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| Dear Ron, |
| IT Consultant Makes a Career Transition to Yoga Studio Owner! |
| For 15 years, Veronica Cruz of San Jose, California, had a successful career as an IT consultant managing projects around the world. However, the landscape of the consulting business was changing, and Veronica found she just was not inspired by her work. She wanted to feel passionate about what she was doing. |
| As a child growing up in Katmandu, Nepal, Veronica had been introduced to the practice of yoga. Years later she pursued yoga again, and her love for the practice was rekindled. She began to think about how she could turn her passion for yoga into a career. "However, I realized it was one thing to be passionate about something, and another thing to turn it into a business," says Veronica. |
| In April 2008, Veronica signed up to take a VocationVacation with mentor Dean Mahan, owner of Vida Yoga in Austin, Texas. "Dean shared with me the good, the bad and the hard realities of the business," explains Veronica. "By walking in Dean’s shoes I was able to clarify my future direction and understand whether my passion could be translated into a life’s work." |
| Veronica returned to San Jose, completed the consulting project she was working on and made it her last. Dean’s parting advice to Veronica had been, "Share your light and keep your vision full of light. Journey to your heart and share from there." And that was just what Veronica did. She threw her heart and soul into a plan to open her own yoga studio. She developed a business and marketing plan and earned certification by the Yoga Alliance. |
| A little less than a year later, Veronica opened Downtown Yoga Shala in San Jose. "It was a leap of faith, but one done with my eyes wide open," says Veronica. Veronica’s advice to someone looking to follow his or her passion? "Keep an open mind, enjoy the journey and allow your heart to guide your path." |
| Give The Gift of Career Change This Father's Day |
| Give your dad, grandfather or husband the gift of a lifetime this Father's Day! Has he always wanted to be a Sports Announcer, an Outfitter, a Raceteam Member or a Voice-Over Artist? Then check out these and the other 300 currently available VocationVacations! |
| May is "Travel and Hospitality Careers" Month at VocationVacations! |
| Do you dream of working in the travel and hospitality industries? These are challenging times for both industries, but where there is a will and a plan, there is a way. Follow your passions and your dreams (and a decent living!) can come true. To encourage you and provide valuable advice and tips on how to break into jobs such as Tour Director, Travel Writer, Bed & Breakfast Owner, etc., we are thrilled to host a free teleclass on Thursday, May 28 (Details & sign up below!). |
| Supporting our focus on travel and hospitality careers this month, our Travel Writer mentor, Ron Stern, has offered up some valuable tips on how to become a travel writer: |
| • Read articles from other travel writers- Websites like Justsaygo.com are good ones to get the general idea for travel pieces. Then come up with your own niche and style. |
| • Find somebody to act as your personal editor- This is very important as there aren’t many people who can edit their own material. This could be a friend, spouse, student from a local college or a professional you have found through the Internet. Develop a relationship with someone who can make your work stand out and be grammatically correct. |
| • Develop interesting titles and learn how to query editors- One good book for this is called Query Letters that Rock. Then come up with compelling titles and make a list of possible publications you think might be interested in your story idea. You can find editors to contact through Mastheads.org. |
| • Find an area of travel you really enjoy and specialize- Why write about general travel if you love spas or wineries? If you have a particular passion, try to focus your attention on becoming an expert in that area. |
| • Create a marketing plan that tells the travel world who you are- You can use simple things like business cards, websites, Facebook, Twitter and other sites to create viral marketing and parlay that into free travel. For a couple of travel writers who have done this well, check out Equitrekking.com and Johnnyjet.com. |
Join Travel Writer Ron Stern, Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Owner Chloe Tuttle; National Park Tour Director Kent Taylor; VocationVacations Alum Darlene Proctor (who took a B & B Owner VocationVacation with Chloe) and me for the free teleclass on:
Thursday, May 28 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific
SIGN UP HERE |
Cheers!
Brian |
| Watch Brian’s video about how important mentorship is in YOUR career transition! |
| Upcoming Events |
May 12 (TONIGHT!)
Bend, Oregon – Oregon State University Alumni Association-sponsored Career Transition
Happy Hour 5:30pm Pacific
IF YOU’RE AN OSU ALUM, SIGN UP HERE! |
May 19
New York City, New York – Big Ten Alumni Association-sponsored Career Transition Happy Hour
5:30pm Eastern
IF YOU’RE A BIG TEN ALUM, SIGN UP HERE! |
May 28
"How To Find A Job Or Create A Career In The Travel & Hospitality Industries" - A Free Teleclass
8:00pm Eastern / 5:00pm Pacific
SIGN UP HERE! |
| Career Strategy Sessions with Brian Kurth |
| Been laid off and you don’t know which way to turn? Burned out and unfulfilled on the job? Brian has been there in both scenarios. He offers expert strategic career transition counsel and proven techniques to turn idle dreams into an action plan and reality. Visit our website for MORE INFORMATION or call us toll-free at 866.888.6329 to get on Brian’s calendar. |
| Brian is a former "Dilbert" who worked for the phone company in Chicago. After realizing there was more to life than telecom calling plans, he founded VocationVacations in 2004. 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 is a sought-after career planning expert, strategist and speaker. He has appeared on CNBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, NBC’s TODAY Show and National Public Radio (NPR), and his career advice has been featured in articles in Fortune Magazine; Men’s Journal; The New York Times; O, The Oprah Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, just to name a few. |
| Follow Brian’s career advice on his blog and on Twitter ! |
| Do You Need To Create A Professional Brand? |
| Is this economy forcing you to consider updating your resume and/or encouraging you to create a brief professional brand biography? Do you have analysis paralysis in actually sitting down and putting them together? |
We can help! Our resume writers will craft a clear, concise and innovative resume. GET MORE INFORMATION or call toll-free at 866.888.6329.
(PS: Our professional branding biographers will soon be added to the website as well!) |
| THE "Do-It-Yourself" Guidebook To A Career Transition |
| Reading Brian’s acclaimed book, Test-Drive Your Dream Job – A Step-By-Step Guide To Finding And Creating The Work You Love (Hachette, 2008), is the perfect first step toward finding the balance between your passions, work and home life. Want to test-drive the book prior to buying it? Read portions of it online! |
| ORDER IT TODAY ON AMAZON or buy it at your favorite bookseller. |
