Globalization!?*__

Do you remember when you were a kid and your parents would say, "eat your food, there kids starving in India and China."  Well, Thomas Friedman, the author of "The World is Flat" would say to tell your kids, "eat your food so you can grow to be strong and healthy because there are kids in India and China who are starving to take your job when you grow older."  Yikes!

When I read "The World is Flat" I was stunned at just how quickly our world has become integrated, mainly due to cable fiber optics and globalization.  However, I just don't think I realize how much this change was going to directly effect me or my children.  I tell you what, go out and read this book and then plan a career path for your child that will make him "untouchable" and thus employable in the next decades to come.

I like that Mr. Friedman points out all the issues, pros and cons, of this new globalization because in most cases, we (Americans) have greatly benefitted.  However, with a workforce that is growing larger and smarter in other parts of the world, we have to redefine what we view of "value added" skill.  As you know now, many jobs and skills are being outsourced to India and China, as well as everywhere else on the globe.  This trend will only get bigger with more and more skills being considered doable outside of the United States.  At least we can sigh with relief that dental hygiene can never be done through an Internet cable.  Ha ha, but what about our kids.  They better not want to do entry or even midlevel accounting, financing, research, etc. because those tasks will be taken care of in developing countries while we sleep.  We must be creative in the future and define new roles and occupations for tomorrow.