OT - Outsourced... Options

[Andy]

FWIW I've done IT consulting for the last decade and honestly I'm happy to be back working for a state university. Small business is an often untapped client base for IT people and not without reason - small businesses often have a much tighter bottom line and their owners are usually more accostomed to bartering and will try to do that with a bill. I have a litany of horror stories from bad clients so I won't go into too much detail but expect to walk away from a number of clients and expect to spend some time in civil court. It's not a bad way to make a living and can be very lucrative... But it isn't without it's pains.

[bd1308]

QUOTE (Steve Thacker @ Feb 15 2005, 09:40 AM)

We make things happen, if not for people like us, the US companies would be back in the stone age.

here in Bowling Green we ARE in the stone age!

[tdgray]

Clay... that sucks man. I lost my job last year. Best thing that ever happened to me (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif) I love where I am now. Remember life is a constant evolution. This is just where you are now.


Oh and for all of you who think you need to unionize or pass laws to stop out sourcing think again. IT DON'T WORK.

Outsourcing Myths

[rjw0514]

Clay
I am awaiting approval for a couple of Helpdesk positions to be added, but it is in central florida if you are interested let me know. However we do have alot of locations throughout the united states for desk top support those positions come open every now and then. The plus is our support and business model would make it almost impossible to outsource our IT dept.

Let me know

Bob

[cha914]

Clay,

I just recently moved from being a network admin at a law firm to a university here in Austin...no not the BIG university... anyway, I really love the university environment, and I think its a great place for IT / Admin people, more flexability, less demands, and in my case actually more budget. So I would highly recomend checking out the local universities and/or school districts, they are often hurting for good people, and the positions don't lend themselves to outsourcing.

I will keep my feelers out for Admin positions around here and let you know if I come across any openings.

Good luck,

Tony

[redshift]

Damnit!

Best of luck, man, I hope you find something completely cushy, and overpaid, where you can be appreciated.

[ClayPerrine]

Thanks to everyone who responded. As I have said for years... "I was looking for a job when I found this one" .
Well, I am looking. I don't expect to be out of work long. But you never know.....


What sucks is that I didn't have time to get my pictures and e-mail archives off my machine before leaving. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

[ClayPerrine]

QUOTE (Paul Heery @ Feb 15 2005, 03:05 PM)

Clay, A good AD guy can start at 130-160K in Manhattan. We know how much you love NYC. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

Yea.. but I have to move to NYC, and put up with the high cost of living there. Plus, my wife has a job here, and all of our family is here.

Thanks for the tip, but I will exhaust all of my leads here beofre I resort to moving to NYC or California.

(And not because of the location, but because Texas is home)

[rhilgers]

Just to make sure...


You DO know about dice.com?


-Rich Hilgersom

[JB 914]

Clay,

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I use to work for a Japanese company. Until they decided to fill my job with a guy from Japan. used to work 70-80 hrs 7 days a week. 24hr facility and they called me anytime they wanted. That's when i said (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/finger.gif) corporate jobs.

I have been self employed for over 10 years in software and IT. If you decide to go self employed you just need a business license, file a dba locally and a bank account. you don't need to incorporate unless you plan on hiring full time employees.

Really what you need is CUSTOMERS. When you are self employed you don't need to make as much $$, cuz, you can write off alot of expenses (Car, home office, phones, gas, insurance....) so, you won't be paying as much in tax.

I focus on Doctors offices. It is unreal how backwards MD's are with Networking and PC's. Easily 15+ years behind most business. Target rich enviorment (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

If you decide to go it on your own feel free to email or PM me. i'd be happy to pass on all the STUPID things i did over the last 10 years, so, you can learn from my mistakes.

Good Luck,

[larryp]

Sorry, that's Akamai Akamai, not Akamet

Same offer though.

[Lou W]

Clay, I agree with Joe Buckle, You just need customers. I've been self employed since the Areospace/Defense Industry crashed in 1990. I now work for a Mortgage Broker, yah I'm on call 7 days a week, Turn my cell phone on at 9:00 am and off at 9:00 pm, but I love it. I do get to schedule my time, and the pays not bad, You just need good work habits, and determination. I think small business is the way to go at this time. Countrywide is trying to get me to come on over, but I'm not so sure that a big Corporation is the answer. Look around, turn Lemons into lemon aid. you'll land on your feet. Good Luck

Lou (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

[Brando]

QUOTE (larryp @ Feb 15 2005, 01:45 PM)

Sorry, that's Akamai Akamai, not Akamet Same offer though.

