Seeking a a job with long-term prospects? In these straitened times that obviously makes sense. So a recent research paper* offers some suggestions, which you might find helpful. On the other hand, you might not!

Do you fancy becoming a nano-medic or replacement body part manufacturer? Or perhaps a career as a “memory surgeon” would be more to your liking. Apparently, in the near future the amount of digital information and knowledge the brain will have to accumulate will be massive. So “memory surgeons” will be needed to install extra capacity for senior citizens.

Career opportunities like those, which deal with the expected increase in the number of elderly people, are identified as among the growth areas for jobs in as little as ten years time.

But if travel rather than caring is more your scene you might find your niche as a space station architect or space tour guide. Just imagine! Charging purposefully through space waving a brightly coloured umbrella with your little flock of tourists in tow!

Playing at being a space-age Mary Poppins doesn't appeal? Well, think about the career opportunities climate change and food sustainability might provide. The research predicts a requirement for “weather modification police”. Their job will be to curb attempts by people in one area to seed clouds to steal rain from their neighbours. Or what about a future as a a vertical farmer feeding the citizens of tomorrow's mega-cities? How? By growing food crops on the outside of buildings.

Don't like the sound of any of these jobs? Well, don't worry too much. This research could be totally wrong. So your best plan is keep a sharp eye on the market place. Then develop your skills and expertise to keep in tune with changing requirements. Think where you would like your career to be in three years time, which is a manageable timescale. Now work out how you are going to get there.

And, of course, if you would like help with that your first call should be to Career Arena.

* Research commissioned by the UK's Department of Business, Innovation & Skills.