Despite the fact that traveling, especially by airplane, is getting
more and more troublesome, there are still a lot of people traveling
around the US and the world. Whether they are traveling for business
or pleasure, those people are probably bringing some type of personal
technology with them. Digital cameras, GPS receivers, laptop computers,
PDAs and more are finding their way into suitcases these days. This
provides an interesting opportunity for high-tech careerists. If people
are traveling with this technology, they are going to need help with
it. High-tech workers might find that they can still practice their
trade while living and working in a tourist town or resort.
You’re calling from where?
I have several clients who spend almost half of their time traveling.
They have taken their Handspring Visor to the Amazon, only to have
the humidity render it useless. We have spent hours searching for Internet
access points throughout the world. Even a simple trip to their vacation
home in Northern California generates a call or two about printer connections
or software support. Techno-travelers need support, no matter where
they are in the world. As a computer consultant, there is only so much
I can do over the phone, even with remote control software. Sometimes
they need a local tech worker to “lay hands” on the device
in order to keep them working.
This is where you come in. Have you ever had the desire to live in
an exotic locale? Do you really like the beach, the mountains, skiing
or surfing? Have you ever thought of living in a place where you can
indulge your own desires while still making a living? Today’s
techno-travelers might help make your dream come true. While the opportunities
are very specialized and the market somewhat limited, you could make
a good business out of serving the traveler s that come to your favorite
vacation spots.
High-tech in a laid back world
This concept recently occurred to me when a reader emailed with an
interesting issue in their high-tech career. They were attending college
in the US, but would be returning to Baja Mexico once they received
their degree. They were rightly concerned about their career options
in a state that is known more for its recreation than high-tech. In
discussing these issues , I hit upon an idea. What areas have the highest
concentration of technology? What types of businesses make the biggest
use of technology? The answer immediately jumped to mind…the
resort industry. Perhaps they could focus on using their high-tech
skills there.
Not only do the resorts themselves rely on technology to accomplish
their business, many of their visitors are bringing more and more
technology with them. When you include the burgeoning availability
of Internet
connectivity via Ethernet and wireless connections in these resorts,
it is clear that there is an opportunity for high-tech workers to
set up shop in some of the prettiest locations in the world.
How does it work?
You could make a variety of arrangements with resorts and hotels. One
method would be to contract with the hotels, as well as bed and breakfast
operations, in your area to become their “technology guru” of
choice. Whenever a customer had technology issues, they would refer
them to you, instead of offering up the vague choices of various, local
computer stores, if there are any. This would be a tremendous “value
add” to their customers without requiring them to hire, train
and deploy there own staff. This new service could be marketed as an
additional reason to choose this hotel over others in the area. If
one resort could not offer enough work to meet your needs, you could
add additional hotels, as necessary.
You don’t have to limit yourself to resort or tourist communities,
either. Developing relationships with hotels in your area could help
to boost your monthly earnings. Here in the San Fernando Valley, I
have perhaps 100 hotels/motels within 15 minutes of travel. Developing
relationships with just a few of them, mainly the long-term, business-residency
type, could increase my bottom line dramatically. There are great possibilities,
even if you already like where you are living.
It is a simple fact that travelers are carrying more technology than
ever on their trips. As technology becomes ever more ubiquitous,
the need to technical assistance while traveling grows along with
it. Whether
you have dreams of living on the beach in the South Pacific, or simply
growing your business at home, look to providing service to the growing
numbers of techno-travelers in your area today. It is sure to boost
your high-tech career in ways you might never have dreamed.
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Career
Opportunities
