Is Your Dream Job Really a Dream?
Reality television isn’t all bad. Shows like “America’s Next Top Model” and “Project Runway” give people a peak at what it’s like to work in the fashion industry. Even “The Apprentice” – more so before it became “The Celebrity Apprentice” – gives viewers a small sampling of what the business world is like, especially when contestants have to design print ads, promote products or make commercials. But what if you don’t want to just live vicariously through a contestant on a reality television program? What if you want to know, first hand, what a Broadway director does on a dat-to-day basis, or a flight instructor or the president and COO of a baseball team?
Well, you could try to get an informational interview and while you’re there, ask for an opportunity to shadow someone for a day or two. That approach might work better for college students who are still unsure about what kind of entry level job they want to get after graduation, but it’s less likely to work for someone who’s looking to make a mid-career change to a completely different field. But there is another way to shadow someone on the job.
Not long ago, I read an article on CareerHub about a site called Vocation Vacations. For a fee, a person can spend one or two days with a “mentor,” learning about his/her profession. The fee, which doesn’t include air fare and hotel accomodations, for such a venture can range from $549 to spend a day with a brew master to $2,999 to spend two days with that Broadway director I mentioned earlier. Most Vocation Vacations are two days long and cost between $949 and $1,199.
For anyone who might balk at the cost, remember that Vocation Vacations mentors have to schedule time to spend two days teaching someone all about what they do for a living. Besides a biography of each mentor, there’s also a complete “syllabus” for the two-day adventure. Sometimes vacations have to be canceled suddenly, so travelers are advised to buy travel insurance because there are no refunds for cancelations.
If you can afford it, taking the time to sample a job like veterinarian, wedding coordinator, fashion retailer, chocolatier, or, yes, even model, could be even more beneficial than doing an internship because there’s only a commitment of two days and part of the “dream job vacation” package is a one-hour session with a career coach and lunch with your mentor. But these vacations are probably best for people who are either planning a career change and want to know if a certain career is really what they want or for people who are just curious to know what it’s like to be a meteorologist or a pit crew member, etc.
So if you want to know if you have what it takes to be an actor, a baseball announcer, a wine maker or something else, a Vocation Vacation might be for you. Finding an entry level job or changing careers is still pretty tough and making the wrong choice could have long-term consequences. If a Vocation Vacation is in your budget, it might be worth it to take a couple days to check out your dream job before declaring your major or commiting to changing career fields.
