Synopses & Reviews
Greeted guests in the greenroom, helped out around the studio, learned how to work the camera, brainstormed ideas forfuture shows, and shot a couple of short segments.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Jay, a producer at the show, heardmy previous week's radio interview and contacted me through the One-Week Jobwebsite.
WHAT I LEARNED: Passion increases productivity.
All the staff at Urban Rush love their jobs, and so theyhappily work hard to ensure the show's success. They're often laughing,generally in a good mood, and always eager to contribute their ideas for theshow at the daily meeting.
During my week, the hosts of the show, Mike and Fiona,would mention on air how they were doing their best to make my experience atthe studio worthwhile, then they'd cut to a shot of me organizing theirwardrobe, washing windows, being loaded up with a ridiculous number of tapes tosort through, or walking one of their dogs. This fun attitude created apositive work environment, but more important, it added to the creativity ofthe production. Simply put, people who love their job do it better.
WEEK 3
JOB: SNOWSHOE GUIDE
LOCATION: North Vancouver, British Columbia
EMPLOYER: Mount Seymour
WAGE: $10-$15 hour
INDUSTRY IQ:
• Traditionalsnowshoes were made with wood frames and rawhide lacings. Today, most use lightmetal or plastic.
• Weburn 45 percent more calories snowshoeing than walking or running at the samespeed.
• Snowshoeingoriginated in present-day central Asia between four thousand and six thousandyears ago.
• Thelowest recorded temperature on earth is -128.6 degrees F., in Antarctica (notideal snowshoeing conditions).
APPLICATION PROCESS: My friend Erin replied to my initialemail about the project. She said that I could work with her as a snowshoeguide giving daily tours to high school students. I didn't want to take manyjobs from people I knew, but with only a couple of days to line up my nextposition, I accepted the offer. As I drove up the mountain with the sunshining, seven inches of fresh snow on the ground, and the promise of unlimitedhot chocolate, I was glad I did.
WHAT I LEARNED: I really enjoy working outdoors.
I never thought I'd be someone to work outdoors. But nowthat I've experienced it, I can understand why many who do never go back to anoffice environment.
When I arrived at the lodge, I was introduced to a man inhis forties named Garry. Garry had recently moved to Canada from England, wherehe was a software developer for a successful IT firm. Now, halfway across theglobe, Garry was a snowshoe guide for high school students. Most of the otherguides were in their twenties; needless to say, Garry, with his thinning grayhair and English accent, stood out. "All right, Sean, looks like you'rewith me this morning on trail maintenance. Let's get going," he said, thenhanded me a pair of snowshoes.
It was late in the season. Temperatures were rising, andthe snow had begun to melt. Each morning the trails had to be walked to ensurethat routes were still safe to pass and to fix signs that had been knockeddown.
Snowshoes and backpack in hand, Garry eagerly made hisway for the door. We strapped on our snowshoes and set out into the crispmorning sunlight. The mountain hadn't opened to the public yet, and so onlyemployees were visible-several prepared the main lifts, while others shoveledthe walkway into the base lodge. There was a heightened awareness to the calm;we knew that with the fresh snow, the crowds would soon arrive.
We passed the final chairlift and entered the firsttrail. With no tracks to follow, we were guided by large fir trees on eitherside. It was quiet, except for the clicking of our metal snowshoes as they cutthrough the light powder. The striking scenery removed any obligation to makeidle conversation and at the same time added a sense of purpose to eachexchange.
"Erin mentioned that you were a software developerback in England," I said. "That's quite the career change."
Garry's stride and facial expression were unchanged, andI wondered whether he had heard me. I decided to probe further. "How didthat lead to the snowshoe guide job in Canada?" I asked.
"Well, I've always loved the outdoors," he saidafter a long pause. "So, when my wife got a job that would bring us toCanada, she said, 'Well, if you love the outdoors so much, why don't you tryfor a job in the outdoors?' "
Following his passion came with a huge pay cut, Garrysaid. But he assured me he'd made the right decision. "My friends back inEngland can't believe the change that I've made. They can't imagine making thatleap themselves," he said. "But, I'm finally doing a job that I'mpassionate about. I really love this job. It's fantastic-the best jobever."
We continued to tread through the dense forest, followingthe trails, picking up toppled signs and wedging them into firmer snow.
In taking a much lower-paying job in a new field, Garrycould be accused of suffering a midlife crisis. His father thought he wascrazy. But after I'd spent a few hours with Garry, it was obvious to me that heknew exactly who he was and why he'd made the choices he had.
