Fifty-two jobs in one year? Now that’s an adventure

The beginning of 2013 doesn’t simply herald the start of a New Year – it’s also a time of fresh starts and new opportunities. This time last year, one man set out on a mission to end his year with a clear idea of where 2013 would take him.

Some 12 months ago Paul Seymour set out to find his true passion by working a new job each week – and after working for 52 employers, Seymour discovered something even more rewarding than his dream job. With the help of mates at ABC Radio, Seymour tried everything from cleaning toilets at a music festival, brewing beer at a craft beer brewery, sculpting backyards as a landscaper, to even running as a water-boy for the Richmond Tigers AFL club.

So what prompted this extraordinary quest? Seymour said the daunting question of ‘what will I do with my life’ weighed heavily on his mind, and despite traveling and working in an array of jobs, he never found a passion.

At 24, Seymour decided to begin an “ultimate work experience” challenge, and across the course of the year he went to worked at large corporations and small family owned businesses alike.

What the experience gave him however, was more than simply work experience. “At the beginning I felt like this was my project, but part way through the year I realised it was more than that,” he told ABC, "it was about the 52 employers, and their story. All the employers I worked with just absolutely loved the jobs they were in, and that was a big draw card, to share the happiness they get in the job they're doing," he said.

Instead of taking home a pay packet from his array of employers, Seymour asked for the pay to be donated to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia charity, which provides mentoring programs for young people.

So where to now for this work experience kid? Of the 52 potential career paths, Seymour now intends to study media and film making in Melbourne. “And I think further down the track I will lean towards teaching, and youth work,” he said.