ANNA JANE GROSSMAN explores an alternative to the post-college internship ritual: a vacation that lets you try your dream job on for size.
VocationVacation-er Chris Boggs dreams of opening a brewery. (AP Photo/Blue Point Brewing/Jim McCune)
Some of the product Chris Bogg's oversaw during his VocationVacation at Blue Point Brewery. (AP Photo/Blue Point Brewing/Jim McCune)
When Chris Boggs graduated from college last year, his mother was so eager for him to get a job that she was prepared to pay someone to hire him.
"He needed to get his bearings," said Cecilia Boggs.
But Boggs' dream is to open a microbrewery, and his mom didn't see how she could help him get a leg up in that field.
"I don't even drink beer," she said.
But, she reasoned, maybe she could write a check to someone who could. The upshot: she signed him up for a two-day work-cation at the Blue Point Brewery in Patchogue, N.Y.
The stint was organized by VocationVacations, an Oregon-based company that helps people see what it'd be like to have their dream job. Not including lodging and airfare, the apprenticeship cost $599.
"You have to spend money to make money," she said. "This was a way for him to meet people in the line of work he wants to get into."
There's a new alternative to the post-college ritual of trying to get a foot in the door by submitting to data entry and copy-making under the "internship" banner. Young people are opting to take a test drive of careers before actually committing to more time-intensive internships or entry level positions.
For Boggs and his peers, it's a way to cram the best parts of an internship -- the hands-on experience, the contacts -- into a few short days. These quickie apprenticeships might come at a premium, but often, mom and dad are still willing to pick up the tab.
___
IT'S HARD OUT HERE FOR AN INTERN
It's no news that internships are often the secret to finding post-college employment. According to a 2006 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 70 percent of interns parlay their experiences into offers.
But it can be hard to find an internship that doesn't require getting college credit, which makes it difficult for grads who long to experiment. And trying on different jobs for size while still in school can be time consuming -- internships usually last a full semester, and many would rather not spend two or four college credits -- which can cost as much as $1000 a piece depending on the school -- on an internship that could land them licking envelopes for hours on end, uncompensated.
"What we offer is an internship on steroids," said VocationVacations founder Brian Kurth. "It's for Type-A twentysomethings who want to get in quick and ask everything they want to know in just a few days."
Private eye, dog trainer, chocolatier -- VocationVacations offers over a hundred professions. Some clients are retirees eager to try out the job they wished they'd had, while others are career people looking to change fields.
But, said Kurth, a growing number of enrollees are young adults who are looking to test the waters before diving into a pool they may not get out of until social security checks start coming.
"Sometimes, someone will find they don't like something they thought they would," said Kurth. "I worked for a retailer when I graduated college, and I hated it. If I'd done a VocationVacations, I could've figured that out in two days. Instead, it took me two years."
___
THE GOOD WITHOUT THE BAD
Indeed, VocationVacations are jampacked experiences that leave no time for the grunt work to which most workplace freshmen are subjected.
Pam Smith, an interior designer in Rye Brook, N.Y., could use an intern to help her with some of the less glamorous aspects of her job, but when Kurth sent her a 20-year-old who wanted to do a VocationVacation with her last summer, Smith had no intention of sending her "Vacationer" out for coffee.
"I offered her a really intensive 12 hours of learning. I felt an obligation to give her the best experience possible," said Smith. "There's downtime in my job like in everyone else's, but because she was coming to me for a paid experience, I wasn't just going to let her sit around. I used those times to really show her how to handle the business side of what I do -- what kind of phone and calendar I use, what kind of design software works best, what contracts are best-everything."
Roy Englebrecht offers a similarly intense opportunity at his yearly Sportscaster Camp of America in Long Beach, Calif. His five day, $1,595 summer program lets sports lovers of all ages learn the ins and outs of "calling" a game.
"These days, I'd say 50 percent of our 'campers' are between their senior year of high school and their first year out of college," said Englebrecht, who has been running the camp for 23 years. "A lot of the college-aged kids may major in broadcasting, but they never get any experience sportscasting. We help them make audition tapes. It's a competitive field to get an internship in, and I think it helps if you can show that you've already put dollars and time towards this career."
___
BREW-HA HA
Before Boggs, of Chandler, Ariz., left for his brewery experience, VocationVacations sent him a map, a list of hotels, suggestions on attire, and even a notebook. They also had him consult with a career counselor.
Boggs worked two 14-hour days at the brewery, learning about everything from the nitty-gritty of getting a microbrewery off the ground to the delicate processes involved in tending to the equipment. He documented the experience with his camera phone.
"The first day I was standing on top of the brew kettle where all the materials are boiled together and I thought 'Wow I'm really doing this!'" he said.
Before he left, the brewery's owners suggested places he should apply for internships and some classes he could take.
There was no check or job offer at the experience's end, but there was the whiff of the kind of fraternal twentysomething bond that money can't buy.
"They sent me home with beer," said Boggs, "and I made them a mix CD."
___
Visit the company's Web site here.
___
asap contributor Anna Jane Grossman is a freelance writer based in New York.
___
Want to comment? Sound off at soundoffasap@ap.org .
©2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
