If your worldview is broader and deeper than what schools are teaching you, then you may also realize that your life doesn't have to follow the path that others have laid out for you. Maybe you don't need to get a job and work 9-to-5. Maybe the world isn't even headed in that direction any more.
Think of what technology has done to snail mail and long-distance phone bills. Who's to say that it won't eventually make equally radical changes to our work environments? When Californians call a big company's customer service line, they get a voice from India or Oklahoma. It's more economical to outsource customer support to places where the cost of living is low.
Now combine what you've learned about economics, science, math, and current events. What will these companies do to eliminate gasoline costs and commute time as the price of oil rises? Perhaps someday, customer service employees will work from their living rooms or bedsides. They could be paid per call or per telephone minute.
Peak Oil
Work environments are likely to change soon because of a problem called peak oil. Demand for oil is going up faster than the speed of production. At some point very soon, production will actually start to decline because our oil fields are running out.
Increasing demand and decreasing supply lead to higher prices.
What if the price of gasoline doubles? Triples? Prices of consumer goods will start to go up as shipping costs go up. The further trucks have to drive, the more things will cost. House prices will also rise because of shipping costs for new construction materials.
Eventually, it will cost more to drive to work than it will to take a lower-paying job close to home.
Get Smart
Smart businesses will prepare for this by beginning to give people the option to work at home through the Internet.
Peak oil will cause a lot of problems for the economy. Producing and shipping goods locally will reduce the division of labor. But as usual, there will be opportunities for profit. I believe three kinds of property will appreciate faster than average:
(1) Rural property in high-population-growth counties. It will be bought up by tech-savvy workers. (Three counties adjacent to Oklahoma City are poised for this.) It doesn't cost much to produce food locally and ship it within rural areas. This kind of property is also in demand by baby boomer retirees.
(2) Downtown residential houses and apartment buildings. (Oklahoma City) Some jobs can't be done over the Internet. I believe this kind of property would find increasing demand anyway because of the rise of the echo boomer generation.
(3) Property located in oil-producing areas. (Oklahoma City) Peak oil doesn't spell the end of the oil industry. A peak has two sides to it.
Oil production will decline slowly. On the far side of the peak, oil's price will rise rapidly because three factors will be working together: decreasing supply, increasing demand, and inflation. Petroleum companies will make a lot of money before the game's over.
Get Ready
I think it would be wise to learn as much about the Internet as you can. Look at how fast the technology is developing, just in time to meet the demands imposed on businesses by peak oil. Most people won't be Web programmers, but many will have to do at least some of their work through the Internet.
Watch these two videos about peak oil before making any major career decisions.
Who is there in all the earth in whom I can put my trust? Who can move these mighty mountains? Whose voice can calm these seas?
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