"Why was it so important for you to make such adrastic change and pursue something you loved?" I asked.
"Life's about chances. It's too short not to takethose chances. The way I always look at it is, I don't want to be sixty-fivethinking, Ah, I wish I'd done that. If I do it and it doesn't work out, thenfine, it didn't work, try something different. But I don't want to be sittingthere for the rest of my life regretting the things that I didn't do, because Ithink that's a sad waste of your life."
I was glad I'd asked. Not only did Garry seem to share myperspective, but things tend to sound more profound in an English accent.
"Have a play around in the job market, do jobs thatyou think you're going to enjoy, and if you don't enjoy them, get out and gotry something else," he continued. "It's a lot easier to do whenyou're young than it is when you're my age."
Shortly after our talk, we emerged from the trail andspotted the base up ahead. Several large noisy groups of schoolkids wererunning around, throwing snowballs at one another, as a couple of othersnowshoe guides attempted to calm them down.
Garry laughed. "You sure you're ready for this,mate?"
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "I'm ready."
WEEK 4
JOB: COACH: VOLLEYBALLCAMP
LOCATION: Burnaby, British Columbia
EMPLOYER: Volleyball BC
WAGE: $15 hour
JOB
Synopsis
On a quest to discover his life's passion, recent college graduate Aiken works a different job each week for a year, a journey that takes him from a Wyoming cattle ranch to a Florida stock trading floor to a New York City photography studio.
Synopsis
Along with two other coaches, I organized the camp schedule, led skill demonstrations, training drills, andvarious games.
INDUSTRY IQ:
• Approximately10 million children attend camp annually in the United States.
• Theaverage salary for a NCAA Division I-A college football coach is over $1million.
APPLICATION PROCESS: I played on the men's varsityvolleyball team at college, so I had many friends involved in the volleyballcommunity.
WHAT I LEARNED: Sometimes you can never be well enoughprepared.
I only had one day to organize the schedule with theother two coaches before the camp started, but even if we'd had the entireprevious week, I doubt it would have mattered. After my first day I realizedthat it would be an astounding feat to successfully hold the attention of fiftykids, age ten to fifteen, for eight hours a day. Especially when those kidswere spending their spring break indoors at a volleyball camp. I had no chance-evenschool doesn't last eight hours.
WEEK 5
JOB: REPORTER
LOCATION: Vancouver, British Columbia
EMPLOYER: Vancouver 24 Hours
WAGE: $31,690 year [Source: BLS]
INDUSTRY IQ:
• Acolumnist is often not an employee of the newspaper. The columns are purchased with a first publishing right, after which the columnist can sell the same pieceto other publications.
• Columnistsare paid per word or a flat rate for each piece.
Synopsis
THE REMARKABLE AND INSPIRING TRUE STORY OF ONE GUY WHO TRANSFORMED HIS UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE INTO ACTION
A year and a half after he graduated from college, Sean Aiken found himself struggling to answer the question “What should I do with my life?” His mother suggested teaching. His older sister told him to apply for an entry-level corporate position. His father said, “It doesn’t matter what you do, just make sure it’s something you’re passionate about.” Taking his father’s advice to heart, Sean created the One-Week Job Project and launched himself on an epic journey to find his passion. His goal: to work fifty-two jobs in fifty-two weeks.
After the launch of his website, oneweekjob.com, the offers began pouring in. Sean’s first gig was—literally—jumping off a bridge, as a bungee operator in British Columbia. From there he traveled across Canada and the United States, reinventing himself as a firefighter, an aquarium host, a radio DJ, a martial arts instructor, an NHL mascot, and a snowshoe guide. During the course of his seven-day stints, from a Florida stock-trading floor to a cattle ranch in the wilds of Wyoming to a real estate office in Beverly Hills, Sean found time to make new friends and even fall in love. Whether choosing a spring fashion line, brewing beer, or milking a cow, Sean continued to ask himself and others about what success really means and how we find happiness—all while having the adventure of his life.
Inventive and empowering, witty and wise, The One-Week Job Project is a book that will give you the courage to follow your passion. Or, as Mark Twain said, “Explore. Dream. Discover.”
About the Author
Sean Aiken graduated from Capilano College in North Vancouver, British Columbia, with a degree in business administration in 2005. At the top of his class, with a 4.0 cumulative GPA, he was voted class valedictorian. He started the One- Week Job project in February 2007, at age twenty- five, and finished his 52 weeks in March 2008.