HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Daniel Seddiqui known as the World’s Most Ambitious Job Seeker, was the final speaker for the 2015 Ray and Stella Dillon Lecture Series Monday morning. Prior to the lecture, he was in the Eagle media studios for an interview with John Brennan. The title of his speech was, “50-jobs, 50-states” So how did this start? He explains it was kind of started out of frustration at age 26.
After failing more than 40 consecutive job interviews and sending out 18,000 emails seeking a job after college graduation, he embraced 5,000 more rejections with his goal of finding and working 50 Jobs in 50 States. He says he always wanted to learn about and be able to embrace the culture in different parts of the county. That idea kind of started by looking at maps as a kid.
Growing up in San Jose, California, he and his wife now make their home in Denver, Colorado.
At age 33, he is now an international bestselling author, highly recommended speaker, tv/film producer, and director of an innovative career exploration college program, in which students have the opportunity to experience a rapid prototyping of work and culture across America. He told us that he doesn’t want young people to do what he did, 50-jobs in 50-states, but maybe try five jobs in five states.
Seddique has earned his spot as a job seeking expert and cultural analyst contributor. His story is featured in a million textbooks worldwide and his book has been used as a common reader in classrooms around the world.
He says he likes staying competitive with long distance running, a sport he was a nationally ranked collegiate athlete at the University of Oregon and USC and successful Division 1 collegiate coach. He’s training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Here are some examples of places he worked. That included working as a corn farmer in Nebraska, a real estate agent in Idaho, a wedding coordinator in Vegas, a logger in Oregon, a bartender in New Orleans, a cheese maker in Wisconsin, a racing pit crew member in Indianapolis, a peanut sheller in Georgia, a theme park employee in Orlando, a lobster man in Maine. a surfing instructor in Hawaii and a model in North Carolina. His job here in Kansas was at a slaughterhouse or meatpacking business in Topeka. He says on his website that “beef equals Kansas.”
If you would like more information on Daniel, You can visit his website at www.livingthemap.com.