Dell may soon go the way of the Dodo bird. All the signs are there. Some of their recent announcements are setting off warning signals.

These include:
1) Announcements of additional job cuts (5,600 more jobs in addition to the 3,200 already announced).

These jobs will experience strong growth and be in great demand for the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS).

Information technology

1. Network systems and data communications analysts
Projected growth by 2016: 53 percent
Median annual salary: $64,600*

2. Computer applications software engineers
Projected growth by 2016: 45 percent
Median annual salary: $79,780

3. Database administrators
Projected growth by 2016: 29 percent
Median annual salary: $64,670

4. Computer systems software engineers

CIOinsight.com published 12 ways to earn higher IT salaries. Really the title should read "How to Increase Any Salary in any Industry" because the suggestions outlined could be applied to almost any industry.

The list includes the following (I've added my own commentary to all of the bullet items):

1 Work for a Larger Company. Larger comanies (>$1B in revenue) consistently pay more than smaller companies.

Playing video games builds the skills needed to succeed in life and work according to the book authored by John Beck and Mitchell Wade "The Kids are Alright: How the Gamer Generation Is Changing the Workplace". They go on to say that playing games can help people be more sociable, develop strategic thinking, and become better leaders.

Wade and Beck survey asked questions to find out whether the experience of gaming, and growing up surrounded by games, changes attitudes, expectations, and abilities related to business, "the answer is a resounding yes," they say.

Eweek posted an article yesterday which tried to go over a list of technology jobs or skills that would actually do well in a recession. The list of skills and/or job titles that seem to do well according to the article include the following:

1) Network skills
2) Business facing roles
3) QA Testing
4) Security
5) Consultants
6) Legacy programmers
7) Sys Admins
8) IT Managers
9) Help Desk

Outsourcing IT functions to overseas countries like India seemed to be all the rage just a few years ago. A lot of hype was put into justifying outsourcing strategies for IT. The lure of cheap labor overseas helped fuel the fire.