> In 2005, Sean Aiken graduated from college. He spent the next year and a half traveling and avoiding making a decision about finding a job. In 2007, he decided it was time to find a job about which he could be passionate, so he started The One-Week Job Project. He built a website, sent an email to all his friends and family then started taking jobs that lasted for one week doing a wide variety of things for an entire year (his first job was as a jump master for bungee jumpers). He didn’t ask for any wages, just that whoever employed him for the week donate some money to a campaign called ONE that fights extreme poverty.

Aiken garnered media attention and started doing guest spots on radio programs and being featured in segments on local television stations. He landed a sponsor who donated $1000 a month to help with travel expenses after week 5. The job offers rolled in and over the course of the year, Aiken tried jobs ranging from florist to computer-software sales to aquarium host, preschool teacher, and finally mayor of his home town.

It was interesting to read about the variety of jobs Aiken tried. His journey led to a number of discoveries about himself and a wide variety of insights from the people who employed him along the way (most of the people who offered him jobs were individuals who love what they do).

As one of Aiken’s employers pointed out, the project gained as much attention as it did because so many people settle for careers they don’t love. It was refreshing to read about someone with the drive (and willingness to live with uncertainty) to find his passion.

Aiken’s website is still up and can be viewed at http://www.oneweekjob.com/.