Visions 21: Our Work, Our World

By James Kelly, Deputy Managing Editor

Who would have guessed a decade ago that Web designer would be one of the hottest jobs around? Or that the Dow, hovering around 2,600 in 1990, would have quadrupled? Or that we would be at war in the Balkans for nearly three months and prevail, without losing the life of a single U.S. soldier in combat?

In this week's Visions issue, we look at the future of our work and our world. On the face of it, the two topics seem disparate, but I think you will discover our writers' making some provocative connections, from Tom Peters' talking about the global marketplace to Nobel economist Amartya Sen's exploring the link between jobs and political deprivation. And if anyone thinks that China's bid for superpower status does not depend on its famed work ethic, then she should read Yale professor Paul Bracken's essay, "Will China Be Number 1?" (The answer is no, but the price for the U.S. of remaining the world's chief superpower is about to rise, sharply.)

But first, the future of your salary. Reporter Julie Rawe discovered a pay stub of jobs that will be hot 25 years from now, including tissue engineers, data miners and pharmers. Just as important, she ticks off the professions that are imperiled, including stockbrokers, truckers and prison guards. (She does not include magazine editors in this endangered group, another sign that she will go far at TIME.) Her colleague Daniel Eisenberg imagines the office of the future, which (with any luck) will feature chairs that give back rubs and walls of flat-screen monitors that will afford you a virtual view of the Matterhorn from downtown Toledo. Now if only we could predict the office gossip of 2025...

In "Will Service Still Stink?," Judith Martin, a.k.a. Miss Manners, politely gives us the answer: Yes, but not in the ways you think. At least advertising will become more interesting, predicts Jay Chiat, who made his name with groundbreaking ads for Apple and Nike. Business editor Bill Saporito, who oversaw half this package, mediated a sometimes testy debate about whether the Dow will ever hit 50,000. On one side: Robert Shiller, author of the just published Irrational Exuberance. On the other side: Kevin Hassett and James Glassman, who made a splash last year with their book, Dow 36,000.

Our global-affairs questions were handled by World editor Joshua Cooper Ramo, who scored a coup by getting General Wesley Clark to write about the future of warfare. Washington correspondent Mark Thompson, with help from Ed Gabel and Missy Adams, describes what the soldier of 2025 will be wearing (and wait until you hear about rations). For those who think that peace in the Middle East will end the region's turmoil, Robin Wright has a more complicated story to tell. Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History, offers a surprising answer to his question, "Will Socialism Make a Comeback?" Pico Iyer has an idiosyncratic take on whether globalization is bringing us together or splitting us apart. And, finally, Caleb Carr gives us Part Four of his compelling novella about the future.

The cool look of this week's Visions package belongs to deputy art director Cynthia Hoffman, with the invaluable assistance of Jennifer Taney, and the picture department's MaryAnne Golon and Jay Colton.

Our next installment, due to appear in June, will focus on technology--a fitting conclusion to our five-part series. Please tune in to our newsmagazine show on CNN, which is broadcasting a companion series of one-hour specials. And please continue to visit us at time.com/v21 where I can confidently predict we will always look forward to your comments and suggestions.

James Kelly, Deputy Managing Editor