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Outsourcing Jobs—Are There Enough Quality Workers in America?By Shukhan Ng
The recent trend of moving jobs overseas has attracted wide concern and discussion in the United States. People often lay the blame on corporate greed and cite lower wages overseas as the driving force. Lower wages are a definite incentive for American businesses to move some of their operations overseas. On the other hand they may also sacrifice high quality workers here in the US. But if businesses can find workers of equal or even higher quality in other countries, this trend would be unstoppable.
I am an international student and have been living in abroad for decades. Before I came to America, I thought it was a place full of talent. I thought I probably could open my eyes to advanced technology and outstanding people. After over two years of living in America, I am now inclined to believe that I have to keep my eyes open all the time in order to reduce bumps and humps in my everyday life—I can tell from my experience.
Just after my arrival, I applied for a Social Security Card. I wanted to open a bank account at that time but was told I needed to have the Social Security number before they could help me. In fact I arrived a month before the new semester began; therefore I believed I had allowed sufficient time to establish a bank account so that my family could wire me money for tuition. Then I waited and waited and waited. The card had not come a week before school began. I called and found that the card might be lost in the post. So I had to apply again. I don’t know who to blame for this. But I would not have been worried about the bank account if I had known that terrorists slip by just filling in random numbers on the form.
This one event, of course, did not dampen all my expectations of America, but things added up. I have worked as a college assistant at a CUNY college for half a year. Then my contract expired and I moved. A year later I was hired by the same college as an adjunct. I eventually found that that was too complicated for the college administration to handle. I filled out all the forms again for the new post. But it turned out that the personnel office still used my old address. I went to talk to them and they said the system just picked up the old information. (Where better to lay the blame than with machines that can’t defend themselves?) I then had to fill out a form to change my address (even though I had never moved since taking the job).
Then came a problem with my salary. I applied for direct deposit, but I still had to pick up the paycheck a month after my form had been submitted. I then went to talk to the payroll office and found out they tried to put the money into the account of my old job, which had already been terminated.
Mistakes were not confined to one college. Some months ago, the Wellness Center of the Graduate Center sent me a Meningococcal Meningitis Response form and warned that I had to turn in the form by a certain date; otherwise, I would not be allowed to attend classes. I thought I should do it as soon as possible. I even submitted the form in person. Then when the registration period began, I got a letter from the Registration Office saying that the Wellness Center withheld my registration. I found out later that this was because I had not handed in the form. I told the Wellness Center I had handed it in, but still I had to fill it out again. When I was at the office, I found that I was not alone. At least two more students said that they had submitted the forms. We were told there was problem with data transmission. But I just wondered where the completed forms had gone.
I really panicked when mistakes occurred in my bank account, because I paid my rent and utilities with checks. Once I found the amount deducted from my account was smaller than the amount I thought I had written on the check. For a bank to make such a mistake was already stunning enough. But the worst was yet to come. I called the bank and told them that they should deduct five more cents from my account. Maybe my English was not clear enough. I ended up getting five more cents added to my account. I now regret that I just said five cents and not five grand.
Even in the supermarket one must stay alert. Once I was checking out a few items I thought should cost just a few dollars, and the total turned out to be more than ten. I said to the cashier, ‘Those few things are more than ten dollars?’ She murmured something like ‘Oh yes.’ Two seconds later, she woke up, called back the man who was leaving, and said that he had not paid for his stuff. I then realized she had scanned his items but added his amount to my account. I have since tried my best to avoid that cashier. My advice: Don’t think you are smarter than others and are able to find a shorter line to check out your items. It may cost you a fortune.
I will certainly have more stories to tell throughout my years in America. I used to be more relaxed and rarely studied receipts or bank statements seriously. But I am different now. I check everything and keep all records to cushion the blow of the next mistake. I am even considering carrying a survival kit with me whenever I leave my home: a flashlight in case of blackout and a handful of quarters in case the cell phone does not work.
I guess that what I’m saying is that American workers have to improve and better equip themselves for global competition. They need to prove to others they are worth the high wages they demand. Adapt or die—isn’t it the spirit of capitalism that Americans cherish?Shukhan Ng is a student in the Linguistics program at the Graduate Center.