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For the past four days (including today), I’ve eaten at least one Cliff Bar for breakfast, and a pizza slice for lunch. I usually take a box of pizza home for dinner, where I eat it happily while I do my thing(s) on my laptop.

Today, as I was walking home with two slices of cheese and one “slice of the day” aka a FRESH tomato, FRESH basil, and FRESH mozzarella pizza slice, I passed by a much older, African-American man whom one would assume to be homeless. Let’s call him “Cole.” I’ve been trained from a young age to ignore homeless people for reasons which I’m sure you can come up with yourself:

- Homeless people aren’t really homeless.

- Homeless people could get a job and a home if they just tried.

- Homeless people just use your money to buy alcohol. Brown bag, anyone?

- …Homeless people aren’t really homeless.

I don’t think of these statements as I’m passing by a homeless person; I just pass by without thinking. Yep, I’m guilty of this. It’s just easier. So today, I passed by. And as I continued walking past Cole, the sound…of the jingling…of the coins…in the cup…that Cole was holding…randomly caught my attention. I suddenly felt stupid. Not selfish, stupid. Of course!

I have a confession to make.

I didn’t choose my job this week. That was part of the deal as a participant in this Program, but I just got lazy and decided to choose only seven jobs and make someone else choose the eighth.

Just kidding! Well, not about the not choosing. About the laziness. This week, I’m working at one of The Upper Crust Pizzeria locations in Boston, Massachusetts. More traveling, heyyyy:

The trip on Saturday was my shortest at only four hours, ~217 miles. That means I’ve traveled ~3,058 miles by bus. So amazing.

I suppose I should explain why I didn’t choose my job for this week. A friend of mine, Marsha, is in Boston for a summer internship. After Boston, she’ll be off to Europe for the fall semester. Yes, that would be nine whole months of separation! We couldn’t have that. We decided that if I got the One-Week job opportunity, I would make a serious effort to come to Boston for one of my weeks.

There was a moment where I had this crazy idea that it would be DOUBLY growing if I were to trust my job to another person. It would’ve been even more crazy to put my future into the hands of someone I had never met before, but I wasn’t about that much risk at the time. I wanted to not only be surprised, but I also wanted to show my love for a dear friend by trusting her enough with something like this.

Pictures weren’t allowed in the slaughter house (which I’m sure most of you are thankful for!), but here’s my verbal reaction to what I experienced:

Seven hours ago, my fourth day of work ends. I’m waiting for the elevator. Stephanie, one of the Jed Foundation staff members, walks up to wait with me:

Stephanie: “This elevator is so slow. You take your time to say goodbye to everyone in the office, leave, and end up seeing them again seconds later because the elevator still hasn’t moved.”

Me: “Yeah…yeah…haha…it’s slow. I don’t know, I’m used to it by now. Doesn’t really bother me.”

Stephanie: “Yeah you seem like you’re pretty patient.”

Me: “Eh you know…” (smiles shyly)

I’m in New York, New York now.

I’ve traveled ~679 miles this week, and ~2841 miles overall. Here’s the trusty visual again:

This week, I’m working with a nonprofit organization called the Jed Foundation. Their mission statement:

“The Jed Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization working to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress of college students.”

This job is my first traditional one, for I’m working 10am to 6pm all five days. I have my own desk and computer too! The work that the Jed Foundation does is personal for me. Having experienced mental illness for most of my life, one of my focuses in life is to do all that I can to remove the unnecessary stigma that follows it. I made sure that one of my one-week jobs would give me knowledge to keep me on that path.

Hi

Before I go on about myself and my adventures with the One-Week Job Program, I want to take a minute and talk about the One-Week Job Project.

Many of You know that Sean released a book in May. Soon to follow is a sure-to-be-hit of a movie, One-Week Job – The Documentary. For the movie to be 100% ready, Sean and Ian need some extra support. Even if I weren’t a participant in this Program, my stance on the movie would be unchanged:

This movie is important for all of us.

The One-Week Job Project has already done so much for the future of our existence by asking questions that many people wouldn’t think or dare to ask.

How are You spending your days on Earth? Are You slaving away, working 80 hours a week only to get your reward in Your last years? Why not reward Yourself now, by searching for what You love, and LIVING IT? You’ll live happier, and You’ll probably live longer. Think about it. Even if just for a second.

This is what we need in our lives, friends. We need to be challenged so we can give ourselves that personal freedom we ALL deserve. So please, give something novel a chance, and give a little somethin’-somethin’ to the One-Week Job documentary! You are NOT giving away money to another person looking only for personal gain. You’re giving love and support for the betterment of us. The betterment of us. Okay, (DONATE!!!!!!!) done with that.

I wrote this early this morning, but the internet hasn’t been working – will update more later!

Hi

This week has gone by SO. FAST. I’m trying to wrap my mind around the fact that i’ll be leaving for my third one-week job tomorrow. Hard to do.

