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From various articles _______________________________________________________________________

While people can no longer rely on their college degrees to manifest themselves into jobs, individuals have become more flexible and creative with their professions. They are starting businesses, creating jobs for themselves, and hustling for the next big opportunity. In fact, The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2020, about 65 million Americans will be freelancers, temps, independent contractors and solopreneurs, making up about 40% of the workforce. Concurrently, workspaces are sprouting around the country in order to accommodate the growing number of nomadic workers.

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“As the American workforce trends toward independent contracting, freelance, and temping, co-working spaces and the collaborative, connective environments they create become more and more important – from both a social and professional standpoint,” said Beau Button, Founder of WebDevrs and the Dojo in New Orleans. “No longer the exception, co-working spaces will be the rule.”

“Co-working spaces are melting pots of creativity,” added Button. “They generate a level of synergy that results from the proximity and collaboration of like-minded people. New relationships are developed. Ideas are challenged. Problems are solved.”

Today, coworking comes with benefits beyond just WiFi and unlimited coffee. Professional, personal, and social gains come as added bonuses that are more advantageous than working in a coffee shop or home office/living room/dining room. These environments are not only stimulating, inspiring, and fun, but also lead to new business development and collaborations, as well as increased levels of productivity and income as a result of being part of an expanding business network.

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Proximity seems to be a factor in stimulating collaborations and innovation in the work environment.  According to a study that was recently conducted by a team at Harvard University, it has been concluded that geographic proximity is valuable in collaboration, despite living in an era dominated by the Internet, wireless communication, and e-mail. Findings in 35,000 academic papers showed that physical proximity mattered after concluding that correlations between the most cited papers and the close distances between authors led to more impactful publications. Although the study focused on innovation in science, the data proved that face-to-face communication was more impactful, leading to less agenda-driven and more fluid conversations, brainstorming, problem solving, and serendipitous accidents.

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In an annual survey conducted by Deskmag, people who work in coworking spaces reported to be more productive, confident, and creative. Reports showed that 71% of people surveyed were more creative, 62% reported that their measure of work improved significantly, and 90% said they felt more confident when coworking. Additionally, 70% reported that they felt healthier than they did working in a traditional office setting. The statistics are the result of being part of a supportive and expanding network that offers flexibility in when you choose to work and whom you choose to work with. Aspects such as reduced stress also become a factor, as most people were able to minimize their commute time and were less likely to become victims of office politics.

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A co-working space is to entrepreneurs what a university library is to students. When work at home becomes stagnant and one is seeking inspiration, people, good coffee, a clear desk and perhaps even a nice view, co-working spaces deliver.