FUTUREWORK: Where to Find Tomorrow's High-Tech Jobs Today

Futurist blather--ill-advised, misconceived, uninformed--about high-tech job opportunities. ""Futurework provides a detailed outline of the coming new world of technology,"" writes college-instructor Butler (Ph.D. in English and Speech). ""It is possible to predict with perfect accuracy the important techologies of the future because they are now in the works."" Supposedly, then, we hear what the various high-tech fields are--semi-conductors, microcomputers, alternative video technology, videotex, office automation (but not robotics or myriad others); the state-of-the-industry; the kinds of jobs available or in the offing. Under video games, Utterly Predictable I: ""To the intense surprise of almost everybody, during the 1970s the old-fashioned pinball parlor became the launching site of an entirely new industry which catapulted almost instantly into the multibillion dollar category."" Utterly Predictable II: ""It is impossible to predict whether or not the video game industry will maintain its phenomenal growth rate in the years to come."" Attention is indeed called to some new high-tech-spawned fields--computer magazines, videotape productions, office-automation consultants. Because Butler has taught in Canada, there is a high proportion of Canadian examples. But, in any locale, you'd be better off keeping your eyes and ears open--and consulting specialized sources for specifics.