Ottawa residents will have the opportunity to participate in a discussion about finding a job that brings satisfaction to both the wallet and the soul. The main branch of the Ottawa Public Library is set to host the screening of One Week Job, a documentary about finding that balance, on April 13.
The film showcases the journey of a recent graduate, Sean Aiken, who decides to try 52 jobs in 52 weeks to discover his true passion. The project began in 2007, two years after he received his degree from North Vancouver’s Capilano University. He was 25 years old and, according to his website, he hadn’t found a job that inspired him enough to settle down for it.
More than four years after, he says he thinks he’s finally found what he was looking for. He’s touring the country to share his experience.
“I’ve discovered that my passion is helping others to explore what their passion is,” says Aiken. “Listening to other people’s stories about their own journey has been really rewarding.”
This is a discovery that came after trying many different professions. He went from being a pest exterminator to a stock trader in Florida, from being a realtor to a Hollywood producer in California, from being an assistant in a tattoo parlour to a Cancer fundraiser in Toronto. The list continues until it reaches the 52th job, Mayor of his hometown, Port Moody in Bristish Columbia.
Ottawa is also included in the list of places where Aiken tried to find his ideal job.
The Armstrong family hired Aiken for a week to work as an innkeeper in McGee’s, the family owned bed and breakfast. Jason Armstrong says he hired Aiken because he liked the project, and he felt Aiken was a motivated worker.
“His project seemed cool and inspiring” says Armstrong. “I wish I had done all that when I was his age.”
Now Aiken is coming back to the city to talk about this experience and all the others during the 52 weeks, in a discussion that will be held after the screening.
The date set for the event is not incidental. Spring is the right time to have a discussion about the topic, says Stephen Johnson, one of the organizers of the event. “Whether it is high school or university students, they are probably thinking about the future of their careers right now,” he says. “(Aiken) probably won’t tell them exactly what to do but the talk might help them to think (about) what they really want to do.”
Ottawa is the last stop before Aiken starts his tour in the U.S. The talks and screenings are things that drive him right now, he says.
Aitken says he isn’t sure about what he’ll be doing after the tour ends.
“Currently this is my career,” he says. “For how long I’ll be doing it? Well, of that, I’m not really sure.”