Job seekers often prepare to be asked, “Where do you want to be in five years?” Our recent guest on Career Central, Chris Bishop, challenged us to ask ourselves, “Where could you be in five years?” Chris is an expert on the future of the workplace who teaches professionals to prepare for success in career fields that have yet to be created. He shared with our listeners his strategies for anticipating emerging industries.

Our conversation started with Chris sharing his predictions of the advancement of nanomedicine and its reliance upon nanotechnology. My mind initially went to job opportunities for people with PhDs and MDs working in high-tech labs. Chris drew a much broader picture as our conversation continued. We explored the ripple effect of new technologies. As the field of nanomedicine grows, so will the need for people to build labs, clean labs, answer phones, sell products, create websites, edit papers, and ensure on-time delivery.

Chris shared the tools he uses to discover emerging industries and develop subject matter expertise to be competitive for the jobs they will generate. He shared some easy ways to acquire the education necessary to take your career into a new field. Chris recommended seeking out courses offered by universities at little to no cost.  He reminded listeners they are not trying to earn a new degree; they are trying to acquire knowledge about a new field to supplement their current career skills.

We ended the show with Chris advising us all to Find/Follow/Connect on LinkedIn. Find and add people who are active in emerging fields to your network, follow them to learn about their industry, and when it is time to make a career change connect with them.

Access Chris Bishop’s complete interview at Career Central on the VoiceAmerica Business Network.

Lorraine Beaman is the CEO of Interview2work LLC and the host of Career Central, which is broadcast live every Monday at 11 AM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel. Each week, she interviews professionals about real-world strategies listeners can use to develop and advance their careers.