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Test-driving your dream job is possible with oneof-a-kind mentoring program
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By Mauri Elbel
Photo by Beth Bond
ENLARGE PHOTO
Through VocationVacations,
Yoga Vida owner Dean Mahan
has mentored several people
who aspire to careers similar
to his.
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Updated: 5:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, 2010
Published: 5:39 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, 2010
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As the owner of two Austin yoga studios, Dean Mahan has what
some would call a dream job.
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In fact, several people from across the United States have traveled
here to spend a few days with him in hopes of learning how to
replicate his reality to make their career dreams come true. Each
has connected with Mahan through VocationVacations, a Portland,
Ore., company that's a job-shadowing matchmaker of sorts.
Career reinvention and transition expert Brian Kurth founded
VocationVacations in 2004 as a career transition company that
enables people to test-drive their dream job for a few days. He has
since witnessed it grow to include 500 mentors across 30 states,
offering career mentorship options that allow people to spend
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"We could be a lot bigger, but we say no to many mentors because
they don't fit our criteria," Kurth said. "People need to be wildly
passionate about what they do and want to help others find their
calling."
Mahan has found his own calling as a yoga practitioner, teacher and
owner of Yoga Vida and its downtown location, Yoga Vida 707, but
he started with a master's in education, taught third grade for five
years and later owned a travel agency for more than 20 years.
"I have had many careers in my life and I am willing to change as the
world continually changes," he said. "Right now I am quite content
and fulfilled with teaching and practicing yoga. Yoga connects me to
my heart and it allows me to follow my heart."
This inner passion is what has poised Mahan as an ideal mentor for
VocationVacations, giving people like Veronica Cruz the first-hand
experience needed to turn their dreams into a reality.
Until May 2008, Cruz had a successful career as a software
consultant in Silicon Valley, but as a long-time yoga practitioner,
Cruz wanted to translate her true passion into a business. She was
looking for a way to validate whether she was ready to pursue it
seriously when she stumbled upon VocationVacations.
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"I think it is invaluable to have an opportunity to test-drive your
dream job," Cruz said. "When you have a passion in your gut you
feel you want to pursue, it is not often you can try it on for size from
a practical standpoint."
After spending a few days with Mahan at Yoga Vida, Cruz was able
to experience the day-to-day realities of owning a yoga studio and
gained the confidence to embark on her new career.
"Dean was a wonderful mentor, and I felt an instant rapport," she
said. "I had a lot of questions, and he shared many insights as I
walked in his shoes for two days. After the weekend, I certainly knew
I wanted to own my own studio."
Today, Cruz is the proud owner of Downtown Yoga Shala in San
Jose, Calif., opening her doors less than a year after meeting with
Mahan. Although she admits that owning her studio requires hard
work and long hours, she said she has never looked back.
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Test-driving your dream job is possible …
"There isn't one day that I've said, 'I wish I hadn't done this' or 'I wish
I had my old job back' — not a single day," Cruz said. "I have to say
that the vision for opening a yoga studio is beautifully manifesting
itself. There are rewards every single day."
For his part, Mahan said being a mentor has been incredibly
rewarding.
"My cup runneth over," he said. "I feel like I have done something
good with my life. To serve another is the greatest thing."
Kurth said today's bleak job market makes this the ideal time for
unfulfilled workers to explore future career options. While much of
the population is waiting it out, those who are planning ahead are
positioning themselves for their dream jobs when the recovery
occurs, he said.
"Our vocationers are people who have been laid off or they are
stuck in a job without passion or fulfillment," Kurth said. "So even if
there are no jobs right now, now is the time to do your due diligence
of personal and professional exploration so you are ahead of your
career."
The price of a trip through VocationVacations doesn't come cheap
— it averages $900, which does not include airfare or lodging.
"VocationVacations is the very sexy side of things, but in this
recession of the last two years, a lot of people cannot afford that, so
a lot of our clients want to create their own mentorship ," Kurth said.
VocationVacations' sister company, Brian Kurth + Company,
focuses on a three-pronged strategy of mentorship, transition and
reinvention and offers more affordable options , such as $597 for
three sessions with a career expert .
"This is not for only the rich — it is for anyone," Kurth said. "But it is
all about mentorship — mentorship, mentorship, mentorship. You
cannot do it alone — you need to talk to experts in the field."
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