Always wondered “what if” you had followed a different career path? Perhaps you have never really been happy in your work, or feel like you still haven’t figured out what you want to be when you grow up? Maybe you have been laid-off and are looking for a new job, or are retired and searching for a “second act” career to utilize your work/life experience? These are common feelings, questions, and challenges many of us have had or will have… including Brian Kurth, founder of VocationVacations, a one-of-a-kind career mentorship company, and Brian Kurth + Company, a personal career consulting company, a popular speaker and author of Test-Drive Your Dream Job — A Step-by Step Guide to Finding and Creating the Work You Love (Hachette 2008).

“The mix of candor, concrete advice and real-life stories adds up to a must-read for those who are ready to shove aside the status quo and take a chance at a more satisfying career.” — USA TODAY

SPEECH TOPICS

8 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER CHANGE
Finding, Creating & Living The Work You Love

Many people have good jobs and nice paychecks, but are not really happy in their work. However, the idea of changing jobs or careers seems too daunting. Where do you start? How do you get from Point A to Point B in finding, creating and living the work you love?

Identifying your dream job and the path that will take you there is both a challenge and an opportunity. Brian Kurth, founder of VocationVacations and the career consulting firm, Brian Kurth + Company, has developed a realistic eight-step “vocationing” process to help people pursue their interests and passions and find the job of your dreams. Brian shares proven strategies and methods, which enable people to achieve their goals by helping them to:

By following these eight steps in the vocationing process, dream jobs can become realities; passions and interests can be fulfilled; and the career and lifestyle you always wanted can be yours for the taking.

THE MENTORSHIP PATH
Strategies for Hiring and Maintaining an Effective Workforce

The success of VocationVacations proven mentorship program is the key to successful career and life transitions. In 2008, Brian took the lessons learned through VocationVacations success in helping thousands of people explore, discover and pursue their career and life passions to the next level. He founded Brian Kurth + Company with the goal of providing career consulting and development services based on the proven model that mentorship, at any stage of a person’s career, is key to attaining and developing a successful career. Brian applies the concept of mentorship to helping human resource professionals maintain and recruit a more effective work force by providing their employees unique experiences and learning opportunities for both personal and professional development.

Brian presents the principles of Mentorship, Transition and Reinvention (MTR), his innovative strategy designed to logically move people through an eight-step process of career and lifestyle exploration. Just like VocationVacations, Brian Kurth + Company was not designed in a vacuum. It was designed through experience with the goal of offering a new approach driven by fresh ideas, hands-on action and personal attention to help people make solid and studied career and lifestyle decisions. MTR is a proven, no-nonsense, no-rhetoric course of action that will help you take your employees to the next level while achieving your organization’s goals and objectives.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR ENCORE CAREER

Still trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up? Have you had a successful career, but now are looking to explore a second phase of your professional life, whether it is by choice or by the downturned economy? Or perhaps you are ready to pursue those passions that have been simmering on the back burner all these years?

Brian Kurth, founder of VocationVacations and the career consulting firm, Brian Kurth + Company, offers insights and advice on how to travel that path not taken and find happiness and fulfillment at the end of the journey. In his presentation “It’s Never Too Late To Follow Your Dreams”, Brian will discuss how to:

• define your dreams and identify your passions — what is it I want at this stage of my life… to start a new career, expand a hobby, become a volunteer, take classes, etc.?
• create a plan of action and a step-by-step process to achieve that plan
• overcome your fears with experience and knowledge — the more you know the less fearful you are of change
• keep motivated and goal focused — yes, you can!
• reap the rewards of finding what really makes you happy and fulfilled

HOW TO TURN PASSION INTO PROFIT
Becoming An Entrepreneur

Dreaming about being your own boss and owning your own business is easy. Turning those entrepreneurial dreams into a reality…not so easy. However, if you take the right steps to both explore and analyze the feasibility of your business and your personal level of commitment and comfort, becoming an entrepreneur is not only doable, but a real opportunity for true job satisfaction, autonomy, independence and work/life balance.

