While stuck in traffic during one of his long, daily commutes to his
corporate job, Brian Kurth found himself wondering off into dreamland –
a place where he could fantasize about his dream job. His corporate
career was going well, but he was often struck by emptiness about his
overall lifestyle (sound familiar?)
After several
expeditions into dreamland, Brian decided to transform this paradise
into a reality – a place where all dreamers could safely test-drive
their dream job. After being laid off during the dot-com bust, Kurth
traveled around the country for six months and everywhere he went, he
heard people practically apologizing for what they did for a
living…then light up when they talked about their dream career. During
his travels, he realized that the time was right to dust off his unique
business idea. At the end of his trip, Brian moved to Portland, Oregon
where he officially launched VocationVacations in January, 2004.
From
day one, VocationVacations has followed a simple, but powerful vision –
work shouldn’t be a four-letter word – happiness and passion at work
are integral to creating a fulfilling life. VocationVacations allows
people to test-drive their dream job completely risk-free. A
VocationVacation isn’t job-shadowing, and it isn’t a fantasy camp.
Instead, “Vocationers” work one-on-one with a credentialed mentor to
see what their dream job is really like. Currently, the
company offers more than 200 packages in 31 states – and is growing
each month including: TV producer, brew master, dog trainer, B&B
owner, professional photographer, comedy club owner, race team pit crew
member, baseball team general manager, chocolatier, sports announcer,
white water rafting outfitter, animal shelter director, costume
designer, talent agent, horse trainer, wine maker, baker, private
investigator, film events producer, cheese maker, wine retailer,
fishing outfitter, wedding coordinator and many more.
About Brian Kurth
Before
launching VocationVacations, Brian spent well over a decade in the
corporate world. Early in his career, he lived and worked in Tallinn,
Estonia helping set up an office automation company. After returning to
Chicago, he worked his way up in the telecommunications industry with
AT&T and Ameritech, where he took an assignment in Budapest,
Hungary as a product marketing director for Matav. Once again returning
to Chicago, he went on to become the director of business development
for a dot.com startup.
Brian is a “Vocationer” himself
and is a sought-after expert on how to pursue and attain one’s
dream-job lifestyle. Brian loves the balance of living in a
cosmopolitan city such as Portland yet close to the ocean, mountains
and vineyards. Due to his heavy travel schedule, Brian has yet to get
the dog of his dreams but has become a cat lover thru the warmth and
charm of a certain stray named Juci. Brian is living his dream-job lifestyle now, by helping other people pursue their true passions in work…and in life!