Telegraph: << tj:"The frequency & rapidity of middle income job elimination in in various segments in the economy has been accelerating due to rapid technological evolution."

I don't know about that. The telephone operators vanished mighty fast. The 'secretaries' and 'steno' girls vanished equally fast. The typists and file clerks vanished mighty fast.....

It just seems that way.....and yes, if you are an untrained, or one skill only person....you can get sideswiped by change. >>

I wholly agree with tj. I was a secretary while in college and continued being one afterwards (after a short stint as a teacher). At one time, I was the second highest paid secretary in my city, at the age of 22. (The highest paid was a lady who was 11 years older than I.) When manual typewriters gave way to electric ones, I learned how to type on the electric one. In fact, when IBM introduced the "Selectric" typewriter, I kept breaking it. When IBM sent me to Atlanta to find out why I continued to break the typewriter, we discovered that I typed faster, albeit erratically, than the Selectric could handle. They had to change the typewriter. (There were several secretaries with me who gave them the same problem.) When the electric typewriter gave way to word processors, I learned that. Then came the advent of the computer....I learned that.

One must continue to further one's education in order to stay employed. I agree with Astroe, relative to our kids learning the trades. There are too, too many kids going to college who have no business there. If they learn a trade and want to open their own business, they can hire someone like me to meet with them and a CPA, and I take it from there....maintaining their books and keeping them out of trouble, financially and tax wise.

My goddaughter's boyfriend, three years out of high school, finally decided what he wants to do with his life. He took courses at a local community college in welding. Then, when he graduated, high in his class, he decided to take his certification course, although he was offered a job as was. I am quite proud of him, as I don't feel he is college material; however, he will do well in his life. He has goals and aspirations and is willing to keep with with the technology. Right now, he works for a fast-food restaurant 32 hours per week, spread over 3 days, and attends the community college the other 4 days. That proves to me that he is willing to work hard for what he was to attain.

Donna