May 16, 2007 11:28 AM

Vocation vacations
Posted by Douglas Eisenhartat 11:28 AM

You know the expression "Try before you buy?" Usually it applies to things like toothpaste, where you might get a mini-tube sample through the mail, or a new food item at the supermarket, dispensed by somebody with a smile and a card table at the end of an aisle.

Well, how about this for a novel idea? Now you can try out careers, as well, before you "buy" them.

Ever want to be an architect? General manager of a baseball team? A comedian? Coffeehouse owner? Golf pro? Restaurant critic?

You can test drive all of these and dozens more via the website called Vocation Vacations, based on the west coast but with a range of different career samplers - typically one or two-day paid stays, shadowing the job's incumbent - all around the country.

So check it out, and while you're at it read the the related article from CareerJournal on "How to explore another career if you started on the wrong path."

Also, don't overlook other tried and true methods of career exploration, including internships, volunteering, and informational interviews. You can always draw upon your local network of contacts to pursue these local, usually cheaper, options.