Adam J. Davis’ Blog

Ah, one of the things that entrepreneurs like the most - academic research.

…Well, probably not - but I an interesting study came out last year about a subject that I like to talk about a lot - outsourcing.

Last year, Princeton economist Alan S. Blinder published a research paper which concluded that up to 38 million jobs, or 29 percent, of U.S. jobs are potentially offshorable within the next couple of decades. Yes, you read that right: 38 million.

Does this mean that no job is sacred any more?

Perhaps.

Does this mean that you can expect your neighbor to be competing as much against Steve from St. Petersburg, Florida as he will against Sergei from St. Petersburg, Russia?

Maybe.

Is this the real death knell for the American middle class?

Depends.

Nothing is a birthright; not a $100,000 a year job, not two houses, not three cars, not retirement - nothing. You aren’t entitled to anything here on planet earth. You have to earn it (sometimes this gets lost on a lot of people). We have a choice as to which side of the curve we are going to be on: you can be outsourced or you can be the outsourcer.

As much lip service as there is paid to “innovation,” “continuous improvement” and “global competitiveness,” how much are you putting into practice?

For as many things as there are to be outsourced, these are the many things that you can use to your advantage as an entrepreneur or working professional. If you keep taking a step up, if you make a conscious choice each day to leverage your strengths - you will be able to not only survive but thrive in the increasingly competitive global business environment.

So, which side of the curve will you be on?

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