Re: [PLUG] Interesting Outsourcing Article...

[Rebecca Ore <rebecca.ore@verizon.net>]

On Fri, Sep 12, 2003 at 08:13:45PM -0400, Art Clemons
(artclemons@aol.com) wrote:
> 
> I've always viewed adjuncts as the equivalent of post docs only
> without benefits, office space or enough pay, still it is honest work
> (yes I know post-docs are really underpaid).  In fact I view the
> practice as a means of reducing costs more than anything else.  It
> might make sense if adjunct profs were employed elsewhere and a school
> needed skills only available from that prof, but that's not what or
> how adjuncts are treated.

Theoretically, it's paying one's dues, but reality is that half the
teaching staffs at colleges and universities are on short term contracts
without benefits.  It's been going on since forever in English
departments -- 90% of MAs and PhDs would get jobs in the field; about 2
percent would get tenure.

> 
> 
> >My guess is that not all of it will stay out-sourced.  A number of
> >small specialty factories in the north couldn't move south because
> >they needed specially trained skilled workers.  Southern school
> >wouldn't train high school students in some trades because the jobs
> >weren't there.  
> 
> This is becoming a spiral downward for everyone, I meet people working
> for the same salary they used to get, only they don't have benefits
> and they can be terminated at will or at the need of the employer.
> Eventually, people will realize that a living wage in the US is
> actually worth paying even if cheaper help is available overseas.  For
> example, I wonder how much it costs to be sure that someone in India
> actually is doing the work contracted for.

I think the non-standard English is going to be more of a problem than
the people doing the outsourcing realize.  I'm not a programmer, but as
I understand it, code needs to be intelligently commented to be
maintained easily.

-- 
Rebecca Ore
http://mysite.verizon.net/rebecca.ore
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