[ book tip by Michael Boyle ] Interesting viewpoint of the topic ex-post-dot-com-bubble:

'Seven sobering years after that cover story, the free agent phenomenon has achieved stasis. Free agency is neither the nirvana we imagined nor the sly code for 'unemployment' that it became in the dark, post-dotcom days, when independent consultants crawled back to hierarchies and water coolers in search of a regular paycheck. Free agents are out there, everywhere. But today's nation isn't quite the same bunch as the generation we first identified. Some survived the tech bust with entrepreneurial DNA and solid business sense; others are victims of corporate layoffs who figured diversifying their work portfolio promised a steadier path. And the fastest-growing crop are the gray-hairs: The AARP says 16% of workers 50 and older are self-employed. 'They're thinking about old age differently than anybody in American history,' said Pink recently.'

Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/93/open_looking-back.html

[ book info ] Pink, Daniel H.: Free Agent Nation. Warner Books, New York, 2001 . ISBN: 0-446-52523-5.