As you know there are hundreds of forums for every subject imaginable, but one that is close to 95% of the people that visit this site are the projected growth/decline of IT related jobs in the U.S. over the next 10 -15 years.
I am a systems technician for a medium size company in Frederick, MD and I have taken a great interest in this topic. I have read countless forums and have honestly become quite confused. Some say that there will be a steady decline in "highly technical jobs like computer operaters/administrators" by 2012

, some say IT jobs will be increasingly outsourced, others say that the IT field will be one of the fastest growing fields over the next ten years. I am constantly studying to get more certs month after month to try to stay with or ahead of the next guy, but one has to wonder, is it worth it? I mean, I love what I do, I love the IT field, I love my paycheck now, but in 10 years, love wont pay the bills. Sometimes I bury my face into the books, and the practice tests and so on and so forth, and other times I just look at the pages with a blank stare and wonder if I should be focusing more on getting into another field.
No one holds a crystal ball and Im sure in 10-15 years, hindsight will still be 20/20. What Im simply asking for are some of your valued opinions on this subject. What do you all think, or believe will happen?