IÂ love it when I come across a fantastic idea online and wanted to share this one with you.
Sean Aiken is a 25 year old college graduate from Canada who has no idea what he wants to do with his life. Most people in this situation would take any job they can get their claws on in the hope of paying off their student loads but Sean made a promise to himself not to settle for a job he wasn’t truly passionate about. With this in mind he started One Week Job project and will spent a year working various different jobs but only for, you guessed it, one week at a time.
I think this whole project is a damn fine idea and a great way to see the country, meet loads of people from all walks of life, and raise money for charity all while trying to work out what to do with his life. I’m just annoyed that I didn’t think of it first! Although I don’t think I could handle starting a new job each week… it must be tough always having to be in a good mood, especially when he seems to be clocking up plenty of 5am starts.
Sean’s message is an important one. Too many people spend their entire lives working in jobs they hate, trapped there by debt and financial obligation. I think you can make things a lot easier for yourself by living a bit more simply and not getting weighed down by possessions because once you get saddled with debt you’re options become more limited.
I’ve got a business degree that I don’t expect I’ll ever use. I’m wondering if Sean is regretting not doing this whole one week job thing before he went to college. Sure, a business degree is handy for some but it’s not going to help much if he decides to pursue a career as a vet. I went to uni because it was just the done thing. I felt pressure from my parents and went despite not having a clue what I wanted to do afterwards. Going to uni for uni’s sake is a waste of time… travel a bit, talk to people in industries you might be interested in, do what Sean’s doing! Ok that might be a bit extreme but you get the idea.
I’m a bit cynical about the whole higher education thing though. I think far too many people head to university thinking that having a degree alone will somehow make them in demand. Everybody and their dog has a degree these days. I think showing some initiative and making your own experience is essential. If you want to work in business – start a business!
If Sean decides to pursue something media related then I think his involvement in this project is far more beneficial than any amount of media studies he could have racked up at college or uni. Getting out there and doing things in whichever industry you’re interested in will make you far more employable in my opinion than slogging it out for four years at uni.
Check out the site at One Week Job. All of his wages are donated to charity so he’s looking for sponsors to help cover some other costs. For $50 you get to help Sean out and also get a permanent one-way inbound link to boot! Sweet deal. Or if you’d like to sponsor on of the show episodes, I know they want to hear from you.
I think I’ve found the perfect ‘job’ with this webmaster thing. I can work from anywhere, be my own boss, I get to write about topics I’m passionate about, I’m always learning new things and I make money in my sleep! What about the rest of you? Could this whole earning money online thing be the perfect gig?
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