Article in Wired Magazine subtitled "How India became the capital of the computing revolution." Worth reading if you're a software developer. Some interesting quotes:
"But isn't part of this country's vitality its ability to make these kinds of changes?" I counter. "We've done it before - going from farm to factory, from factory to knowledge work, and from knowledge work to whatever's next."
She looks at me. Then she says, "I'd like to know where you go from knowledge."
Within four years, IT outsourcing will be a $57 billion annual industry - responsible for 7 percent of India's GDP and employing some 4 million people.
As I meet programmers and executives, I hear lots of talk about quality and focus and ISO and CMM certifications and getting the details right. But never - not once - does anybody mention innovation, creativity, or changing the world. Again, it reminds me of Japan in the '80s - dedicated to continuous improvement but often at the expense of bolder leaps of possibility.
Send the maintenance to India and, even after costs, 20 percent of the budget is freed up to come up with the next breakthrough app. The result: more workers focused on real innovation. What comes after services? Creativity.
I do agree that jumping on a protectionist band-wagon isn't a solution in the long term. I wouldn't mind seeing some protectionism just to slow down the inevitable. Compared to previous industry migrations, this one is happening much faster and I think it's only compassionate to give people time to adjust, retrain and find new jobs.
As for the thesis that the next step is creativity, I'm rather skeptical. But the world does sound like it will belong to the multi-talented, self-promoting freelancer.