*             ,
                       _/^\_
                      <>
     *                 /.-.\         *
              *        `/&\`                   *
                      ,@.*;@,
                     /_o.I %_\    *
        *           (`'--:o(_@;
                   /`;--.,__ `')             *
                  ;@`o % O,*`'`&\
            *    (`'--)_@ ;o %'()\      *
                 /`;--._`''--._O'@;
                /&*,()~o`;-.,_ `""`)
     *          /`,@ ;+& () o*`;-';\
               (`""--.,_0 +% @' &()\
               /-.,_    ``''--....-'`)  *
          *    /@%;o`:;'--,.__   __.'\
              ;*,&(); @ % &^;~`"`o;@();         *
              /(); o^~; & ().o@*&`;&%O\
        jgs   `"="==""==,,,.,="=="==="`
           __.----.(\-''#####---...___...-----._
         '`         \)_`"""""`
                 .--' ')
               o(  )_-\
                 `"""` `

ascii art taken from http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/xmas.htm#xmastree

It’s a given that the world population is growing. It’s also a given that the world economy is currently slowing.  This overall slowing of the economy is triggering job cuts across many levels of industry, and IT is at the heart of many such trimmings. When IT itself is not being cut, the IT professionals are often tasked with finding ways to make things more efficient or to automate various processes so that other positions can be cut. Just how deep should these cuts go, and should IT professionals get any say in the matter? A speaker from Cisco once said that Linux was the lens through which he found the flaws in his networks.  I believe this metaphor can be carried further, and that IT as a whole exposes more about humanity than we realize.  With this in mind, just how far should we carry our automation endeavors?

Is it acceptable to script system management such that 3 admins are needed instead of 4? Should we automate a line of factory jobs to save the company some money, or increase shareholder profits?  Is making a product cheaper an acceptable reason to eliminate jobs?

How much responsibility does IT have in these actions, and how much responsibility should we take for them? Should we seek out ways to trim down the company and take a ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality, or do we seek out a way to preserve the jobs of those around us? Should we question the corporate officers who direct the action, or is our job simply to follow orders and let the company’s leadership decide what’s best?

From automotive plants and wall street offices to the California budget there are examples on both sides of the issue. Where do you stand, and do your actions correspond to your beliefs? I’m genuinely interested in how people feel about this one, so please take a moment and let me know what you think.