A Career Exploration or Learning Vacation

If you’ve spent time thinking about a dream career and wished for a way to give it a risk-free test run, you may want to target your vacation to explore a career or interest.

What to Expect from a Vocation Vacation

Vacations focused on exploring a specific career are commonly called “vocation vacations.” People pay for these short-term work experiences to gain a hands-on opportunity trying out a career.

Certain companies specialize in vocation vacations, which range in cost from $500 to $2000 for a two-to-three day experience. Don’t expect to find your run-of-the-mill, everyday career using this method; for example, some people have taken vocation vacations to experience roles as wine makers, chefs, innkeepers, dog trainers, and sports announcers.

Participants are paired with professionals/mentors in the career they’re exploring. Mentors work alongside the mentees, assigning tasks, answering questions, and providing guidance. These vacations don’t provide the skills, experience, and education required to land a job. However, they do deliver career snapshots and hands-on experiences that may help you decide whether to formally pursue a particular career. At the very least, a vocation vacation is exciting and fun, and for many this is the goal.

Vacations Geared toward Learning

Some vacations are designed to promote learning within a particular area of interest. Learning vacations may tie into a person’s career interests, but are intended more to foster a personal interest, hobby, or passion. For example, you might pursue studying abroad, second-language courses, culinary or travel programs, photography tours, or writing workshops. Some programs may result in a certificate of completion; however, all promote growth and fun.

A learning vacation demonstrates your willingness to learn new things and can sometimes be promoted on your resume or in an interview. Fees and time commitments for learning vacations vary significantly, so it is best to tap into online and offline resources to narrow your interests and find one that fits.