Work for Fun

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Cheat on Your Boss

Test-drive the job of your dreams

In 1999, Brian Kurth was stuck in traffic on the Kennedy Expressway when he had a thought that changed his life. "I literally was Dilbert working for the phone company," recalls Kurth today. Facing an endless line of cars as he made the daily commute to his job at Ameritech in Hoffman Estates, Kurth grumbled to himself, There has to be more to life than this—and in an instant the idea for a business popped into view. The idea percolated until he was laid off from a dot-com in 2001, took a cross-country trip, and moved to Portland, Oregon, where in 2004 he founded VocationVacations, a company that brokers "mentorships" for adults hoping to dip a toe into the profession of their dreams. "It's the incremental, first baby step toward a new life," says Kurth, 41. "We remove the barrier to entry, risk-free." The short-term internships—usually lasting one to three days—allow adults to shadow a mentor in careers such as acting, private investigating, wedding coordinating, or owning a café. Seventy-five percent of his customers are looking for a new career, Kurth says, and 20 percent of alumni are now in their dream jobs. Packages start at around $549 for one-day ventures like cheesemaking or owning a doggy day-care facility, to $2,999 for a two-day mentorship with a Broadway director. Vocationvacations.com, 866-888-6329

CONSUME EXTRAVAGANTLY | LIVE BEAUTIFULLY | PAMPER YOUR ENTIRE BEING
MAKE YOURSELF OVER | OUTSOURCE THE HOLIDAYS