50 jobs/50 states
September 23, 2009Jon Brooks Comments OffIn this merciless economy, it’s good to have a Plan B. But Plans B through Z? The San Francisco Chronicle is running a profile today of 27-year-old Daniel Seddiqui, proprietor-blogger of Living the Map – 50 Jobs in 50 States. Seddiqui’s intro:
   
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Seddiqui’s idea was borne out of frustration at not being able to find work after graduating with a degree in economics three years ago. “I failed 40 interviews straight out of college,” he told the Chronicle. “It was an embarrassment to me and my family.”
So he decided to traverse the country in search of employment. Many employments. 50, to be exact —one per state —chronicling his quest online. The archive of his journey includes descriptions of and photos from each of his jobs. From his first week in Salt Lake City, Utah working for the Church of Latter Day Saints to his 19th in Ringwood, Oklahoma working the oil fields to his 31st in Birmingham, Alabama coaching high school football to his 38th in Baltimore, Maryland cooking for a seafood restaurant to his 47th in Thomaston, Maine, trolling for lobster, Seddiqui gives new meaning to the term “jack of all trades,” and occasionally “master of none.” About his lobsterman gig, he writes:
The ocean is not for me. I knew that before I came to Maine, but I thought I’d give it a try. Within 20 minutes of being on the boat, I was sick. Unfortunately, once you’re out there, you can’t turn back. I had to tough it out for the next 7 hours.
Other jobs seem less than ideal for anyone not born to them. From Week 12 in Medford, Oregon, where he toiled as a logger:
If you think logging is tough, you’re right. It’s not only the work that’s tough, but commuting to the forest takes a toll on most of the loggers. The loggers that I work with get up around 2:30 AM to get prepared for their long day. The forest is not in our backyard, so occasionally loggers have to commute 2 hours each way. Luckily, I came during a week that we only have to drive for 1 hour.
The drive on the way back is like their vacation. They stop at the liquor store to buy 6-packs of beer, a couple packs of cigarettes, and some cases of chew. They started smoking in the car as I rolled the window down. “Do you have any bad habits?” one of the loggers asked. “I guess I haven’t been logging enough,” I replied.
But if logging or lobstering doesn’t pan out, there’s surely one occupation Seddiqui can slide into without further training. His crowded media page attests to an innate talent for self-promotion.
“Living the Map” is more George Plimpton than George Orwell (see Down and Out in London and Paris for a true chronicle of scraping by), but with job applications piling up on employers’ desks like so much junk mail, it’s certainly one way to pad a resume. To this man who has worn many hats, hats off…
