, you may want to consider what people are going to be outsourcing over the new few years and get a job on the outsourcing side of things, I.E. cloud services, SAAS, consulting etc.

Also, as food for thought, there is no IT job that is exempt from being outsourced. IT is less about having a "secure" job that will last you for 10-20 years, like some industries, and more about having skills that will make you attractive to a broader set of potential employers. You probably get that already, but I think some are disillusioned by what job security really means.

earweed

Outsourcing is no longer about jobs just going to another country anymore. You'll find as you're searching for work that there are a great many companies which outsource almost their entire IT department. The companies to try to get with are the companies that these services are being outsourced to. A lot of companies have there IT helpdesk outsourced now and it would be a good idea to research companies that are doing those jobs now. I've interviewedd with several of these companies lately.

eMeS

IMO trying to figure out which jobs won't be outsourced is a fool's errand.

Whether or not you're employed is rarely about the specific job. It's always about your ability to achieve results and provide value.

MS

earweed

eMeS wrote: »

IMO trying to figure out which jobs won't be outsourced is a fool's errand.

Whether or not you're employed is rarely about the specific job. It's always about your ability to achieve results and provide value.

MS

+1 If you can achieve results and provide value it doesn't mean your job can't be outsourced either. It will just mean that you would be valuable to another company at that role which hasn't outsourced YET when you go to get a new job.

eansdad

All good answers...

To make it easier though jobs that require hands on and security will always stay state side and local. They might be outsourced to an outside company but they will always be here. You can send your help desk and programming needs to India but you can send your Systems Admin or Desktop Support person.

Hope that helps.

apena7

Management?

Mishra

IT trash boy. You have to be close to the garbage can to throw boxes away.

Seriously though, just listen to eMeS.

eMeS

Mishra wrote: »

IT trash boy. You have to be close to the garbage can to throw boxes away.

Seriously though, just listen to eMeS.

I'm a strong believer that there's no job that can be outsourced or offshored. I'm also a strong believer that this is a good thing because it means that as jobs become routine over time they are done in the lowest cost location, which frees up smart people to do all of the new jobs that are created.

Point is, whatever you're doing today you will not be doing the same thing in maybe 5 or even 10 years, and if you are you've done yourself a huge disservice.

MS

Turgon

Pratt2 wrote: »

I am just beginning my journey in IT and while I understand that the most important thing for me to do is follow the path that interests me most, I also know that several years from now (or right now for that matter) many of the jobs related to certain specialties will be/are outsourced to other countries. With the inequalities in pay and rampant cert cheating (for a laugh, check out what countries the vast majority of traffic to braindump sites come from) it will be impossible to compete in those areas, particularly for someone with relatively little experience.

So here's my question. What cert paths qualify someone for the range of jobs that are most difficult to outsource? Which of those job types will be easiest/possible for an inexperienced-yet-intelligent person to land?

Thanks!

It can all go. If you want longevity in this industry you need to use your head. Picking the 'untouchable' is pointless because it's a moving target and once you think you have that surrounded something happens 'out there' that obliterates your plan.

I have grown up in this industry and seen a lot of changes, not least the trend you have noticed. What you tend to get are a lot of glib pieces of advice such as:

'You gotta keep constantly learning' or 'You have to change or die'.

First of all you can't chase technology without running the very real risk of becoming an unbalanced person at some point in your life. You do need to learn things, but you have to learn the right things. In terms of changes, expect some, but you do not have to metamorphasis into somekind of technical ninja to succeed.

Some of the things you need to succeed these days have been there for years. A few people are exceptions and dont worry about them. A lot of other people never even consider them, a bunch of other people see them and have varying degrees of success in obtaining or doing well in them.

1. Profile. If your profile is stellar success will come your way. If it less good the road will involve more toil
2. Position. Where you presently *fit* within your organisation or chosen freelance space will largely dictate your success, certainly in the short term and perhaps well into the future
3. Pragmatism. Your ability to make correct non emotive decisions about what you need to do to progress.
4. Prediction. Your ability to assess opportunities both within your organisation and further out will be tested
5. Progression. You need to demonstrate promotion and rising responsibilities on your CV
6. Portfolio. What have you actually done in the field that is truly impressive?

Tick boxes in these areas and you are *very* employable. In terms of technology groundings I honestly wouldn't get hung up on it these days. I would say get *enough* field experience so you really do understand how things actually hang together and then get on into management levels or design/architect areas. Today more and more IT workers are being corralled into an area known as operations and its being squeezed and squeezed by auditors, standards, TCO hippies, beancounters and pie chart executives who want 'engineers on a coat hanger'. So get in and get out of that space as fast as you can.

arwes

From my personal experience, at my last job I worked the night shift doing AS/400 backups & such at a local hospital. Anytime the threat of layoffs came around, everyone was scared and my boss told me & my coworker that we would be the last ones they would ever get rid of because nobody else wanted our jobs.

Then came the buyout. I don't think I'd go so far to say that we were outsourced. Consolidated is more like it. We had 10 people in my department (IT Director, Programmers, Network Admin, PC Techs, Help Desk & Computer Operators). They could handle any programming from their Franklin, TN HQ. Same for Computer Operators, they could handle that remotely. So six of us got laid off. Well actually five, because I started a new job a week before they canned everybody.

MrAgent

rsutton wrote: »

If you are thinking about jobs that won't be outsourced, you may want to consider what people are going to be outsourcing over the new few years and get a job on the outsourcing side of things, I.E. cloud services, SAAS, consulting etc.

Also, as food for thought, there is no IT job that is exempt from being outsourced. IT is less about having a "secure" job that will last you for 10-20 years, like some industries, and more about having skills that will make you attractive to a broader set of potential employers. You probably get that already, but I think some are disillusioned by what job security really means.

