Vacationing for a Vocation?

Ever fantasize about what it might be like to go into acting, run your own coffee shop become a chocolatier or work in the wine industry? Interested in finding a way to test drive a new career without losing a paycheck or risking the mortgage payment?

Missy Grohne did just that. She was working as a consultant in a LASIK eye surgery clinic, but she felt as though her real calling was in entertainment or acting. About 18 months ago, she saw a tiny advertisement about VocationVacations, a business that offers clients one- to three-day immersions with mentors in various careers and businesses. She discovered there was an opportunity to work with Kim Crow, a voice-over professional in Florida.

Grohne, who lives in New York City, was supposed to spend two days with Crow but ended up spending three.

“It was hands-on from the minute I arrived. She put me right through the paces and made me do it,” Grohne said. Crow also gave her lots of encouragement.

“To have someone so established and so renowned in Florida,” Grohne said. “She could have said no, but she said yes, yes.”

Grohne returned to New York with a voice-over demo tape and entered a professional voice-over school where she spent eight weeks perfecting her technique. Now she has her own burgeoning voice-over business. She hasn’t quit her job at the eye clinic yet, but she expects she’ll be able to do so soon.”It cost me about $1,200,” Grohne said. “It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. … This was exactly what I needed — the kick in the butt. It got me motivated.”

Source: Courant.com