It has always mystified me how some people can pick a job out of high school or college and stay in it for their entire life. When I was a little girl, considering what I would do for work, I thought that "one true job" ideal was expected and normal - but then I found out differently.

At first I beat myself up. "Why can't I keep a job longer than a few months to a couple years? What is wrong with me?" Truth be told, sticking to one job for almost your entire life can actually be more of a curse than a blessing - and could even be extremely problematic if your job can't grow with your needs.

Since most jobs these days preach and practice single-mindedness and specialization, keeping one job your entire life can mean disaster in a slumping economy. Every savvy investor knows that a good portfolio is a diversified portfolio - and having a variety of jobs under your belt is a great way to diversify your portfolio of useful and marketable skills.

With the right string of jobs, you could even give yourself an entire college education - and get paid for it. I have done just about everything under the sun, from common grunt to middle-management and direct assistant to a myriad of entrepreneurs and business owners. Several years later, when I wanted to start my own business, I had all the right skills at my fingertips.

Unfortunately, many people still subscribe to the idealistic "one true job" concept, and end up unemployable once their boss walks out on them. The only constant in life is change, so prepare for the worst by trying different types of jobs every few years. Eventually you just might find the perfect way to contribute as an entrepreneur - and when that moment of eureka strikes, I hope you're ready to capitalize on it.

You can find out more about Patricia Mayo and her other projects at Mayobrains.com or ComHacker.org.