Changing Careers
Always wanted to be a baker but got stuck selling insurance? With the help of VocationVacations, you can sample your dream job while on holiday to see if it's worth pursuing.
9/2007
Kurth wanted to try out a new career-but with limited risk. When he realized others felt the same way, he started testing his idea by placing friends with mentors in jobs they'd dreamed of having but never known where to start. First he found a mentor for a friend who also wanted to be a dog trainer. Then he placed another friend with a brew master. He knew he was onto something when he connected yet another friend's 58-year-old mother with a job in the fashion industry. She started her first day helping a fashion coordinator prep a fashion show. After just a couple of days, she was asked to be in the show herself. "This was changing people's lives, enabling them to take that step," says Kurth.
VocationVacations (vocationvacations.com) pairs you with a mentor in the career you're interested in and offers you the chance to sample the job over a period of two to three days. The programs cost $349 to $2,000 and include the mentorship, a before and after consultation with a career coach, and lunches with your mentor. You have to pay for your own hotel and travel expenses, if necessary.
Most VocationVacations clients are women and baby boomers seeking a career switch after already having established themselves in other jobs. Recently, though, people just entering the job market are signing up to find out if their desired career is the right fit.
The most popular mentorships are culinary-restaurateur, baker, chocolatier, wine master, brewer-followed by sports, entertainment, and fashion. Forensic scientist and marine biologist are two careers that will soon be added to the list of offerings.
Kurth's success stories include an air traffic controller in North Dakota who now owns a bakery, a former insurance claims administrator who currently works at a talent agency, and two top Fidelity executives who recently bought a vineyard in Oregon. "Between 20 and 25 percent of alumni are either in their dream jobs or well down the path," says Kurth.
For more stories about dream vacations, see the September 2007 issue of Natural Health. And tell us about your dream vacation (the one you've taken or the one you want to take) at naturalhealthmag.com/shareyourstories.