Akamai is the devil.

#1 on my blocked hosts list (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

[Gint]

Sorry Clay. Join the (outsource) club.

Shoot me your resume when you get it ready and I'll forward it on as an employee (if you want to of course). How far are ya from Plano? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

[Carl]

Sorry to hear about your job, Clay. It would be a lot easier to take if not for the mortgage, the bills and so on.

As an owner of a small business who's made use of an IT consultant to sort out our networking problems, the right person can be a godsend. I can't afford to add a person for that work, and I don't have time to develop that level of expertise myself, so a capable consultant is a great asset.

[Dave_Darling]

Sorry to hear that, Clay. I may be joining you soon in the ranks of being "between assignments"...

Anyone want a hot-shot vis-sim guy? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

--DD
(3 solid leads so far and counting...)

[soloracer]

I wish you both luck finding good jobs. I even found the perfect "demotivational" poster for you! (It's even got the Indian content - Taj Mahol) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

[grantsfo]

Anyone who has been to Shanghai or Southern China would realize most US corporations have sold out to the lowest bidder and are not interested in providing engineering and manufacturing jobs to US citizens. HP, Dell, IBM, Apple and most consumer electronics companies have sent most manufucaturing to China to have 18-22 year old girls, who make $75 a month, produce our laptops, iPods, stereo's, etc. Even the few manufacturing plants that are still located in the US are primarily run by Chinese companies. I have been in a unique position to visit most of the major manufacturing operations supporting high technology companies in China. I cant think of a single technology company that hasnt outsourced the majority of their manufacturing in China.

Customer service and IT support for most of these products is outsourced to India.

The thing that has always bothered me is that US government hasnt taken effective steps to assure corporations are incented to keep leading edge technology and manufacturing processes in the US. I have no problem with outsourcing, its how most corporations manage outsourcing that bothers me.

I also have wondered what would happen if the US and China were to get into a scuffle. Our economy is on Chinese life support. Our debt is financed by China an most of our successful hi tech corporations depend on manufacturing in that country.

[lapuwali]

No politics boys...

If you don't want to worry about your job getting moved overseas (or to someplace else cheaper, like moving Silicon Valley jobs to Iowa, which is happening), then get a job that requires a local presence. The purpose of business is to cut costs and increase margins to increase profits, so if your job COULD be supplied by a lower cost provider, you have to assume that eventually it WILL be. So, remove yourself from the loop, or watch the clock tick.

btw, I work at a big tech company with offices in India and California, doing a job that could easily be moved to India. I could be laid off any day. I don't worry about it, as the only thing I could do if it happens is get another job. Complaining about how "unfair" the system is won't change the system or save my job. I could become a bitter political activist, or just go with the flow and find something else to do. I'd rather not be bitter. I could be an Indian who's just as bitter complaining about how I make $20 a day to do the same work someone in a rich country once did for $200 a day.

[jwalters]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) There is still one institution in this country that will never-ever-EVER go anywhere--

Coffee industry--

Invest in a high or upscale coffee house, not necessarily a starbucks--personally I think thier coffee is not the best--but I have been to a great number of independant coffee houses and am quite impressed--

There is this one girl, who started one from a derelict gas station--serves only the best organic shade grown beans money can get--is a small operation--in a town of less than 15,000 populace-and she has customers actually going out of their way to visit her and get some real americanized joe--she has about 100 postcards from customers from around the world, some are cards saying how they have heard of her and hope to someday get to visit!!!!!!! That one is from Sri Lanka--!!!!

Point is--the industry that has lagged and has really pissed people off is our very own SERVICE industry--it is on a comeback--people now want quality instead of quantitiy--

Oh, and this girl owns only this one shop, in a town of less than 15K,, and brings home about 300K a year--

Speaking of which, I just picked up this neat book from books-a-million, it is called, " How to own your own Coffeehouse",,,,, (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/idea.gif)