So why are you changing jobs?

Subtitle: Globalization Hits Home

You've probably heard of this poem before; if not, its history can be found here.

"When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out."

For years, IT companies have been sending jobs overseas. In the case of my current employer, they go to India. Now, management has been careful to tell us that they'd never send away our precious jobs, because they could never replace our precious skill set. I've never really bought it, but didn't really complain because it wasn't hitting home.

Well, BAM! It hit home this week. In our team meeting this past Thursday, we were all informed that our biggest customer is moving their equipment out of our data center, and into a data center where they can be supported by systems administrators from India. The team will be onsite next month to cross-train. Now, once again, I have been assured that MY job is safe, but there are others in my own team that will not be safe. One of our most outspoken UNIX admins even went so far as to blurt out, "So, do you want me to quit NOW?!?" Amen sister.

You know, in a way it's funny. I've been job-hunting for about three months now, and I've struggled to answer the question every potential employer asks when they look at my resume: "You've been at your current employer for a long time (16 years), why are you leaving now?" Now, I've got a really good answer.