What of my favorite authors is Seth Godin. He has a unique way to looking at the world and distilling it.

Rarely have I read a post as good as Seth’s piece on work. For Park City it provides ideas on everything from the direction our kids should take, to school, to what future jobs in Park City look like.

A few quotes:

“Where did all the good jobs go? They didn’t head to other countries or even down the street. The good jobs I’m talking about are the ones that our parents were used to. Steady, consistent factory work. The sort of middle class job you could build a life around. Jobs where you do what you’re told, an honest day’s work, and get rewarded for it. Those jobs. Where did they go? The computer ate them.”

“Today, it’s possible to build just about anything merely by specifying existing parts, sending them to an assembly shop and accepting delivery. If any provider along the supply chain wants to charge extra for their commodity contribution, the creator can switch suppliers. Today, the typical worker serves the computer. Only a few have computers that work for them.”

If you have 5 minutes this weekend, I would recommend giving it a read. It’s not a new idea but it cuts to the heart of the issues we face.

The Computer and Network Economy