Why being a "logistics city" could be Louisville's ultimate downfall

UPS-Truck (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A staggering number of us Louisvillians are giddily patting ourselves on the back for the flattering portrait of our hometown recently painted by the National Journal, the apex of which was this brief missive on how much business the UPS WorldPort has brought to the Derby City.

In truth, that article just threw down the gauntlet of how and why Louisville must prepare for the future, because that which makes us wealthy now will not persist.

The advent of 3D printing will decimate the logistics industry just as surely as the advent of the Internet decimated the content publishing industry. If Louisville is to survive the next-thirty-years' shift from centralized to distributed bespoke manufacturing, we need to position ourselves now.

When do I cave about relocating for work?

Image via Wikipedia

So this "worst economy for three generations" is finally starting to creep into my family's fiscal standing, and thus I have to ask myself--am I willing to leave my hometown to find work? None of my many pursuits are really bound to Louisville, KY, not even my consulting business (which is slow right now--very slow). It is certainly easier to work on GameJabs when I'm in the same city as my fellow founders, but it's not required. It's also a great deal easier to be in the same place with all my family, most of friends, and even my writers group.

But this is not an economy that accommodates easy.

My family is far from destitute, but I've been without a day job since early December, and all my immediate moves to shore up income until GameJabs becomes a paying gig have stalled or fallen through. My wife has a job that she loves here, but she could likely get a commensurate position elsewhere, though if we change states she'll likely have to recertify as a therapist.

I've got eight years of experience writing and developing features for the Web. I'm pretty good at it. But for all that I love Louisville, it is not a hotbed of online enterprise. To get a job in my chosen field--especially in a reasonable amount of time--may require my relocating to a new area code. The question is, when do I finally give up on my hometown, and at what cost?

If anybody has some guidance on the subject (or knows of a kickass telecommute position), I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance.

Related articles by Zemanta

• They won't buy the cow: Why writers should not give away their work (readmorebooks.wordpress.com)