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Mission accomplished: 50 jobs in 50 states
Daniel Seddiqui is sorting grapes at a Napa winery this week, his last odd job in a journey that has taken him through all 50 states over the past 12 months, working one week in each state in a different occupation chosen to reflect the local culture.
The 27-year-old Los Altos native, who has caught lobsters in Maine and taught surfing in Hawaii, started his unusual quest last September after three frustrating years during which he could not find a professional job after earning an undergraduate degree in economics.
"I failed 40 interviews straight out of college," he said during a lunch break interview at the Domaine Carneros Winery, where he is helping out during the busy harvest season. "It was an embarrassment to me and my family."
Now Seddiqui, who has chronicled his 50-job trek on a Web site,
Livingthemap.com, plans to write a book about his experiences to inspire students and job seekers of all ages to test different occupations before settling on a career.
"You have to have a Plan B in case your degree doesn't get you the job you think," he said.
Finding weeklong work stints became easier as Seddiqui gathered publicity for his 50-state tour, and last week when he phoned Wendy Bruce, human resources director at Domaine Carneros, she made all the arrangements within two hours.
"I wanted to demonstrate that we could turn on a dime and show him some real Napa hospitality," Bruce said.
The attention Seddiqui is enjoying now is the culmination of years of disappointment that began after his graduation from the University of Southern California in May 2005, when he had no luck finding a position in business and started looking instead for work in coaching, trying to parlay his collegiate track experience into a job.
Over the next three years, Seddiqui said he got one brief, paid position and two unpaid internships, lived in five states, and supported himself doing odd jobs and living with his parents at times.
Shortly after his second volunteer coaching stint ended in April 2008, leaving him in Charlottesville, Va., he got the idea to work different jobs in every state and began laying the groundwork for the trip he is now finishing.
"Ever since, there was nothing that was going to stop me from fulfilling this mission of mine," he said.
His father, Fred Seddiqui, a 57-year old Silicon Valley entrepreneur in the medical device industry, said in a phone interview that he is very proud of Daniel now but thought the idea kooky at the time and refused to lend him any money.
"I told him if you are really meant to do this thing and if you are really passionate, you will find a way to support yourself," he said.
Mother supportive
Daniel's mother, Kathy Seddiqui, 54, an administrative assistant with the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, said she wanted to believe from the outset that her son could pull it off.
"I guess that's usually the way it is: The father is more skeptical, and the mother tries to support the kids," she said.
Seddiqui started his first job last September, helping a Mormon charity in Utah create disaster relief kits. He said he lined up 15 jobs at the outset, and then worked hard while on the road lining up weeklong work opportunities in other states.
One of the hardest jobs to land, he said, was working at an Amish furniture factory in Pennsylvania because it had no phones and he had to make arrangements through the furniture stores it supplied.
"I've been rejected 5,000 times throughout this journey," he said.
Trish Mowry, owner of Metal Craft Machine & Engineering in Elk River, Minn., said she liked the sound of Seddiqui's project when he phoned her, looking for a job making tools for hip and knee replacements.
"His plight was very interesting to me, and I imagined there were a lot of people in the same position," said Mowry, adding that Seddiqui earned about $800 for his week's work.
Lobsterman tough job
Seddiqui said he was paid for all but a few of the jobs and earned enough to cover his living and travel expenses.
His most grueling position was as a lobsterman in Maine, where he got seasick and had to stay on land building traps.
But he also poured drinks on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, worked in a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, and served as a Border Patrol agent in Arizona.
In addition to writing a book, Seddiqui said he wants to create a lecture circuit to share his experiences with students in particular, a plan that got a boost when his alma mater, USC, recently invited him to address incoming students. "They chose me over Will Ferrell," the comic actor, he said.
Seddiqui, who thinks his quest has created enough projects to keep him busy for the next five years, is also hatching a plan to create a one-semester course for high schools and colleges to give students credit for working two-week turns at five different jobs.
"You have to try different jobs before you settle on a career," he said. "You'll never know unless you try."
