This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by Carlos Perez. Original Post: How To Survive IT Deflation Part II Feed Title: .:Manageability:. Feed URL: http://www.manageability.org/blog/stuff/rssDisabled?portal_status_message=Syndication+is+Disabled Feed Description: Random thoughts on the manageability of complex software. Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by Carlos Perez Latest Posts From .:Manageability:.

People are blogging about how and why they're going to survive IT deflation.

Bruce Eckel writes http://mindview.net/WebLog/log-0032 . He reasons that the statistics may be flawed. He points to a Department of Labor report showing top demand for computer related jobs. He sites personal experience of people who never have enough time. He reasons that most programmers who got laid off weren't really programmers. He reasons that jobs haven't really vanished, its just that work is just migrating from large companies to smaller companies.  I don't disagree with these observations, however they all hint to a pretty grim conclusion: 

These are rare individuals, ones who are committed to their craft, and are probably now or will eventually be that mythical 5% of programmers.

Fortunately, he doesn't deny that there a contraction going on, so he draws up his own battle plan to survive.

Ron Hitchens writes http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/3293. He recently moved into a cramped townhome in the Bay Area (possibly costing over half a million dollars). He reasons about the inevitabilty of competition and that market forces will eventually prevail.  He reasons that the way to survival is to provide a better value proposition.  He observes that rigidly structured, assembly line operations of the IT kind will definitely go offshore just like manufacturing.  He believes that highly customized, innovative, ground-breaking IT will remain.  History repeating itself, last time it was for blue-color jobs, this time its for white-color jobs. In short, he saying the same thing as Bruce Eckel, if you happen to be one of those rare individuals, you survive.

His battle plan, keep learning and growing as a professional and stay close to the place where "great ideas are born and nourished".

Now what if I can't afford the half million dollar townhome in East Bay?  Well you can look for inspiration from David Sims.  Sims wrote one of the first Schedulers for Java named JDring. Realizing the gaping hole in the market, he then moved on to create a commercial version. His product now is deployed in six continents and is even licensed by Sun (the inventor of Java).     What's his secret?  Well for one, he one of those rare individuals. Second secret, well he keeps his costs down by living in Montana.

Well what if I can't stand wide open spaces in the country side?  Well you can look for inspiration from Jim Clark. Clark wrote the first XSLT implementation and is arguable the most prolific contributor to the XML community.  Clark packed his bags and moved to a third world country.  He now runs his open source company in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok (The area is particularly relevant to me since I spent the first 12 years of my life living there). What's his secret?  Again he's another one of those rare individuals.  Second secret, well he keeps his costs down by living in a third world country.

So, right now I'm not sure if what I just wrote was inspirational or just down right depressing?  I guess it depends on you subscribing or not to Woody Allen's "90% of life is just showing up" .