The World is Flat

If you haven't read the book The World is Flat, then maybe you should. Or at least read the first hundred pages or so. Or at least read my blog entry.

First, check out this video, it kind of sets up my point well:

Did You Know?

The World is Flat is a book by Thomas Friedman that was written around 2006. His ideas and thoughts in the book apply to basically every field of work and every person in the world, particularly the U.S. Friedman's point is that with the level of technology and outsourcing that is occurring and has occurred in the past 20 years, the job market and education as we know it is changing completely.

For example, did you know that the U.S. outsources X-rays in some places? If a hospital is overwhelmed, they can send X-Rays via e-mail to doctors in Australia who report back. Or accountants: Many accounting firms outsource their tax work to India. Businessmen even outsource secretaries. They can have someone in India set up their schedule, answer their phone calls, and check presentations for a much cheaper price than someone in the U.S.

China and India are both growing in all areas. They are developing technical schools that are churning out engineers and scientists at an alarming rate. Call centers in India have some of the higher paying jobs in the area. A U.S. company can pay call center employees a fraction of what an American would make in the same position, and the Indians can provide for their whole family.

It's not a possibility, it's a reality. American jobs are being lost. Want to be a radiologist? That may be mostly outsourced when you graduate. Want to be an engineer? You're going to be competing against millions from other countries. Want a minimum wage job answering phones? It'll be outsourced or automated by a machine.  Want to be a professor? Online classes are growing in popularity and will likely be outsourced soon. (I even read an example that some fast food places are outsourcing (to other States) the drive through by having one center that takes orders from multiple restaurants several states away)

Friedman calls it a "Flat World" because there's no longer barriers. Communication is instant, and everyone is on an equal playing field. Students are just as likely to enter the workforce with someone from China as they are someone from Kentucky.

People think this is nothing new, but it is: 40 years ago educators and parents weren't preparing their kids for something like this. There was no internet. Call centers weren't based in India because the long distance rates would be unbelievable. The internet, web browsers,  fiber optics, Y2K, offshoring, Web 2.0, all these things have come into play in the last 20 years.

It effects everyone: Educators, students, doctors, politicians, everyone. How does it effect you?