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For Some, Vacation Plans Include Finding New Career
July 29, 2008 06:02 AM
by
Anne Szustek
Layoffs and career malaise are among the reasons some professionals are looking to sample a few days in another profession—on and off camera.
30-Second Summary
Layoffs, impending retirement, and even simple boredom are prompting some to wonder what their lives could have been had they chosen to wander down another career path. Career-counseling companies and television shows are cashing in on the trend.
For as little as $549, VocationVacations offers those feeling trapped in their careers—or those just toying with a change—time to, as company founder Brian Kurtz says, “test drive” a new job. Kurtz says on a CNBC clip, “This economy has been the nudge. It’s been the kick in the you-know-where.”
Many of his clients worked in the mortgage industry. But other “Vocationers” are burned-out legal, medical and IT professionals—sectors relatively untouched by the credit crunch.
Some baby boomers take up a new career path after facing an ethical impasse. Inc. magazine cited a recent study that showed some 8.4 million baby boomers have taken up “encore” careers, often in social service sectors.
Such was the case for Robert Pondiscio, a former communications executive for BusinessWeek who joined the NYC Teaching Fellows program. “Like many New Yorkers, I'd spent a lot of time thinking about ways to give back in the months following September 11,” he writes.
Others do it for entertainment. Bob Blumer, a former music business manager, hosts “Glutton for Punishment,” a cable program where he learns a new culinary-related trade each a week, such as working as a breakfast line cook and as a Las Vegas bartender.
For as little as $549, VocationVacations offers those feeling trapped in their careers—or those just toying with a change—time to, as company founder Brian Kurtz says, “test drive” a new job. Kurtz says on a CNBC clip, “This economy has been the nudge. It’s been the kick in the you-know-where.”
Many of his clients worked in the mortgage industry. But other “Vocationers” are burned-out legal, medical and IT professionals—sectors relatively untouched by the credit crunch.
Some baby boomers take up a new career path after facing an ethical impasse. Inc. magazine cited a recent study that showed some 8.4 million baby boomers have taken up “encore” careers, often in social service sectors.
Such was the case for Robert Pondiscio, a former communications executive for BusinessWeek who joined the NYC Teaching Fellows program. “Like many New Yorkers, I'd spent a lot of time thinking about ways to give back in the months following September 11,” he writes.
Others do it for entertainment. Bob Blumer, a former music business manager, hosts “Glutton for Punishment,” a cable program where he learns a new culinary-related trade each a week, such as working as a breakfast line cook and as a Las Vegas bartender.
Headline Link: ‘Vocation Vacations’
Besides the more traditional career paths explored by VocationVacations customers, some clients have opted to spend a few days making swords or working as a groundskeeper at a Major League baseball stadium.
Source: CNBC
Background: Vacationing to work, trying a new persona
VocationVacations founder Brian Kurth got the idea to launch a company that allows adults to dabble in lines of work other than their own while stuck in Chicago traffic en route to his product management job at a phone company. “There were internships for 20-year-olds and there were volunteer vacations—go off and work with sea turtles—but not something that would allow me to take a few days and work with a winemaker or with a dog trainer.” After being laid off from a dot-com in 2001, he took up work at a winery in Oregon, eventually launching VocationVacations in 2004.
Source: Hartford Courant
On the reality TV show “Glutton for Punishment,” host Bob Blumer has dabbled in the daily tasks of knife-tossing hibachi chef, Tour de France cyclist and winemaker.
Source: Fine Living Network
USA Network’s reality show “Character Fantasy,” along with giving show participants makeovers and the chance to dress up in otherwise improbable roles such as a ninja, gives some the chance to work briefly in various professions. Past participants have received on-camera training as a horse jockey, a television reporter, and a club DJ, among other vocations.
Source: USA Network
Opinion & Analysis: Baby boomers, Gen Xers, look for life change
“It’s very real,” IT professional Keli Rhodes told CIO.com of her VocationVacations-organized stint as a baker. “You go into another person’s business, and they open up the doors for you. They don’t sugarcoat anything.”
Source: CIO.com
Inc., a magazine targeted at entrepreneurs, writes about the trend of baby boomers nearing retirement age taking up second careers, often in social service sectors such as education or in nonprofits. “Instead of encouraging people to leave the workforce, encore careers inspire people to stay longer to help their communities—and fill vital workforce shortages," said Marc Freedman, the CEO and founder of think tank Civic Venture, which participated in a study on baby boomers’ career patterns.
Source: Inc.
Robert Pondiscio left his job as a communications director for BusinessWeek shortly after September 11, 2001, and took an 80 percent pay cut to join the NYC Teaching Fellows program and became a fifth-grade teacher in the South Bronx. He eventually began an education consultancy.
Source: BusinessWeek
Reference: Career transitions
FindingDulcinea’s Web Guide to Career Transitions shows you where to go to get guidance on changing professional paths, including links to career interest inventory tests and message boards.
Source: findingDulcinea
Related Topics: Staycation
Rising fuel prices are prompting some people to remain near home for “staycations” instead of traveling during their time off. Netcetera, findingDulcinea’s features section, has some suggestions to make your staycation both restful and engaging.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
