I've often said that the perceived threat of "off shoring" technology jobs is over hyped. A recent article in the New York Times seems to agree in such that while global outsourcing is a fact of life, it does not necessarily mean that American workers can't compete or offer value to the practice. This particular example illustrates how members of an IBM technology service team do just that.

The trick for companies like I.B.M. is to figure out what work to do where, and, more important, to keep bringing in the kind of higher-end work that needs to be done in this country, competing on the basis of specialized expertise and not on price alone.

In the field of technology services, Mr. Levy said, the essential skill is "often a lot more about business knowledge than it is about software technology — and it’s a lot harder to ship that kind of work overseas."

Jobs in technology services may be particularly vulnerable because computer programming can be described in math-based rules that are then sent over the Internet to anywhere there are skilled workers... In the field of technology services, Mr. Levy said, the essential skill is "often a lot more about business knowledge than it is about software technology — and it’s a lot harder to ship that kind of work overseas."

I think the key conclusion to draw from this example is that while basic code writing jobs are easily outsourced and in many cases simply not available for entry level workers, the opportunities for jobs requiring practical knowledge as well as industry specific work are still important and available. The catch is that employees need to maintain both a portfolio of current technical skills but also a suite of relevant business experience to be successful as well as maintain job security.