Software development jobs are no longer glamorous or sexy these days. The industry has recovered from the dot com crash but the outsourcing pressure is putting a lid on the salary of programmers in the US and other western countries. Another thing is development job itself could be boring and repetitive. Considering all these factors, I was thinking about do some adjustment about my career path in the past year: technical consulting related to my background (PLM implementation)? Programming for another field? Financial Engineering (programming for the Wall Street)?
At the end of year, I think I am going to stick to what I am doing now: the PLM software development. While enterprise software is maturing very fast in recent years in the US and western countries. I believe it has great potential in China and other emerging market.
Outsourcing may not be a good thing for many new programmers (or new computer science graduate) in the west; it also provide opportunity for people who want to take the lead. I believe my development experience, although not as extensive as some big shots such as Dr. Kaifu Lee, will still be valuable and useful to new programmers. Young Chinese students may only need one Dr. Lee as their God father; but they may need 1000 western educated or experienced developers to help them grow. I can see myself to be a part of the effort in the not too distant future.
I am very grateful for all my family and friends who provided insightful advice and moral support in the past year. I had to admit it was not an easy year, but with all your help, the road definitely becomes much easier. Wish all of you have a happy new year!