As I mentioned earlier, during the course of a lifetime, you’re likely not only to make twelve to fifteen job changes, but at least three to five career changes as well. By my lightning calculations, it appears that for every two or three times you change jobs, you’re also going to change careers.

Take a sheet of paper or call up the graphics drawing program on your laptop.

Draw a small circle in the center.

That’s the body of the octopus. My picking an octopus is no accidental choice. This animal is one of the smartest invertebrates around. It’s even said they can open screw-top bottles. Also, as I write this, I am in Rome, Italy, and I had a less-smart octopus for dinner last night.

This octopus body represents the skills and knowledge you use in your present job or in your most recent job. It’s your operating system and core database governing your drive to reach out and grab onto other jobs.

Now, draw a series of lines branching out from that central area. These represent jobs different from the one you have now, but jobs for which you could conceivably be qualified if you had to shift careers.

For instance, let’s say you’re the rental agent for a major property management firm in your town. You’ve been at the business for five years, and your general knowledge of commercial real estate is pretty good. What other jobs could you reach out for?

How about site locator for a major retailer in power malls?

Negotiator?

Default evaluator for a firm that has bought up high-risk mortgages?

Physical plant and property manager for a major manufacturer?

Real estate auditor for an investment trust?

Rental investigator for a municipal or taxing authority?

Specialist in automated HVAC and security controls for property management?

Instructor in commercial real estate at the college?

Appraiser for a local bank or housing authority?

That’s nine arms. If you’re knowledgeable in commercial real estate, you could probably build an octopus with eighteen arms.

Keep in mind that many of the most desirable jobs around today didn’t exist ten years ago, so lift that lid and think outside the box about jobs that could exist in five years that people could think would be wacko today.