If you’re a troubled teenage guy I can recommend NarrowGate as a place for personal discovery as you ride horses, fish, forge iron and build furniture. If you’re a college student you can intern with Keza in Rwanda or Kenya to help design jewelry for ladies escaping poverty there.
But what if you’re 40 or 50 and burned out but unsure about how to explore a new career. No one’s looking for a 53-yr-old intern or a 46-yr-old apprentice. Brian Kurth saw his own life slipping away each morning while stuck in his 2-3 hour commute to his boring job in Chicago. So in 2004 Brian founded VocationVacations to expose people to alternative careers in 1, 2 or 3-days getaways. The mentors — all working professionals — offer one-on-one training in 185 careers, from archeology to sports play-by-play announcing. Clients learn directly from brewmasters, make-up artists and television script writers — a few of the most popular choices, Kurth says. The more adventurous step far beyond the 9-to-5 world to try bison ranching and guiding white-water rafting tours.
With Father’s Day just around the corner, maybe you need to get Dad to try out of one of these popular choices:
Didn’t find your dream job on this list? What would you love to try out as a new vocation?