Not true. Government jobs which require a clearance will never be outsourced.

To the OP, if youre worried about having a job and not being outsourced, look into a federal government job.

SteveLord

Exactly. Does it look like government is getting any smaller lately? People spend their lives in government for a reason. The benefits and how difficult it is to get fired/laid off.

Pratt2

I just want to thank everyone who replied, it's been a big help!

eansdad

Government jobs can be outsourced just ask those replaced from the Navy/Marine Corps with EDS people. It doesn't happen as much in Government but it can still happen but at least there are rules to being outsourced like you get right of first refusal (meaning you get hired first). I'm in a civil service position in NJ and they talk about outsourcing us every year. They pay us like crap so it wouldn't save them anything to do it. I guess low pay has it's benefits too.

Like I said before any job CAN be outsourced but jobs requiring hands-on and security will always remain local.

MrAgent

eansdad wrote: »

Government jobs can be outsourced just ask those replaced from the Navy/Marine Corps with EDS people. It doesn't happen as much in Government but it can still happen but at least there are rules to being outsourced like you get right of first refusal (meaning you get hired first). I'm in a civil service position in NJ and they talk about outsourcing us every year. They pay us like crap so it wouldn't save them anything to do it. I guess low pay has it's benefits too.

Like I said before any job CAN be outsourced but jobs requiring hands-on and security will always remain local.

Again, federal government jobs which require a clearance can not be outsourced. You HAVE to be an American citizen to get cleared.

Priston

Field technicians and warrenty repair technician would be really expensive to outsource.

BradleyHU

yeah, you're confusing outsourced with off-shored. but um, pretty much any job can be outsourced, and majority of the jobs can be off-shored.

Paul Boz

Many companies are leery of outsourcing or off-shoring security jobs because of the elevated level of access. I believe that is one of the reasons why security is the fastest growing sector of IT.

eMeS

BradleyHU wrote: »

yeah, you're confusing outsourced with off-shored. but um, pretty much any job can be outsourced, and majority of the jobs can be off-shored.

My sentiments exactly....any job can be outsourced, and many government jobs that require clearances are outsourced.

Offshoring is a different animal altogether....

MS

Xcluziv

Turgon wrote: »

It can all go. If you want longevity in this industry you need to use your head. Picking the 'untouchable' is pointless because it's a moving target and once you think you have that surrounded something happens 'out there' that obliterates your plan.

I have grown up in this industry and seen a lot of changes, not least the trend you have noticed. What you tend to get are a lot of glib pieces of advice such as:

'You gotta keep constantly learning' or 'You have to change or die'.

First of all you can't chase technology without running the very real risk of becoming an unbalanced person at some point in your life. You do need to learn things, but you have to learn the right things. In terms of changes, expect some, but you do not have to metamorphasis into somekind of technical ninja to succeed.

Some of the things you need to succeed these days have been there for years. A few people are exceptions and dont worry about them. A lot of other people never even consider them, a bunch of other people see them and have varying degrees of success in obtaining or doing well in them.

1. Profile. If your profile is stellar success will come your way. If it less good the road will involve more toil
2. Position. Where you presently *fit* within your organisation or chosen freelance space will largely dictate your success, certainly in the short term and perhaps well into the future
3. Pragmatism. Your ability to make correct non emotive decisions about what you need to do to progress.
4. Prediction. Your ability to assess opportunities both within your organisation and further out will be tested
5. Progression. You need to demonstrate promotion and rising responsibilities on your CV
6. Portfolio. What have you actually done in the field that is truly impressive?

Tick boxes in these areas and you are *very* employable. In terms of technology groundings I honestly wouldn't get hung up on it these days. I would say get *enough* field experience so you really do understand how things actually hang together and then get on into management levels or design/architect areas. Today more and more IT workers are being corralled into an area known as operations and its being squeezed and squeezed by auditors, standards, TCO hippies, beancounters and pie chart executives who want 'engineers on a coat hanger'. So get in and get out of that space as fast as you can.

Pure words of wisdom from Turgon

These are the intangibles you must live by. As long as you build up yourself as a fantastic asset you will always be valuable to any company or organization

earweed

Outsourcing is done right here and is a means for companies to have a trimmed down internal IT department. The only jobs I've been seriously in the running for are jobs that have been outsourced. Very few of the banks and few of the hospitals in my area have their own IT departments and if they do it is small. They have IT people onsite who work for another company entirely, which is a weird sort of outsourcing.
A lot of people here may even be outsourced but just not publicize it.
I may be doing some project work here soon for a company that is mainly an IT outsource company, they provide helpdesk for a lot of different companies instead of the individual companies having an IT helpdesk.

Pratt2

Yep, I was confusing outsourcing with sending jobs out of the US, but I think discussing either trend is useful.

someuser23

Any job can be outsourced...

It you want security in I.T you to keep up with change and in this industry, it's alot of change and often.

If you want security and do want to continually learn new things and be a "student" well into your 50's then I would do something else that's more easier on the mind, a one and done type of job... without the continual studying and preparing and learning new skills.

BTW, companies care about money over anything else, if they want your job gone, it's gone, no amount of alpha male, work harder mindset will save your position....

Get back to reality... if the other guy isn't as proficient as you but doesn't screw up beyond belief and he's working for 1/8th your salary, it's a wrap my friend.

SteveLord

Scott LaRock wrote: »

Get back to reality... if the other guy isn't as proficient as you but doesn't screw up beyond belief and he's working for 1/8th your salary, it's a wrap my friend.

Glad someone else on here gets this. They'll do the same with regards to hiring new employees. Save your "they love my personality!" ego snacks for something else.