Free Agent Nation Part 2

Thursday, May 31st, 2007

I’m around halfway through Free Agent Nation – The Future of Working For Yourself. Very readable, and pretty informative. Pink takes a look at the rapidly eroding distinction between corporation and employee, and the transition from a world dominated by large companies providing cradle-to-grave career paths to far more complex, dynamic and networked systems composed of a large number of interacting free agents. A very timely book, given my current situation. Six months ago I was a treasury analyst for a major bank. (Without a doubt the most boring, tedious work I’ve ever done.) Now I’d find it hard to describe myself in a single sentence; I write software, light photo shoots, teach Latin, consult on systems development, do graphic design, and read lots of books! So I definitely see myself in the world that Pink is describing, and its both exciting and reassuring to know that there are a lot of people out there that are in the process of making this transition.

One of the most fundamental points Pink makes is that in the past, security came from an institution – your employer or the goverment. In the future, security will come from diversification, just as it does in the stock market. So although according to conventional wisdom it seems strange to trade a job with a large company, reasonable benefits etc. for a loose set of diverse contracts, in many ways it’s actually a more risk-averse set up. In the current world economy, I’m becoming convinced that the key things to possess are a broad talent set, a diverse client base, and a rich and deep network of connections.

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