Daniel Seddiqui's 50 jobs
1 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints humanitarian services, Salt Lake City
2 Hydrologist, Denver
3 Rodeo announcer, Sioux Falls, S.D.
4 Cartographer, Fargo, N.D.
5 Medical device manufacturer, Elk River, Minn.
6 Agronomist, Ames, Iowa
7 Corn farming, Lincoln, Neb.
8 Park ranger, Hulett, Wyo.
9 General store clerk, Fishtail, Mont.
10 Real estate agent, Boise, Idaho
11 Marine biologist, Seattle
12 Logger, Eagle Point, Ore.
13 Wedding coordinator, Las Vegas
14 Border Patrol agent, Tucson
15 Landscape architect, Albuquerque
16 Meatpacker, Topeka, Kan.
17 Boilermaker, Kansas City, Mo.
18 Archaeologist, Fayetteville, Ark.
19 Roustabout, Ringwood, Okla.
20 Chevron petroleum engineer, Houston
21 Server, musician coordinator, New Orleans
22 Dietitian, Jackson, Miss.
23 Cheesemaker, Theresa, Wis.
24 Ticket agent, Chicago
25 Auto mechanic, Detroit
26 TV meteorologist, Cleveland
27 Indy pit-crew, Indianapolis
28 Sugarmaker, Cabot, Vt.
29 Horseman, Versailles, Ky.
30 Studio technician, Franklin, Tenn.
31 High school football coach, Pelham, Ala.
32 Peanut sheller, Blakely, Ga.
33 Universal Orlando park entertainer, Orlando
34 Golf caddie, Kiawah Island, S.C.
35 Model agent, model, Greensboro, N.C.
36 Coal miner, Campbells Creek, W.Va.
37 Monticello grounds worker, Charlottesville, Va.
38 Seafood restaurant cook, Baltimore
39 Incorporating specialist, Wilmington, Del.
40 Woodworker, Kinzers, Pa.
41 Boys and Girls Club counselor, Jersey City, N.J.
42 Marketing specialist, New York City
43 Ambassador of tourism, Newport, R.I.
44 Insurance broker, Orange, Conn.
45 Baseball scout, Brockton, Mass.
46 Democratic Party worker, Concord, N.H.
47 Lobsterman, Thomaston, Maine
48 Photographer, Anchorage, Alaska
49 Surf instructor, Maui, Hawaii
50 Grape sorter, Napa
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...MNHD19QHE3.DTL
Daniel Seddiqui is sorting grapes at a Napa winery this week, his last odd job in a journey that has taken him through all 50 states over the past 12 months, working one week in each state in a different occupation chosen to reflect the local culture.
The 27-year-old Los Altos native, who has caught lobsters in Maine and taught surfing in Hawaii, started his unusual quest last September after three frustrating years during which he could not find a professional job after earning an undergraduate degree in economics.
"I failed 40 interviews straight out of college," he said during a lunch break interview at the Domaine Carneros Winery, where he is helping out during the busy harvest season. "It was an embarrassment to me and my family."
Now Seddiqui, who has chronicled his 50-job trek on a Web site,
Livingthemap.com, plans to write a book about his experiences to inspire students and job seekers of all ages to test different occupations before settling on a career.
"You have to have a Plan B in case your degree doesn't get you the job you think," he said.
Finding weeklong work stints became easier as Seddiqui gathered publicity for his 50-state tour, and last week when he phoned Wendy Bruce, human resources director at Domaine Carneros, she made all the arrangements within two hours.
"I wanted to demonstrate that we could turn on a dime and show him some real Napa hospitality," Bruce said.
The attention Seddiqui is enjoying now is the culmination of years of disappointment that began after his graduation from the University of Southern California in May 2005, when he had no luck finding a position in business and started looking instead for work in coaching, trying to parlay his collegiate track experience into a job.
Over the next three years, Seddiqui said he got one brief, paid position and two unpaid internships, lived in five states, and supported himself doing odd jobs and living with his parents at times.
Shortly after his second volunteer coaching stint ended in April 2008, leaving him in Charlottesville, Va., he got the idea to work different jobs in every state and began laying the groundwork for the trip he is now finishing.
"Ever since, there was nothing that was going to stop me from fulfilling this mission of mine," he said.
His father, Fred Seddiqui, a 57-year old Silicon Valley entrepreneur in the medical device industry, said in a phone interview that he is very proud of Daniel now but thought the idea kooky at the time and refused to lend him any money.
"I told him if you are really meant to do this thing and if you are really passionate, you will find a way to support yourself," he said.
