| The digital revolution is upon us, but many people do | | | | the client and provider. This is how sites like "Rent a |
| not fully think through the potential benefits of it. For | | | | Coder" and "E-lance" exists. If you have the skills to |
| many people, the idea of traveling while also working is | | | | provide such work, why wouldn't you? |
| no longer a myth. | | | | Ah, but how do I get paid? This is a common question |
| I was recently at a graduation party where a recent | | | | for many people and a justified one. The key is to |
| graduate told me that he wasn't looking forward to | | | | take payment online. You can issue invoices and |
| "driving a desk" for the foreseeable future. I laughed a | | | | acknowledge payments through PayPal and the like. |
| bit, particularly when he told me that he did graphic | | | | I've hired independent contractors for years, yet met |
| design work. As we talked about it, I came to find out | | | | very few of them. Half of them I know by email |
| he did most of his work without ever meeting with the | | | | addresses! |
| client. Desk be gone! | | | | Nothing is stopping you from conducting business this |
| The internet is a beautiful thing because it can provide | | | | way and seeing the world. Nearly every location you |
| you with vast amounts of freedom if you use it | | | | can think of has a cyber café somewhere. |
| correctly. How so? Well, let me ask you a question. | | | | Take a beater laptop with you. Do your work, plod on |
| Where am I writing this article from? Would it matter if | | | | over to the café and upload the finished work |
| I was writing it while sitting at a desk in San Diego or | | | | to get paid. Whether you are on the beach in Mexico, |
| uploading it from a cyber café in Buenos | | | | the mountains of Nepal or a desk in your home town, it |
| Aires? The answer is obvious, yet few people really | | | | is all the same work and all the same revenue. |
| think it through and apply the ability to get out and | | | | Is this possible for everyone? Of course not. If you |
| travel while still working. | | | | have the flexibility to pull it off, I highly recommend it. |
| More and more people provide freelance work these | | | | Once you're married and have kids, opportunities to fly |
| days, particularly in the field of technology. Whether it is | | | | off to some exotic destination for a week will be a |
| site security or custom programming, most of this | | | | thing of the past. |
| work is done without any physical meeting between | | | | |