Being a rock star is going well. Here’s a run-down of the past few days:

Some things just come easy

On Wednesday, we rocked out. Somewhere around 2:30pm, we all ended up at the basement (Juice’s practice space), and started loading equipment into the truck. The truck turned out to be smaller than expected, so we had to rely on Phil’s Tetrus-esque genius to make as many items fit as possible. It was hot and sort of tension-filled, but we got through it. We ended up putting some items in cars, and we were on our way.

After we packed everything and got to the venue, we had to unpack the truck, haha.  That was a lot faster. A lot of people helped us set up for the show, which took about two hours. It was VERY hot, though i was mostly unaffected, being from Texas. The dangerous bit about the heat is that Juice’s performance attire is all black: Black shirt, black pants, black shoes. Black. Blackblackblack. In nearly 100-degree weather. I’ll say it again: dangerous.

Hey from Ann Arbor, Michigan!

This week’s job has resulted in my first bit of traveling during the One-Week Job Program. i’ve now gone 2,162 miles by bus! Here’s a visual for you:

For all You travelers out there, i strongly suggest using Everlater as a journal for your adventures. It enables to you to blog, upload photos, embed videos, and do it by every stop you mark on the travel map. There’s also an iPhone app. Check it out!

This week, i’m working with a 9-person musical percussion variety group called Juice.

Brandon, one of the members of the group, contacted Sean twice: Once during his 52-week Project, and again before the Program started. When Sean released Brandon’s information to us, i responded to the email with one statement after doing my research:

“I love Juice.”

Hi

i Hope You are having fun right now! It’s Sunday, so i’m getting this post to you much later than I prefer, but it couldn’t be helped. I’ve been traveling by bus (33.5 hours to be exact!) to my next job and unfortunately, buses don’t have wireless Internet connection. I’m sure Amanda, Kieley, and I may find blogging to be difficult depending on the job location, travel length, and the amount of Internet we have access to in general. Why have I never thought about this until now? Nevertheless, more challenges! I’m ready for them.

So, about my last two days as an account executive. They were pretty low-key. I’d characterize the entire week as low-key, but the last two were moreso because they didn’t bring any official shadowing opportunities.

On Thursday, we had a date with Chicken Express. Jeremy and I decided to have lunch with his friends Dennis and Josh, whom I mentioned in the previous post. We also had lunch with another one of their friends, Julie. Julie is the Editor for the paper that Josh and Dennis are Art Directors for. Everyone works so closely together! The meal was great because it was free. Okay okay, it wasn’t great for that reason alone. It was also great because I (here I go again) got the chance to “deeply discuss.”

Hey all!

Wow, it’s Wednesday. I can’t believe that we are halfway through the first week of the One-Week Job Program. Time is truly passing quickly. I’m having a splendid time learning all about how a marketing agency operates. I’ll tell you a bit of what I’m learning, but let me first say that there is a difference between marketing and advertising. You’d find it shocking to know how many people deem marketing and advertising to be the same thing. At the very least, many people unconsciously use the words interchangeably. To explain it simply, advertising equals marketing, but marketing does not equal advertising. Think about that for a second.

Generally, a marketing agency comprises of:

1) Account management – Account management has to do with meeting with a client, securing a client, maintaining a client’s account, and anything else that has to do with that. Examples may be meeting with a client to formulate and choose a marketing package for them, or maintaining their Facebook and Twitter pages. Because I am drawn to meeting new people, getting to know them and their needs, and subsequently creating a situation for them that suits them best, this would be the best role for me. Thus, the title of “Account Executive.”

As I sit here typing from my house, I’m a little hyperactive. I just came back from a good meeting with good people, and life doesn’t get better than that. Oh the simple things that invigorate me.

This week I am working with REACH marketing agency in my hometown of Irving, Texas! From the website:

“[REACH] handles communication, branding, PR, advertising and marketing services for small and mid-sized companies who have ongoing marketing needs but lack a full-time staff to meet them.”

In other words, if you have a business/group/organization, etc. that needs help getting its name out there, REACH agency is the perfect company to help you reach your potential to reach your customer market.

Pretty simple.

In Week #47 Sean was a firefighter in Florida. I recently found this interview clip buried in our archives that we never got around to posting. Enjoy!

My 52 weeks have come to an end – What an adventure!

I think back to January 2007 when One Week Job was simply an idea and I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not I could go through with it.

It’s incredible to see how far it has come since then.

Though it was a lot of work and wasn’t always easy, I am extremely glad that I decided to take the leap. It will no doubt be an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.

Now that it is over, I am excited to take some time and reflect on my experience. It was difficult to do so while on the road as I was constantly on the move: organizing what would be the next job, how we would get there, and where to stay once there.

As one week finished, I was grateful it happened, then it was quickly time to move on to the next. It will be nice to stay in one place for a bit and not have to continually make new plans.

Some people ask, “Sean did you ever foresee this growing to such an extent as it has?” Early on I realized it was something that resonated with many people and I soon felt that I was a part of something much bigger than myself. What has been remarkable is to envision these plans in your mind, and then to see them come to fruition as you imagined.

One thing I could not have foreseen was the kindness and willingness of others to get involved. I was so lucky to meet some amazing people over the past year and it would not have been possible without them.

