may 20. 2005 » jllSt OUt 13
nTTHTWRTlnews
"Tfr ou’re staring at the computer moni-
k ' tor at your workaday job, under
whelmed by your routine. As your
mind wanders from its rut, you fan-
■Jk
tasize about being [your dream job
here] for a day.
But it takes guts to walk away from a steady
paycheck and the security of knowing where to
be at 9 a.m.
Not anymore, thanks to Vocation Vacations,
the brainchild of gay Portland entrepreneur
Brian Kurth.
“1 don’t like to say that we’re changing peo
ple’s lives because it’s overly dramatic, but we’re
giving them a tool to change their own lives,
risk-free,” said Kurth, who began rhe business in
January 2004.
Vocation Vacations is the opportunity to
test-drive your dream job, for just a couple of
days, without sacrificing your current gig.
The idea struck like lightning while Kurth
was sitting in traffic, imagining a different life
for himself. When both he and his ex-boyfriend
were laid off from their hoity Fortune 500 jobs in
Chicago on the same day, change was immi
nent. They sold the condo and moved to Port
land, and Kurth began growing his business.
A few vocations available for sampling
include animal therapist, auctioneer, dog day
care owner, cowboy b<x)t maker, play director,
stylist, wedding planner, river rafting tour guide,
vintner, wine retailer, innkeeper, brew master,
horse trainer, cheese maker, race car driver,
hunting and fishing guide, professional gardener,
professional golfer, pastry chef, chocolatier, tele
vision producer and even news reporter.
Though many Vocation Vacations are
Portland-based, the business is growing rapidly
and is adding more options nationwide and
even internationally. Vocation Vacations are
R isk -F ree V ocationing
Test-drive your dream job
by Jaymee R. Cuti
offered in 23 states and the
United Kingdom.
Linda Nardin of Con
necticut was the perfect
candidate for a Vocation
Vacation. The former IBM
executive was laid off after
working 23 years as the
company’s public relations
and internal communica
tion specialist. She spent a
re-education stipend on
three Vocation Vacations
in Portland last month.
“It was really a great tool
to move away from the
large, institutional, corpo
rate life that I had led for so
many years. I wanted to
focus on being a serious stu
dent of small business,” she
said.
Brian Kurth (left) whips up a batch of yum with baker Tim Healea.
While Nardin may not
actually take up one of the
professions she test-drove—a wine maker, she will abandon corporate life forever.
a baker and a florist—she says she will benefit
“1 would love to work for myself, and I defi
from the exposure to a different life.
nitely want to work for a small business. The
“I’ve come back now realizing life isn’t only pace that they work at and the ambiance is very
big business. Small businesses are alive and refreshing,” she said.
flourishing,” Nardin said.
Nardin reported for duty before sunrise at the
Nardin and her husband, empty nesters, are Pearl Bakery in Northwest Portland to try her
planning a move to Florida, where Nardin says skills as a baker.
“You can’t really teach someone to bake in
two days, but you can give them an impression
of what life is like as a baker,” said Tim Healea,
principal baker and Vexation Vacation mentor.
“In two days, you’ll find out whether you love it
or hate it, because there are things you learn
about the business that are chal
lenging, like the hours. The
hours are brutal.”
Nardin’s introduction to
Pearl Bakery included bread
shaping, croissant making and a
business analysis.
Vexation Vacation packages
range from approximately $600
to $5,000. According to Nardin,
the experience is well worth the
expense.
“How many people would
have been willing to say, ‘Come
in, sit down, and I’ll tell you
everything about my business?’
The mentors love what they do
and are able to share that passion
with people who express an
interest in it,” she said.
Kurth concurs that the men
tors are priceless.
“This provides the one-on-
one mentorship that you can’t
always get by taking a class,” he
said. A Vocation Vacation also
includes career counseling.
Besides the expanding business, Vexation
Vacations will soon be a travel show. Discovery
Communications has produced a pilot, which
will air this summer. jm
For more information about VOCATION
V acations visit wuw.vocationvacations .com.
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