Mother supportive
Daniel's mother, Kathy Seddiqui, 54, an administrative assistant with the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, said she wanted to believe from the outset that her son could pull it off.
"I guess that's usually the way it is: The father is more skeptical, and the mother tries to support the kids," she said.
Seddiqui started his first job last September, helping a Mormon charity in Utah create disaster relief kits. He said he lined up 15 jobs at the outset, and then worked hard while on the road lining up weeklong work opportunities in other states.
One of the hardest jobs to land, he said, was working at an Amish furniture factory in Pennsylvania because it had no phones and he had to make arrangements through the furniture stores it supplied.
"I've been rejected 5,000 times throughout this journey," he said.
Trish Mowry, owner of Metal Craft Machine & Engineering in Elk River, Minn., said she liked the sound of Seddiqui's project when he phoned her, looking for a job making tools for hip and knee replacements.
"His plight was very interesting to me, and I imagined there were a lot of people in the same position," said Mowry, adding that Seddiqui earned about $800 for his week's work.
Lobsterman tough job
Seddiqui said he was paid for all but a few of the jobs and earned enough to cover his living and travel expenses.
His most grueling position was as a lobsterman in Maine, where he got seasick and had to stay on land building traps.
But he also poured drinks on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, worked in a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, and served as a Border Patrol agent in Arizona.
In addition to writing a book, Seddiqui said he wants to create a lecture circuit to share his experiences with students in particular, a plan that got a boost when his alma mater, USC, recently invited him to address incoming students. "They chose me over Will Ferrell," the comic actor, he said.
Seddiqui, who thinks his quest has created enough projects to keep him busy for the next five years, is also hatching a plan to create a one-semester course for high schools and colleges to give students credit for working two-week turns at five different jobs.
"You have to try different jobs before you settle on a career," he said. "You'll never know unless you try."
Daniel Seddiqui's 50 jobs
1 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints humanitarian services, Salt Lake City
2 Hydrologist, Denver
3 Rodeo announcer, Sioux Falls, S.D.
4 Cartographer, Fargo, N.D.
5 Medical device manufacturer, Elk River, Minn.
6 Agronomist, Ames, Iowa
7 Corn farming, Lincoln, Neb.
8 Park ranger, Hulett, Wyo.
9 General store clerk, Fishtail, Mont.
10 Real estate agent, Boise, Idaho
11 Marine biologist, Seattle
12 Logger, Eagle Point, Ore.
13 Wedding coordinator, Las Vegas
14 Border Patrol agent, Tucson
15 Landscape architect, Albuquerque
16 Meatpacker, Topeka, Kan.
17 Boilermaker, Kansas City, Mo.
18 Archaeologist, Fayetteville, Ark.
19 Roustabout, Ringwood, Okla.
20 Chevron petroleum engineer, Houston
21 Server, musician coordinator, New Orleans
22 Dietitian, Jackson, Miss.
23 Cheesemaker, Theresa, Wis.
24 Ticket agent, Chicago
25 Auto mechanic, Detroit
26 TV meteorologist, Cleveland
27 Indy pit-crew, Indianapolis
28 Sugarmaker, Cabot, Vt.
29 Horseman, Versailles, Ky.
30 Studio technician, Franklin, Tenn.
31 High school football coach, Pelham, Ala.
32 Peanut sheller, Blakely, Ga.
33 Universal Orlando park entertainer, Orlando
34 Golf caddie, Kiawah Island, S.C.
35 Model agent, model, Greensboro, N.C.
36 Coal miner, Campbells Creek, W.Va.
37 Monticello grounds worker, Charlottesville, Va.
38 Seafood restaurant cook, Baltimore
39 Incorporating specialist, Wilmington, Del.
40 Woodworker, Kinzers, Pa.
41 Boys and Girls Club counselor, Jersey City, N.J.
42 Marketing specialist, New York City
43 Ambassador of tourism, Newport, R.I.
44 Insurance broker, Orange, Conn.
45 Baseball scout, Brockton, Mass.
46 Democratic Party worker, Concord, N.H.
47 Lobsterman, Thomaston, Maine
48 Photographer, Anchorage, Alaska
49 Surf instructor, Maui, Hawaii
50 Grape sorter, Napa
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...MNHD19QHE3.DTL