Preserving Our Tech Competence

I've been in IT for more than 40 years. In some ways, that's a brief period of time, considering that since my days as a unit record operator, I've seen amazing advancements like IBM's System/360 , PCs, client/server, the Internet, wireless communication, smartphones and social networking. And we aren't done with innovation by any means.

Some of the latest developments include cloud computing and cheap storage. Those that are on the way include true Internet ubiquity, nanotechnology , biosensors and even transhumanism (a movement that calls for the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical capacities). These technologies will challenge us to adjust our personal and working regimens in ways that we cannot comprehend.

Other changes have been organizational. I have reservations about outsourcing and offshoring, but they are a reality of the global economy. There's no going back. What we have to recognize, though, is what a colossal mistake it would be to let the outsourcing trend go unchecked until nearly every technology job in the world is located outside of the U.S.

This is going to be tricky, because the offshoring trend feeds on itself. As the number of IT jobs available here decreases, it becomes harder to attract young people to the profession. Enrollment in computer science courses in the U.S. has been down for years, and I've even heard IT professionals, including CIOs, question whether IT is a profession they would recommend to their children.

But I'm not a pessimist. In fact, when I try to envision what's in store for IT, I see good things.