Dear Sir, Will I Still Be Employed in 2007?

A couple of years back, I remember how my parents used to tell me to study hard to get into a good job. Once you get the job, you worked hard, made the boss happy and got promotions with a salary increment every year. This was before books like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill and the Anthony Robbins series came to be published. In more recent times books like "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman have influenced the way people think.

Earlier most people considered changing their lives and entering a second career or starting their own business when they reach near the peak of their career cycle and due for the mid-life crisis that hits the average American between the mid-40s and early 50s. But now the younger generation is willing to take more risks, get into business or work on their own. This trend has gained momentum and the ages of successful businessmen have become younger. Farrah Gray author of "Reallionaire" is one success story.

According to economist Harry S Dent "Every economic revolution brings technologies that open up new low cost, higher quality of life living areas. Railroads, power plants and telegraphs allowed us to migrate from rural areas to cities. Then the automobile, telephone and electricity revolution allowed us to shift from cities to suburban areas. Now the information revolution being accelerated by the Internet, home PCs and entertainment devices, cellular smart phones and broadband (wired and wireless) will allow more people to live, communicate and do business from exurban areas." People will be moving away from populated places and working remotely from a place of their choice.

Many who are working for their own business have begun to realize that work does not have to be something you hate to do. With so many opportunities and information available at our fingertips, getting up in the morning and going to sit in an office from nine to five, dealing with office politics and trying to please the boss for that extra percentage of salary increment is no longer an option for many (Sorry John, its our company policy. Even though you have been an exceptional employee, there is only so much percentage increment that I can give you). Success and happiness for many office-goers (well, most of them, anyway) depend on the performance review given by their boss.

Jobs like call centre, data entry, tech support and some areas of software programming are fast disappearing to countries like Philippines, Israel, India, China and even Canada. So what does the average Joe do?

Alternate methods of earning a living like freelancing, contracting, earning money online through eBay among other means are becoming increasingly popular. It gives individuals the ability to not only earn money but provides greater flexibility to do their own thing, earn multiple incomes and have a better work-life balance. Being more creative in your business is perhaps the only way to stand out from the crowd.

The trend towards cocooning identified by futurist Faith Popcorn in her book "The Popcorn Effect" best sums up employment trends in the future. Cocooning describes a phenomenon where people will want to stay inside the safety and comfort of their homes, their cars, their offices, and communities. People are afraid to go out. This is partially due to mass media's continued effort to frighten the public by showing a constant image of danger. Thus, people will do more from their homes.

The key to surviving in this modern world of constant changes is to be the best in what you do and do it with passion. Like Tony Robbins says, "Live with Passion".

About the Author

Catherine comes from a recruitment background and is an entrepreneur. She is also a Google Adwords professional and the CEO of a global freelance services site that provides a free service for employers and freelancers to connect and make a living.