Indian Software Professional Dilema

Indian IT & ITES industry has grown over the years and now constitute a sizeable portion of the country's GDP.  This has changed the employement landscape in the country.  I wonder how many people currently working in this industry grew up wanting to be an IT professional.  Many would have had different dreams, doctor may be or engineer or military or even an artist.  However the lure of the lifestyle that this new profession provides and the ease of entry has made many leave their childhood career dreams and embrace this new today.

In my memory the first kind of jobs that came were Medical Transcription.  Call centres came second and then IT system support and the rest.  So what started this?  I guess for medical transcription it was the kind of work.  May the work was not very appealing to the folks abroad.  However if it had to be done, paying the people in the western world hourly rates would probably have made the entire exercise not very economically viable.  And this is where the English speaking and understanding Indians made their entry.

Over the years the kind of work has changed.  Indian IT companies have grown to become multi-national companies spread across the globe and even hiring local workers in the countries they are now based.  This has changed the IT market with increased competition.  However the people working in this industry are going through a lot of different emotions and thoughts.  Some are struggling to find their identity.  Some have left the search and have decided to go with the flow and see where the industry takes them.

The Indian IT professionals don't get paid the same as their western counterpart for the same work done.  The reason why the cost is low is the starting reason why the job has been given to Indian IT folks.  If the cost were the same then the job may not be outsourced and these Indian IT folks may not have a job at all.  However there are Indian IT folks who are better - more productive & efficient - than their western counterparts.  So shouldn't they get paid favorably?  This thin minority gets lost amongst the majority.  So what does this minority have to look forward to?  Shouldn't the IT industry players recognise this and set in motion practises to change this?  Wouldn't that break some of the people who are going with the flow to take notice make them change?  Wouldn't a more thinking & innovative Indian IT professionals be more productive for the country as a whole?