Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Hottest IT Job

This would be the second wave, the hot steaming Java again is taking Cebu by storm, so with a large number of programmers (special mention to our friends at NEC). Undeniably, Java is coming strong, fueled by a surge in demand of skilled Java programmers in Singapore, the US and IT companies abroad. If your looking for a good chances of working overseas, at this time, Java is the way to go.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Cebu, Poaching Site for IT Engineers

As of this writing, 40 IT engineers that I knew have already left Cebu since January this year to work for Singapore based IT companies. An average of 4 IT engineers a month! Thats just a fraction of the whole number of IT engineers who left the country to work abroad.

Is this good or bad? A brain-drain or brain-gain? There is no definite answer, it could be either or both.

Usually, experienced IT engineers seek for high paying jobs abroad. Earn enough to build a house and buy a car then come back home and settle for good. Thus, returnees bring skills and technologies which would benefit the local companies they work for upon their return. On the other hand, junior IT engineers usually stay and buildup experience and skills for a period of 2 to 3 years before going abroad. So I would say, its still a win-win scenario. Not so bad at all.

The most effective way to stop our IT engineers from leaving would be to increase their pay, comparable (i mean not really equal) to what they earn if they work abroad. To achieve this, we have to build a very strong software industry locally and reach global, just like the Japanese auto industry.