Wake up, or perish.....

Those who had been interacting with me over last few years would remember me as a doomsayer who had forewarned of the current recession.

Writing on the wall was clear. Cosmic dance between creation and destruction goes on. Those who watched great boom with awe are now watching the doom with despair.

Can it be any different? Answer is an emphatic Yes!

For an industry, nascent like software development, it is time for stocktaking, time for a pause and making right choices. Whether nation, business houses or individuals, those who make right decision would stay on in the race; and others vanish into oblivion.... an inescapable fact of life.

It is time we realize software development is yet another industry, yet another business, yet another profession with all the responsibilities that comes along.

It is a job, a means of living, a business. It goes into creation of intangible social structure that someone is depending on, for their life, for their job. What we do affect the very social fabric we depend on.

It is time for keeping purse string tight; it is time to correct excesses but making right decisions, right investments

A quick glance into the past shows us that other industries have gone through a similar cycle. For instance, great depression of 1930s forced a correction with practices like lean production/manufacturing; brought in the balance, controlling the excesses of those times. World has come around a full cycle!

What does that mean for us now? More on that later... but as a software engineer consider, how many hours of your work is truly creative, that require 'YOU'? If yes, how does the human intensive work, where everyone needs to be creative and apply the intellect, is engineering? If not why you are not doing it? can you be replaced by a machine? a software? another person? Every business house needs to start thinking the same... every software engineer needs to start thinking the same

Remeber, if you are asking these questions, answering these questions, and acting on them, there is someone else who is doing it, and that would decide your fate!

Back again

I had tumultuous time for last couple of years, personally. It was also time for hectic work on professional front and consolidation. Refer case studies published in IBM web site:

Much of this was achieved with the teamwork, including customer, IBM in India and my own team; a team which was absolute novices transformed into thorough professionals with continuous mentoring