Daniel Seddiqui fires up a torch at the Boilermaker Union.

Seeking a passion - The search for a job

By: Alexia Lang

Posted: 1/12/09

Like so many other students, Daniel Seddiqui made his way through college without having a clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life.

After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in Business Administration, he failed 40-plus interviews and began to feel uncertain about his future.

At a point of desperation, he had a revelation. He decided to travel the country, work 50 jobs in 50 states in 50 weeks and then write about his experience so other college students could learn from his adventures in job hunting.

"Setting it up was nearly impossible," Seddiqui said. "But it's all about networking."

Missouri was his 17th stop. He spent the last week working as a boilermaker at the local Boilermaker's Union.

Other jobs he has done include being a meatpacker in Kansas, a rodeo announcer in South Dakota and a landscape architect in New Mexico.

After being on the road for a few months living out of his car and in hotels, Seddiqui said he would encourage others to get out and explore the country to find the perfect job.

"All of these people I have met love coming to work each morning," he said. "They lose sleep looking forward to coming to work. I want that. And I think everyone should have it. So we just have to go out and find it."

Funding his adventure has, at times, been tough, but Seddiqui said frugality, being willing to sleep in his car and the generosity of some of his employers has kept him going.

While some of the businesses he has worked for did not pay him, the Boilermaker's Union provided a hotel room for the week and paid Seddiqui for the work he did.

Seddiqui's mission is to explore diverse careers, environments and cultures across America.

In each state, he tries to find a job that represents the culture of that state and its people. For example, he chose cartography, or the production of maps, for North Dakota because it is the most popular job in the state's largest city.

So far, he said he has enjoyed all of the careers but can most likely see himself being a landscape architect and his favorite of the cultures he has experienced is the Midwest culture.

"Everything is so different from the billboards to the attitudes," he said. "You don't see environmental issues first hand like you do in a big city and people do things like hunting and fishing which I didn't see in California."

Seddiqui's biggest piece of advice for college students is to find a career that you are passionate about.

"When I started out, I had just went out and spent all of the money I had on a '97 Jeep," he said. "I was in debt when I set out. But I knew that was what I wanted to do. I want everyone to be financially responsible but you have to take risks."

To follow along with Seddiqui's journey across the map or for more information, go to www.livingthemap.com.

alang@unews.com