New corporate practices and strategies, technological advances and rising job skill requirements are making postsecondary training a virtual necessity for a high-paying job. This is driving a wedge between the earnings of education "haves" and "have nots." Corporate restructuring is eliminating hundreds of thousands of jobs, many of which belong to professionals and managers, but at the same time it is creating many different kinds of jobs. Kentucky may have a more serious problem with worker layoffs than other states because a larger share of its workforce is employed in occupations that are not growing quickly and because these workers do not have as much success finding new employment after a layoff. New employment might be found in technical jobs, particularly in health care, which will be among the fastest growing occupations in the coming years. Rural areas in Kentucky are already seeing rapid growth in these occupations. Four positive qualities of the digital age--decentralization, globalization, harmonization, and empowerment--have the potential to bring untapped opportunities to rural areas, such as Kentucky, because they enable professionals to live in rural areas and do their work at home. To ensure that Kentucky will thrive in the new economy, it is essential that workers and businesses have modern hardware and software which allow them to work and learn and conduct business over the Internet. College and other postsecondary education is also essential. (Contains 4 tables, 3 figures, and 48 footnotes.) (TD)