KIM PHAGAN-HANSEL Star-Tribune correspondent | Posted: Monday, October 27, 2008 12:00 am
GILLETTE - Daniel Seddiqui has been everything from a rodeo announcer to a map maker - in the past eight weeks.
By this time next week, the 26-year-old Seddiqui will have completed his job at a hunting and fishing department store in Fishtail, Mont., and will be on his way to his next job, in Idaho. This week he's a park ranger at Devils Tower.
Seddiqui struggled to find a job after graduating from the University of Southern California in 2005 with a degree in economics. Interview after interview left him jobless. So after three years of menial labor, from painting steps to working at Home Depot to tutoring children and volunteering with the Northwestern University cross country team, Seddiqui decided it was time to think outside the box.
"After I graduated I failed so many interviews - I just couldn't get it done," Seddiqui said. "I was just doing anything I could to pay for groceries and rent."
He decided to work 50 jobs in 50 states, then sell the idea to some kind of reality TV show or book publisher. He spent the following months setting up paid and non-paid jobs around the country and hustling TV executives. But after discussions with the producers of "Dirty Jobs" among others, Seddiqui decided the best approach was to keep his journey personal.
"I wrote a script to make it a TV show, but then I thought, 'Why do I want to give away my idea?'" Seddiqui said. "I don't want to ruin the authenticity and I don't want anyone to take control of my project."
Seddiqui plans to complete his work, then see if someone wants to purchase his story.
Seddiqui began his journey in Utah, working for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since then he's performed as a rodeo announcer in South Dakota, a hydrologist in Colorado, an agronomist at Iowa State University, a medical device manufacturer in Minnesota, a cartographer in North Dakota and a corn farmer in Nebraska.
Seddiqui keeps a daily journal of his experiences on a blog (http://www.livingthemap.com). A few days behind because of the lack of Internet access in some parts of Wyoming, Seddiqui's most recent entry, from Oct. 18, said the following about being a Nebraska corn farmer: "Farmers love to lean on any object. Whenever you see a farmer in a conversation, they will either lean on a tractor tire, the hood of their truck, or any other object that they could reach."
His unique observations are part of the experience Seddiqui wants to share with others. He's enjoyed something new and different at each job and in each state.
"The most entertaining was the rodeo announcer," Seddiqui said. "A career I would consider for myself would be cartography."
So far he would consider relocating to Minneapolis or Denver when his journey is complete. But right now he's committed to taking it one day at a time and keeping the journey as authentic as possible. He wants to experience daily life in each community in which he works. That's why he avoids hotels and tries to live spur-of-the-moment.
On Tuesday night, Seddiqui found himself doing just that upon arriving in Hulett. After grabbing dinner at "the only place to eat in Hulett," according to Seddiqui, the bar owner asked him where he was staying. Since he didn't have a place to stay, the owner offered Seddiqui the use of one of his trailers for the night.
"I'm trying to experience the culture," Seddiqui said. "If living in a trailer is the lifestyle in Hulett, that's where I'm going to stay."
Some of the employers do pay Seddiqui for the work he does, but when working for the government, such as this week's job as a park ranger, there is no compensation. With little income, Seddiqui has used what he does make from his jobs to pay for gas.
"Other than that, I'm broke," Seddiqui said.
He usually stays and eats meals with host families, and the people he works with often buy him lunch.
"The Midwest had been treating me really well," Seddiqui said. "The people so far are nice, but it's really cold."
That's his only complaint about this week's job in Wyoming. Other than that, he's enjoyed greeting tourists, hiking the hills surrounding Devils Tower and learning the ins and outs of being a park ranger.
"I've always wanted to be a park ranger, so now I'm really experiencing what that's like," Seddiqui said. "Being a park ranger at a smaller park, I get to experience different tasks at the park."
Seddiqui is teamed with Park Protection Ranger Joseph Stiver. The two spent Wednesday hiking the park perimeter, checking fences and making sure everything was in place.
"Boundary patrol is kind of a treat because we do it only a couple times a year," Stiver said.
A non-native to Wyoming himself, Stiver is enjoying his time with Seddiqui because he can appreciate the young man's journey. Having lived in a variety of places including North Carolina, Colorado, Florida and Wyoming, Stiver himself has tried out many jobs over the years, including wilderness guide and mechanic.
"I admire him for what he's doing," Stiver said. "It's a heck of an undertaking."
Wyoming is where Stiver hopes to stay. As for Seddiqui, however, his journey is far from over. The next 42 weeks will find him traveling the country to perform border patrol work in Arizona and serve as a coal miner in West Virginia among other things. He will wrap up his endeavor as a surfing instructor in Hawaii.
"I'd never have been in Wyoming if I wasn't doing this now," Seddiqui said. "I don't do things the conventional way. I've always known I'm a risk-taker. No one really would think of doing such a crazy thing."