It takes a certain type of person, though.

"You have to be a person who can withstand a tremendous amount of change, someone who doesn't need a regimented environment. And you have to have a good sense of humor, above all," says Julie Holdren, president of the software start-up Olympus Group.

What you don't need is a high-tech background. What these firms want are hard workers who learn quickly.

"They're also interested in people with artistic, musical, and liberal-arts backgrounds who are Net-savvy. People who can think with both sides of their brain, not just one," Templin says. "Someone quick, bright, articulate, very flexible. A liberal-arts graduate with a lot of street smarts and proficiency on the Internet is perfect."

How do you find hot companies that are hiring?

Rule No. 1 is you do your looking on the World Wide Web," says Templin. "If you're not adept at locating these companies and their job opportunities on the Net, they don't want you. The second recruiting tool is by word of mouth. They often will create bounties for employees to bring in new talent. You will rarely see them at career fairs or with traditional postings in the paper."

Web sites with good job postings include netstartinc.com, monsterboard.com, mdhitech.org, and nea.com.

Don't underestimate word of mouth.

"You know what I'd tell a young kid?" says April Young of Potomac KnowledgeWay Project. "Hang out in Reston. It's ground zero at the moment. Listen to people around the bar at Clyde's, at South of the Border. I've overheard interesting conversations at bars in Ballston, too, and at Clyde's in Tysons."

Young also suggests plugging into a netpreneur group such as Internet Society, New Media Society, and the MIT Enterprise Forum. Most meet regularly; Potomac KnowledgeWay Project's netpreneur.org site has a calendar of some of these events.