[Arryn]

Gandalf,

The only thing I can add to your reply is don't rely overmuch on what you read in trade press (for any particular trade). I get rags for my trade (software consulting) and what I read rarely jives with what I see in the real world around me. The same was true when I was in network support a decade ago. A friend of mine is a hotel manager and what he reads in his industry's trade rags bears little resemblence to reality according to the stories he tells me.

Plus, limiting yourself to just what you read about US developers (even assuming it's true for them) is hardly representative of the broader context of the global economy. You'd see that your trade is prospering quite nicely if you'd cross that big chunk of water to our east.

And please, please don't remind me about outsourcing. My Last permanent job ended up in Calcutta. I'm am still quite sore (a massive understatement; I'm livid) about it.