The One-Week Job Project: One Man, One Year, 52 Jobs - By Sean Aiken Page 0,3

was on my own with this one, but just knowing that I had Ian’s support was enough to help me move forward.

Over the next couple of weeks I went to the local library with my laptop every day to prepare content for the website. I composed my résumé and background information, including my motivation behind the project and how employers could offer me a job.

I wasn’t doing the project for money, but for the experience. I wondered how I could use my journey to help others at the same time.

I decided that I’d ask my employers to make a donation to ONE, a campaign I support that fights extreme poverty by advocating policy reform. It just felt right. I’d help raise money and awareness for a great campaign, the company that employed me would get a tax receipt for their donation, and I’d embark on a yearlong internship in which I could try out fifty-two different professions with no commitment to stay at the job.

I didn’t know how I could finance the whole thing, but I wanted to take the first step. I had a few hundred dollars in my savings to get me started. However, if I wanted to keep it up for the year, I’d need to somehow find a way to support myself.

Part of me questioned whether the project made sense—wasn’t it just another prescription for avoidance (albeit a more creative one)? After all I’d eventually have to get a real job once I quit my daydream. Still, I was happy to stay busy planning.

The following weekend I went to Ian’s apartment.

“So, what are you going to call this project?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe … Job-a-Week?”

“Hmm. How about … One-Week Job?”

“Yeah. I like that,” I said. “One-Week Job it is.”

Ian’s fiancée, Karen, purchased the domain name www.OneWeekJob.com, and Ian and I began to design the website. I felt a little guilty taking up Ian’s time to design a website that I wasn’t convinced I’d use. But I kept moving forward, step by step, refusing to acknowledge my doubting inner voice.

By late February, my website was complete. I’d reached the final step—I needed to tell people about One-Week Job in order to get job offers. I composed an email to friends and family explaining the project:

Hey Everyone! I wanted to let you know about a project that I’m starting. Basically, any individual or company can offer me a job for one week. The job can be absolutely anything, anywhere. I will then travel to the city, work the job offered for the week, blog about my experience, and any proceeds that my employer is willing to pay me, they donate to the ONE campaign.

I don’t know what I want to do for a career, so this is my way of figuring it out. I would really appreciate your support to get the project off the ground. If you have a blog, personal website, or use MySpace or Facebook, it would be great if you could post a link to: www.OneWeekJob.com. Thanks!—Sean

Stalling, I reread the email several times. Then I stared at the screen a while longer with my mouse hovering over the Send button. Once I sent this email, there would be no turning back.

One tap of the index finger and it was off. Now I needed to find myself a job. Monday was a workday.

WEEK JOB: JUMP MASTER

LOCATION: WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

EMPLOYER: WHISTLER BUNGEE

WAGE: $10–$15 HOUR*

INDUSTRY IQ:

In Vanuatu, a boy’s acceptance into manhood involves jumping off a wood platform over two stories high with only vines attached to his feet (his head must touch the ground).

The world’s highest recorded jump is 760 feet, with 4–5 seconds of free fall, reaching speeds up to 125 miles an hour.

Each bungee cord lasts about 600–800 jumps and costs approximately $800–$1,300.

APPLICATION PROCESS: My soccer coach is part owner of the company.

WHAT I LEARNED: Jumping off a bridge attached to an elastic cord is surprisingly safe.

Many jump masters say it’s safer than driving your car to work. That comparison has never offered me much comfort, but I’m told that one bungee jump is as dangerous as driving a car one hundred miles. Since most people don’t drive a hundred miles to get to work, I guess I’ll buy it.

* Source: employer. Most of the wage information I’ve included has come from my employers. I will specify when I’ve used other sources. The notation “BLS” is used for information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008 (www.bls.gov/oco/).

You can’t overthink