Jason Austin's Blog Life and times of a PHP Developer in Raleigh, NC

The Crappy Economy Express

I lead a double life.  My professional career takes me from being a peon one minute (NC State), to a CEO the next (AmberCube).  I've been doing this for a while now, and have only recently appreciated the vast differences between the two.  There are lots of things happening for me/to me/in spite of me in both arenas.  Both arenas come with their own set of unique and challenging problems to solve.  Some days I feel like I can take on the world.  Other days I feel like one guy, standing on the tracks in front of a runaway train with no hope of slowing it down.  Every day I feel lucky to have a job doing something I (usually) love, but recently I have felt more like the guy on the tracks in staring down the oncoming "crappy economy express".

I used to think that being employed in Higher Education meant that my job was safe.  Yeah, it meant that I would have to endure budget cuts, inconsistent raises, and an overshadowing presence known as NC State Government.  But hey, at least I was helping shape the young minds of tomorrow, right?  And I wasn't worried about being laid off every week, right?

Well if this economy has taught me anything, it is that Higher Education, specifically State Government, is certainly not immune.  The state government is going to have something like a $3 billion deficit for the next fiscal year, so everyone is being asked to cut back...and I mean WAAAAAAYYYY back.  No travel.  No training.  No new computers.  No new anything.  Not even office supplies.  From my perspective (limited as it may be), we have hid the checkbook and considered our bank accounts closed.

IT is one of the myriad of places where the the state is looking to trim spending.  Our CIO was asked to present the Chancellor with several ideas that would save at least $1 million EACH from IT.  That is a scary scary number.  $1 million doesn't mean not buying new computers, or halting travel, or getting rid of professional development.  $1 million means one thing...jobs.  Being that one of the areas under investigation is web services, it means that people I know and work with (myself included) are being looked at with a very critical eye right now.  Someone, somewhere sees money to be saved here, and in some ways I don't disagree at all.  It just makes me nervous for myself and my colleagues.

I will be keeping a close eye on where the discussion of centralizing web services will go.  I see how the administration sees this as a possible cash cow.  There are lots of pockets of developers, designers, graphic artists, etc. all over campus.  If we put all those resources together, we can save a ton of money right?  Right?  Maybe, but there are LOTS of things to consider before jumping in.  I can also see how this concept is terrifying for people in the colleges and departments.  What will happen to their personal attention they are used to?  What about their unique and distinctive needs?  Where do those things fit into this plan?

The fact of the matter is that right now, I have more questions than answers....and I am sure I am not alone.  As State Employees, we aren't used to being worried for our jobs.  In my 8 years as a State Employee, I have never come to the office thinking "is today the day I might get laid off?".  It is all new territory, and with new territory comes fear.  I try to believe that the people making decisions in our organization have NC State's best interest at heart.  I am sometimes disappointed, but I think it is much easier to go through life believing people are inherently good and decent, rather than someone is always out to get you.  Naive, sure.  But like George Michael said, you gotta have faith.