Illinois man works 50 jobs in 50 states

Looking to spice up your work routine? Want to travel the country but don't have the cash to go without a job for an extended period of time? Take a page from Daniel Seddiqui's playbook. Quit your job and contract yourself out to 50 different employers in 50 states over the course of 50 weeks. You'll get variety, the chance to travel for a year, and a somewhat steady income. It's genius.

Bored with his job at an office in Skokie, Illinois, Daniel decided to try something new. Actually, he decided to try something new every week. He resolved to work his way across the US, doing odd jobs in each state. Along the way, he held some jobs he loved (working as a dietitian in Mississippi) and some he loathed (taking abuse from film company execs in LA). He also worked as a border patrol officer in Arizona, helped out a cellar master in Napa Valley, made cheese in Wisconsin, and toiled in an oil refinery in Oklahoma.

Some jobs paid well, like the medical device manufacturer that gave him $2000 for getting the company coverage on CNN, while others, like the gig making furniture with the Amish in Pennsylvania, well...not so much. For that, Daniel earned just $100 for the week.

Daniel says some jobs were more difficult than others, but it seems like one of the hardest aspects of undertaking this project was probably setting it up. Daniel says he estimates that 100 companies rejected his offer per state. But he continued making cold calls and networking and eventually landed all 50 gigs.

So what's the next job for Daniel? Writing a book about the adventure, of course.

Filed under: North America, United States, News