Brian Kurth, founder of VocationVacations and the career consulting firm, Brian Kurth + Company, and a entrepreneur himself, helps people face the realities of being an entrepreneur and how to increase the odds of being successful. He will teach you how to:

• use research, mentorship and financial and other professional advice to prepare you to make the right decisions
• make certain you have the RIGHT personality and level of commitment to be an entrepreneur
• get a crash course in business without getting an MBA
• compete and succeed in a competitive world
• market yourself
• determine when the time is right to for the final transition that turns an idea into a career

HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR AND FIND THE LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS

Do you want to follow your dream job but are afraid of the challenges and uncertainties you may find along the way? Are you ready to identify those fears and conquer them? Is the fear of staying where you are beginning to outweigh the fear of making a change?

Brian Kurth, founder of VocationVacations and Brian Kurth + Company, offers insights and advice on how to face your fears to find and create the work you love. In his presentation, “How To Overcome Your Fears And Find The Job Of Your Dreams”, Brian will discuss how to:

• identify “real” and “imagined” fears — what’s the worst that could happen?
• understand and alleviate the financial implications of pursuing your dream job
• manage the impact and influence of family and friends — will they think I’m crazy?
• put the fear of failure and loss of current job identity in a rational perspective
• design a step-by-step plan that will help you meet your fears head on and empower you to take action

HOW TO USE SOCIAL NETWORKING TO GET A JOB

The growth and popularity of social networking has created a valuable resource for job seekers. But, you have to understand how it works and how you can take advantage of the information and connections it provides. Effective social networking through outlets like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo!Groups, alumni associations, trade organizations online, blogs etc., can help you expand your outreach well beyond anything you could do face-to-face.

Brian Kurth, founder of VocationVacations and the career consulting firm, Brian Kurth + Company, provides insights into the world of social networking, demystifying it for those new to the concept and offing unique and up-to-the-minute social networking techniques for those already “in the know” about this valuable resource. Brian will explain:

• what social networking is, how it works and the connections it offers
• how to use social networking to target companies and specific employees within those companies; organizations related to a profession; desirable geographic locations and job opportunities to find information
• how to develop your personal profile that goes beyond a resume and creates your own personal brand and tells a crisp, to-the-point story
• how to research using social networking to expand your network and obtain mentors in your chosen field
• how to promote yourself by becoming an online expert offering advice and tips and answering questions specific to your field of expertise

ABOUT BRIAN KURTH

Brian Kurth is an innovative career transition expert, TV contributor, entrepreneur, author and a sought-after speaker. He is the author of Test-Drive Your Dream Job: A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding And Creating The Work You Love — Hachette, 2008. Brian founded VocationVacations in 2004 and in 2008, he founded his personal career consulting company Brian Kurth + Company. Brian has provided career mentorship, transition and reinvention (MTR) advice on NBC's TODAY Show, CNBC, CNN, FOX News, ABC News, MSNBC and National Public Radio (NPR), and has been featured in articles in O, The Oprah Magazine; The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Fortune, Entrepreneur Magazine, MORE Magazine, Men's Journal, AARP Magazine and Black Enterprise Magazine, just to name a few. In 2006, he co-executive produced This Job’s A Trip for the Travel Channel.

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Brian holds degrees in political science, history and international relations from the University of Wisconsin and a masters degree in political science from Loyola University. Prior to founding VocationVacations, he spent more than a decade in the corporate world, which included living and working in St. Louis, Chicago, Estonia and Hungary. He worked his way up in product marketing within the telecommunications industry with AT&T and Ameritech and then became the director of business development for a dot-com startup. Kurth lives in Portland, Oregon and works wherever his iPhone and MacBook take him.

Brian’s boyish grin, contagious enthusiasm, quirky sense of humor and total commitment to helping others find professional and personal fulfillment has made him a sought-after speaker known for his wit, wisdom and common sense. Get Brian talking (no problem there!), and he is able to open minds to new career and lifestyle possibilities and how to turn those possibilities into realities. He has spoken to a diverse range of companies and groups including AARP, Ameriprise, Disney, Intel and colleges, universities and alumni associations.

BRIAN’S JOURNEY

Brian Kurth followed the traditional path into the work place. Get an education, find a good job, work hard, make some money and…well, that should be enough. Right? Not for Brian.

