I’ve been trading my engineering skills for money since I graduated from college. Last week, I talked to some undergraduates who are looking to do the same.

It was a panel discussion at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Members of an Industry Advisory Committee fielded questions from students in the software engineering program. The general idea was, we panel members would provide our sage advice to students about to enter the industry. I expected to be asked what a software engineer actually did all day, what tools and languages were important to know, etc.

The first student, wasting no time, asked, “How many of your companies are outsourcing software jobs to other countries?”

Our collective response: Silence. Each panelist waited for another to answer.

After a few seconds a fellow panelist finally spoke up and we began taking turns answering the question and giving our varied opinions on the subject. Most of us said our companies were either outsourcing abroad already or had plans to do so in the near future.

It shows what is front and center in the minds of these future graduates. It can’t be comforting to think that the education you’re working hard to acquire might not get you a job. It’s a topic I think about, too. But it’s not something I’m worried about.

Kevin Laws has written excellent piece that explains why: The Irony of Outsourcing. According to Kevin, the irony is:

Every engineer knows a company that is outsourcing engineering work to India or China, and many are wondering if their jobs are next. Engineers in Silicon Valley are now waking up to the same angst that their technologies have caused in workers elsewhere. Silicon Valley, welcome to America.

But it’s not all bad news. Rather it’s the result of increasing productivity. And in the long run, it’s better for everybody. To find out why, read Kevin’s article.