Food for Thought: When IT grows up

I've posted in the past about some articles on expected growth future of roles, and if an architect role is something you're after, but I've never thought what role I wanted to fulfill in relation to IT changes.  I think change is obviously something that can't be stopped, and for the most part it can't be prophesied either, so stepping back and looking long term for your industry can maybe help you find that niche you want to fill.  I've been lucky enough the last 7+ years to be working on an Oracle EBS system, and during that time I've seen the growth in technology associated with Oracle hardware, yet haven't "stopped to smell the roses" to think about where it might go next or how to take advantage of coming changes.  This juncture in my career is a wonderful time to change that so I can leap forward later to where IT will be heading.