Complete strangers on Monday morning became close friends by the end of the week. Wherever I do end up, I’ll be sure to have a nice guest room because I expect to have many visitors!

I have learned that if you are able to articulate what it is you are trying to achieve, the majority of people will do what they can to help you take that one step closer.

Thank you so much to all of my past employers, people who let me stay at their house, those who picked me up when I was standing with my thumb at the side of the road, and to everyone who sent emails or left comments on the site with positive messages of encouragement. You are what made this experience memorable – I am so grateful to all of you!

I also owe a big thank you to NiceJob.ca who believed in the project from the early stages and were willing to come on board as a sponsor to help with travel expenses.

I don’t think I have officially announced it on the website, though I will be writing a book about my past year that will be published Spring 2009 by Penguin Books in Canada and Random House in the USA (if you live outside North America, I’ll keep you posted).

It will be the story of my experience; from graduating college with no clue what I wanted to do and scared of all the responsibilities that lay ahead, to starting One Week Job with all my adventures throughout the year and what I learned a long the way.

We are also looking to create a documentary with all of the footage that Ian shot.

Targeted for High School and Post Secondary Students, the documentary will use my unique experience to provide an entertaining, yet educational and inspiring exploration into the question, “What should I do with my life?”

We are currently seeking sponsors who would be willing to sponsor the documentary, so if you or anyone you know would be interested, please contact us.

If you would like to receive email updates about One Week Job, what I am up to, and progress on the book/documentary, there is a sign up on the homepage.

I am often asked if I would recommend that others in the same situation as myself try 52 jobs in 52 weeks?

I believe the more we know and understand about ourselves, the better idea of what type of career situation we need to have in order to be happy. How you go about doing that is your choice.

The important thing is that it be a situation in which you are challenged to learn something new and forced to step outside of your comfort zone. When you do, I promise you will be amazed what can happen and what you are capable of.

In the past whenever I heard people say things like, “You can do anything you set your mind to,” or “Believe in yourself and anything is possible,” I was always quick to dismiss them. Over time, they tend to lose meaning; they become cliché.

One thing I have come to realize is that cliches become cliché for a reason – it’s because they’re true. Everyday people realize their dreams. And their journey then shared with others.

I hope you enjoyed my journey and in the process found inspiration to set out on your own!

-Sean

My week as Mayor of Port Moody has come to an end. Although I wasn’t able to pass a bylaw requiring every Port Moody resident to simultaneously try out a completely unrelated profession for one week each year, I still enjoyed the experience.

I have such a love for the city, that I found it really interesting to be involved in discussions that will impact its future growth and direction. I felt as if I was “in the know.”

I think a common misconception is the extent of the Mayor’s authority on decision making. I previously thought that it was the Mayor who made final decisions based on recommendations from City Council. I was surprised to learn that the Mayor simply has one vote. Though, if things happen to go wrong, he is generally the one that gets the blame in the newspapers.

It’s a difficult position to be in. On one hand, you want to keep everyone happy and make choices you feel will benefit the city. Though on the other, tough decisions have to be made and your opinion will undoubtedly differ from those of some in the community.

As Mayor Trasolini told me, “you must have a sense of humour in this profession.”

As we place ourselves in a position that is more accessible to a wider audience, you open yourself up to criticism. I experienced this over the past year and received some advice just over half-way through:

In anything that we do, there will always be critics – a third of people are going to love what you do, a third will hate it, and another third won’t care.

(In an elected position, I guess you only hope that a third will be enough to give you the majority vote!)

I could definitely see myself (at some point down the road) running for Mayor or City Council. Then again, after this past year I have realized I could see myself doing many things!

-Sean

It’s a different experience doing a One Week Job in my hometown of Port Moody. Usually my current job incorporates exploring the city; I am a working tourist experiencing the city for the first time.

This week, there is a real sense of familiarity. I simply drive down the hill to go to work, I can run home for lunch, and I don’t need directions getting anywhere.

I have always held so much pride for the city of Port Moody. It’s a beautiful place and I have seen it grow tremendously since I was young.

I have enjoyed experiencing the city from a different perspective this week. The Mayors job is quite comprehensive and encompasses a bit of everything that goes on in the city. As such, we have been moving around quite a bit, attending different openings, committee meetings, unveiling’s, etc. Monday night we paid a visit to the local Scouts who were excited to have us and asked some interesting questions about my past year.

City Council controls the overall direction of the city; they are the decision makers behind it all. It’s a big role and after having seen it from this perspective, I wish more citizens would get involved and voice an opinion. The reality is so much goes on in the city that we have no idea about as we are busy living our own lives. Then, we see buildings go up, people move in, landscapes change.

The goal is that City Council makes these decisions based on the wants, needs, and best interests of it’s citizens. I have always tried to please everyone, though I can respect in a position like this, that can be a difficult task to say the least.

Today, there are elementary school students coming in for a visit and tour followed by the Mayor’s open office hours. There has been some tough decisions as of late with the budget due by May 15th… could make the open office hours quite interesting. Tonight is the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Artist Exhibition followed by a reception and live performance which should be fun. If you are in the area, come on by!

-Sean