The much-maligned members of Generation X, those twenty-somethings who have spent their work lives in the shadow of the baby boomers, may get the last laugh.
They are the first generation that grew up learning computer skills and came of age surrounded by digital technologies. They're poised to pounce on the impending opportunities and thrive as the Digital Age opens up.
The GenXers have spent their lives on the bottom end of an economic food chain, blocked by boomers who have no intention of moving on from good jobs. As such, they're not as invested in the old system and they're eager to jump to the new.
The key generational divide in the future will be defined by your relationship to the computer: Where were you when the personal computer was born?
If you were out of the educational system before around the year 1980, then you're most likely grouped with the older generation, those classified as pre-PC. The oldest of that group may have never touched a computer, and the youngest are probably familiar with computers, but only with a lot of hard work later in life.
If you came through the educational system after 1980, you most likely handled computers at school and played electronic games such as Nintendo at home. You entered your first job thinking new technology was no big deal -- even kind of cool.
That's not to say that the tables will completely turn and the post-PC crowd will lord over pre-PC people in the coming decades. We're much more fortunate. We're entering the Digital Age with a unique constellation of generations, each with something special to contribute.
Here's a breakdown of the generations, inspired by William Strauss and Neil Howe's book, "Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069."