Brian wanted to be excited about going to work each day, passionate about what he was doing and optimistic about his future. He had watched his dad spend his life doing something to make a “living” not a “life”. Although he loved and admired his dad, Brian didn’t want to follow in his footsteps and wake up 20 years down the road wondering what might have been.

But, like many of us, Brian was afraid to give up his “Dilbert-like” existence in the corporate world because he didn’t know what it was he really wanted to do. Even if he did have an idea, he didn’t have a plan and was too fearful to make it happen.

Fortunately, fate intervened. In 2001, Brian was laid-off from his corporate job. This was the beginning of a time of reinvention, self-discovery and exploration (not to mention sleepless nights) that would not only lead Brian to a new and fulfilling career, but would ultimately help others find their way as well.

Building on his own search for career transition resources and experience, Brian founded VocationVacations® ( www.vocationvacations.com) in 2004. The only company of its kind, VocationVacations offers one- to-three day career mentorships — the opportunity to test-drive your dream job with the guidance of expert mentors who are passionate about what they do.

VocationVacations’ team of mentors has grown to more than 400 offering more than 175 different career mentorships across 30 states — bed & breakfast owner, voice-over artist, dog trainer, sports announcer, winemaker, travel writer, etc. Career mentorships are changing thousands of people’s lives — financial executives have become winemakers and dog trainers; an architect opened a bakery; an engineer began writing country music and the stories go on and on.

Brian’s belief that passion for what you do and mentorship are the keys to career success has led to many partnerships with corporations. For instance, VocationVacations and Ameriprise collaborated in offering discounts off VocationVacations to Ameriprise Circle members; Monster.com and VocationVacations teamed up to provide Monster.com clients career mentorship experiences; VocationVacations partnered with American Express’s online “Daily Wish” auction; SONY Pictures provided a VocationVacation to a sweepstakes winner for the release of its movie, “Julie & Julia”; and VocationVacations is a redemption option for Hilton HHonors points. And, yes, VocationVacations was even a featured prize on the Wheel of Fortune in partnership with the NFL Players Association!

SPEAKING TESTIMONIALS

“We were lucky enough to have Brian speak at an alumni networking event in New York.  Not only did he entertain the crowd with the story of his own career path, he motivated everyone to look within themselves to find a more fulfilling career. Brian’s knowledge and advice spans age and industry, which allows him to speak to any audience. It was a great success, and I hope to have him speak at many more events!”
Gina Evans, Wisconsin Alumni Association

“I have known and have worked with Brian for the past few years. His book, Test Drive Your Dream Job, continues to give myself and others inspiration and hope. I have heard Brian speak on a number of occasions. His expertise, understanding, compassion and great sense of humor have given everyone a new sense of direction. I am proud to say that Brian encourages me to “Keep on Dreaming”. He is the best!”
Lyndy Nierman, BPI group

VOCATIONER STORIES

Sandy Huddle (Boomer) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
An insurance claims manager is now becoming a TV producer

Sandy Huddle had worked in the insurance business for 19 years, moving up in the ranks to a management position. In college, she had dreamed of being in television production and had taken classes. However, personal circumstances caused her to abandon her dream. But she always wondered "what if" and longed for an outlet for her creative side.

In September 2005, Sandy took a television producer VocationVacation...just for the experience and to satisfy her curiosity. Instead, here life changed. Sandy’s career mentorship helped her reconnect with her dream, and she began to take steps to follow that dream. She relocated and enrolled in classes at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. She has stayed with the program and now has only six classes and an internship to complete. Along the way she has had opportunities to work with the local PBS station and for some student film projects in Philadelphia.

It has been a challenge for Sandy to work full-time and go to school, but she knows she is moving in the right direction. “I'm still taking it one day at a time, staying very much in the present and perhaps taking a peak at tomorrow. I try not to set my sights too far in the future or ponder on how many classes I have to go. After all, it's the journey not the arrival that matters.  I am so grateful for having walked through my fear and taken that first step on a new journey that has unlocked my creativity and allowed me to pursue my dream,” says Sandy.

