Look Into Their Eyes

William V. Grebenik

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Since he lost his $65,000 job as part of a Windows NT support team at Agilent, Grebenik's freelance technical training business--which pays about a fourth of his old salary--is his sole source of income.

"We talk about efficient use of labor. But how many real estate agents do we need?"

Doug Hill

Livonia, Michigan

Hill's six-figure contract job at Lear Seating was offshored to the Philippines in 2000. Now he works as a benefits administrator for $10 an hour and worries about making his house payment. Disillusioned with politics, he won't vote this year.

"I believe [offshoring] is unstoppable."

Sherry Holt

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

After her position as a database administrator with Computer Horizons went to Canada, Holt left her family in Texas and moved to Pennsylvania for a similar position.

"I would love to get back. But I'm a realist. I have to support myself."

Veer Hossain

Lawrenceville, Georgia

When Hossain's team at GE Power Systems was offshored, part of his contract project-management job was sent to India and part was taken by a worker on a temporary visa.

"[Offshoring] effectively lowers folks' salary potential."

Natasha Humphries

Santa Clara, California

A former Palm software engineer, Humphries, 30, says she traveled to India to train her replacements, and has testified before Congress about her experience.

"How much time does [any job] buy me before I find myself in this situation again?"

Jesse Kieffer

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Two months after he trained replacements from Singapore to do his network administrator job, Kieffer found a similar position--at a 10% pay cut. He feels lucky.

"For the economy as a whole, I suppose [offshoring] is one of those things."

Bill King

Cranford, New Jersey

Four times between 2001 and 2003, IBM told King he would lose his job. The software developer managed to hang on as the work he'd been doing was offshored--until the fifth time. He's training to be a home inspector.

"That way, if I work for an idiot, I'll know why. It's myself."

Scott Kirwin

Wilmington, Delaware

Kirwin worked alongside Indian temporary-visa holders before his job went to one who, he believes, later went offshore. The experience caused Kirwin, 37, to form the IT Professionals Association of America.

"I have a lot of education, but I feel like I can't use it."

David Kurn

San Francisco, California

An 18-year veteran at Tandem and Compaq, Kurn lost his $156,000 job in 2001. A year later, he landed a brief deal to train Indian contractors supporting the software he'd been working on when he was laid off.

"Companies in India are producing people as well-trained as I was."

Phil Lockit

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Before being laid off by Actiontec in 2003, Lockit, 54, had helped write technical manuals that were eventually used by offshore call-support centers.

"I wrote up the directions so an idiot could install them. I actually wrote off my own job."