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The cover story in this week's TIME Magazine is about the employment boom going on currently in the United States. Mostly in Information Technology, but causing a trickle-down effect to almost all other occupations.

I really hope this is a trend that will last. Although I have not really seen the job market change much locally, if the national trend continues, we have to be affected here sooner or later.

Sooner rather than later would be better as I am about to lose my current job. The word came down this week that the plug is to be pulled the middle of next month. This is just a rumor though because of course it would be too much to ask for official information concerning my future. There is no rumor however about what is to become of me.

Whether it be for my current employer, or my next, I am going to seek the alternative working arrangement known as "telecommuting." I believe that now is the time for this concept to come into it's own. The internet makes it now more than ever before a viable solution to many of the problems associated with the modern workplace.

Since I have been in a technological stasis for the last seven years, I need some retraining, but I see no reason why I can't write computer programs or anything else as long as it is text.

Computer programming has always been one of the leading occupations best suited for telecommuting, but I believe that the internet will provide some even better opportunities for this type of arrangement. Jobs such as moderating news groups and chats, or answering email for high profile organizations, companies, TV shows, celebrities, etc.

I've only mentioned jobs which I believe that I am suited for. There are many many more for those who can see. Site administrators, webmasters, graphic artists, all of these and many other skilled professionals are going to be increasingly in demand as the internet grows. These are also jobs which can easily be done from home or anywhere else for that matter.

Telecomuting is certainly not a new idea, and it's benefits are many. We can save gasoline, the environment, and childcare costs just to name a few. Imagine the stress reducing effect of never again having to deal with the morning and afternoon traffic jams. There are of course productivity concerns, what with no supervision and all, but productivity can and will be measured so I dismiss that as an obstacle.

Given my recently increased appreciation for the written word, I would love to find a way to make a living writing. I do not however put much stock in that possibility because of my inexperience. In countless documents I have read other writers sounding like starving artists, and I am not at a point in my life where I can go through that sort of initiation. A possible exception to this is the aforementioned job answering email, which I see as more than likely to be a low paying proposition.

I have been thus far unsuccessful in finding any information on companies willing to consider telecomuting as an option for their employees, but I have not looked very hard yet. My life has been on hold, and that is about to change. The one thing that will not change is my geographical location, so if the jobs don't come to Wausau, I hope that I can get to the job via the internet.

The coming months will be interesting anyway.