Bob Paterno (GenY) - Dallas, Texas
An electrical engineer turned country music songwriter

Bob Paterno had been writing songs since he was 14. However, his professional career had taken him into the field of electrical engineering. Although successful in his career, Bob longed for the opportunity to be creative, explore his musical talents and take control of his life. He wanted to find out if there was a career for him in songwriting.

Bob headed to the home of country music, Nashville, Tennessee, for a VocationVacation with songwriter Thom Shepherd. He wanted to figure out if he could make a living doing something he really loved. He gained valuable knowledge and insights into the life of a songwriter and quickly learned the challenges to be successful and the uncertainty of the business, even after you have hits as Thom has had.

It took a month for Bob to stop listening to the part of him that was telling him “I can’t be a songwriter, that’s crazy.” When he did, he gave six weeks notice and quit his job in August 2007. He had begun to believe he could be a songwriter and had just as much of a chance to be successful as anyone else.

In the last two years, Bob has been learning the craft of country music songwriting. He travels to Nashville every month to pitch songs to publishers and producers and to co-write with other songwriters. Bob says writing a great song is only half the effort. Getting songs to the right people is the other part of the challenge.

Bob is also writing and producing instrumental music from his home studio to pitch to the film and TV song market. Over the past two years, Bob has had to learn how to engineer, mix, and master songs. “I write about 100 songs per year, and I’m working harder than I ever have. But putting in long hours is much easier to do when you love what you’re doing,” says Bob.

Without the experience he gained on his career mentorship, Bob says he would still be working in his cubicle rather than now being a full-time songwriter working to advance his career and his talents. Although a challenging road, Bob is committed to following his dream job and hitting the charts.

Toni Cory (Boomer) — Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
An assembly line worker turns dog daycare owner

Toni Cory was forty-nine and facing the closing of the factory where she had worked for over two decades. She knew what she wanted to do next — and it wasn’t to take another factory job. She wanted to open her own dog kennel and daycare.

Toni and her husband began to make plans to buy a piece of property and build a new home with a kennel property. They put together a business plan and went to the bank for a loan. To their surprise, the bank required they put up all of their money, even their retirement account. “If we wanted to make our dream come true, this was what we had to do,” explains Toni.

Now they had the money, but Toni had only the slimmest idea of what was involved in running a kennel and dog daycare business. They had taken a big financial risk and needed to move quickly. Toni took a VocationVacation at The Dog Zone, a doggy daycare in Cedar Rapids, IA. She spent two days immersed in their operations. Seeing everything made it all real for Toni. “Before I went there I could only imagine what it would be like to own a dog daycare,” remembers Toni.

At times during the construction a sense of panic would overwhelm Toni, but she knew they were doing the right thing. In October 2006, they opened Almost Home Dog Daycare and Boarding. The business has been well accepted in their community and continues to grow and prosper. The outcome has been well worth the challenges. “We really jumped out of our boxes on this, and I am really proud of us,” shares Toni.

Paul Holje (GenX) and George Kelly (Young Boomer) - Grand Forks, North Dakota
An architect and air traffic controller become bakers and bakery owners

At the ages of 42 and 30 George Kelly and Paul Holje decided it was time to finally figure out what they wanted to be when they grew up. George was an air traffic controller who had survived a layoff to find another job, and Paul an architect who yearned for more fulfillment in his work.

Both George and Paul loved to cook, and since there were no bakeries in East Grand Forks, the idea of opening a bakery was becoming very appealing. They spent time brainstorming and doing research to determine the kind of bakery that would succeed in their hometown. By the summer of 2005, the bakery had taken shape in their minds. They began to develop a business plan and worked with a local marketing firm to analyze the market.

But something was still missing. All their research and knowledge was theoretical. They needed to see what it was really like to own and manage a bakery. To gain this experience, George and Paul traveled to Portland, Oregon, for a VocationVacation. “The whirlwind two-day experience confirmed many of our ideas, steered us away from others and was a constructive confirmation of what we were doing” George and Paul say.

George and Paul worked through all the challenges and fears associated with opening a new business - obtaining financial resources, a location, equipment, meeting their timetable. In May of 2006, Dakota Harvest Bakers opened its doors. The community enthusiastically responded. The business went from conception to operation in a year and a half. Dakota Harvest Bakers continues to grow, and George and Paul continue to enjoy living their dream job.