Job wanted...for one week only
Sean Aiken as a veterinary assistant
(Credit: OneWeekJob.com)Remember the red paper clip guy?
Well, now there are two other guys using the Internet community to find not a house but a dream job.
Instead of reading Po Bronson or a book on metaphorical parachutes, wouldn't it be nice if you could try different jobs on for size--and meet the sorts of people who do those jobs--before you committed?
In exchange for what basically amounts to publicity on the One Week Job Web site, Sean Aiken asks employers to allow him to test drive a job for one week so that he can see if the job is something he's passionate about doing. Meanwhile, Aiken's traveling companion, Ian MacKenzie, chronicles the experience in the form of a video blog.
Ian MacKenzie, videography and producer of One Week Job.
(Credit: OneWeekJob.com)To be fair, the videos are edited into more complete weekly episodes than rough video blogs.
The two have been traveling around Canada since February, with Aiken testing job after job. Those jobs have included radio DJ, cancer research fund-raiser, brewmaster, veterinary assistant and bungee operator.
All proceeds from the jobs are paid directly to the One: The Campaign to Make Poverty History, with tax receipts available for the employer. So far, after 24 weeks and as many jobs, the team has raised roughly $9,000. Aiken and MacKenzie have been relying on host families or employers, free rides and monetary sponsorship to manage the cost of the project.
Elizabeth Godo, sponsorship manager
(Credit: OneWeekJob.com)Since Aiken's experience as a brewmaster in Toronto, he gained the services of a sponsorship manager, Elizabeth Godo, who is now helping find and coordinate the sponsors and funds needed to complete the yearlong project.
Next, Aiken's going to be a reporter at the Toronto International Film Festival for Roots Canada, its clothing sponsor.
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. E-mail her at candacelombardi@gmail.com. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET. 
