Who said finding your calling would be easy?

I was struck by Daniel Seddiqui's 50 jobs in 50 states adventure. If you don’t know Daniel’s story, he is the University of Southern California graduate who, unable to find a job in his field, set out to do something remarkable – get a job in each of the 50 states and chronicle his experiences. Daniel wrote:

Ever since I graduated from the University of Southern California, I have experienced uncertainty regarding my career path. Interviewing for a position was a full-time job and I wasn't having any luck; failing 40+ interviews. I never received feedback from any employers, so when I was offered a position no matter how irrelevant it was to my field of study, I accepted. I took my first position tutoring elementary students part-time. I knew right off the bat tutoring wasn't for me. I was realizing that I had to find a position that motivated me to wake up every morning.

What were hiring managers thinking?

Daniel lists on his resume, lobsterman in Maine, a surf instructor in Hawaii, a roustabout in Oklahoma, and archaeologist in Arkansas, among 45 other professions, and only one to go. When Daniel first started looking for a job in his hometown, how did hiring managers overlook this kind of initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity? Or, is it, perhaps, that the best of the best actually require adversity, need that testing, to have them find their true calling? What is Daniel’s mission now?

“My goal is to help Americans understand each other’s lives, respect each other’s hard work and stimulate peoples’ curiosity about different lifestyles.”

It appears Daniel has discovered what he had hoped to find at the beginning of his journey, namely, to find work that motivates him to wake up every morning.