Recent grad takes job search on a long and winding road

Friday, July 10, 2009
By JAMIE SCHUH
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

When Daniel Seddiqui graduated from the University of Southern California four years ago, he looked for a job. And he looked some more. And then some more.

Three years, a lot of interviews and zero jobs later, he decided to try something different.

The 27-year-old Los Altos, Calif., native has spent the last few months trekking across the country, picking up any paying work he can find for a project he calls "Living the Map: 50 Jobs in 50 States."

"I couldn't land a job, I was struggling to find a career and trying to make ends meet," said Seddiqui, who graduated with a degree in Economics. New Jersey is state No. 41. This week, he's been working for the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County, helping chaperone a group of highly energetic kids.

"Yesterday we were all playing basketball, and some kids were bullying me," said Eugene Johnson, 11. "Mr. Daniel stood up for me. I admire him a lot."

Mona Zaki, 11, of Jersey City agreed: "He's teaching me about the different states and all of the things he's learned."

Seddiqui has tried to find work that in some way represents the state he's in. His first stop was Utah, where he worked at a Mormon church. From there, he's been a rodeo hand in South Dakota, a coal miner in West Virginia, a furniture-maker with an Amish family in Pennsylvania, a bartender in Louisiana during Mardi Gras - just to name a few.

He's been a logger in Oregon and worked with the Border Patrol in Texas and at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas.

Ironically, his search for a job might just become his job. He'll give a lecture at Columbia University next week and recently met with publishers to discuss a book based on his road trip.

"People graduate college and say, 'Let's go see Europe, Africa,' when they haven't even seen their own country," Seddiqui said.

Next week, Seddiqui has a job lined up with a New York City advertising firm.

Seddiqui has a plan for getting to Alaska and Hawaii.

"I'll auction my car off and give a percentage to charity, buy a ticket to Alaska, to Hawaii, and then back home to California."