School of Informatics not afraid of national outsourcing trends

The IU School of Informatics says students have nothing to worry about after a recent study done by New York University Stern School of Business and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania found that 8 percent of information technology workers surveyed have experienced offshore-related displacement.

In the study, titled “Jobs Beyond Borders,” more than 6,700 workers across the U.S. were surveyed along with more than 3,000 hiring managers and human resources professionals. Though computer programmers and software developers have the jobs that are most likely to be outsourced, the study shows older workers are more likely to lose their jobs than younger workers.

At IU, administrators are not concerned.

“Offshore outsourcing is a reality; however, sometimes people hear that and they think jobs are going away. But in the whole picture, the technology economy is robust,” said Jeremy Podany, director of career services at the IU School of Informatics. “I have way more jobs than I have students. Last year, coming through our office, we had three jobs for every one student.”

As one of the smaller schools on campus, Podany said the School of Informatics has the second-largest job fair. Its job fair on Tuesday will have between 75 and 80 companies in attendance, Podany said. That’s a lot of companies, considering there are only 395 undergraduates in the School of Informatics, said Dennis Groth, associate dean for undergraduate studies for the School of Informatics.

“The big problem I have right now is helping the students negotiate multiple offers,” Podany said.

By January of their senior year, about 50 percent of students in the School of Informatics will be offered jobs, Podany said. By graduation, 72 percent will have accepted an employment offer or acceptance to graduate school.

Many companies also use internships as a hiring path for companies, Groth said.

“We’re looking at ways to engage students in professional experience at an earlier age,” he said. “The job search almost begins as a freshman in this particular area. That’s not true in other areas.”

Junior Kelsey Yost had an internship last summer where she was a quality insurance tester and ran software for companies. She said the company offered to hire her after graduation.

“I got it through the career Web site for the School of Informatics,” Yost said. “The professors are a ton of help. They know there’s a lot of jobs out there. There’s a lot of connections to be made. Several of my professors in the past worked for Microsoft.”

Senior Jessica Falkenthal believes her expertise in IT will carry her a long way, and she’s not too concerned with offshore outsourcing.

“I feel prepared with my IT training to apply for any job I want to pursue,” she said. “It’s constantly growing. I don’t feel it’s something my classmates should be worried about.”

Falkenthal has worked as an intern for the National 4-H Council since the summer after her sophomore year. After her internship, they offered her a job after graduation, and she works about 20 hours a week for them during the school year.

Robert Schnabel, dean of the IU School of Informatics, also said the more sophisticated technology is less likely to be outsourced.

“In general, the ones more likely to be outsourced are the ones that are commodities,” Schnabel said. “The ones that are less likely are the ones with a high level of skill and a combined expertise and understanding of what that company does.”

Groth believes the misconception of IT comes from the aspect that many people don’t understand what IT jobs entail. It’s more than just a job in front of a computer, he said.

“It’s an issue of perception,” Groth said. “You have to work with people. You spend more time away from the computer than by it. All the interesting problems require realms and problem solving. It’s something we’re working very hard on to show what it really is.”