50 jobs, 50 states: Quest takes man to Brockton

Q.. How did this all start?

A. I was turned down at 40 interviews for the first six months after graduation in my chosen field, economics. Then I was willing to try anything and everything. So I sent 18,000 e-mails around the country to every single college coach. I did track and field in college, and I thought I could use my experience over the years to be strength and conditioning coach. I got about 4,000 replies and 250 offers. Unfortunately, most of them were volunteer, because I had no prior experience. I got an internship at the University of Virginia, which was a volunteer position, and I was strength and conditioning coach for the football team. That’s when the hardship really began. I ran out of money; I was living on a $1 a day to eat. Then I began working at Bed Bath & Beyond. I took a spring break vacation. I stayed in Florida for four days on $50 and that’s when I realized I could do anything. I decided to do 50 jobs in 50 states. Really, I was just a curious person about how other people landed jobs. I knew there’s got to be more than just what I studied in economics—there had to be something I was more passionate about. And I was curious about different cultures. I wanted to see what else America had to offer.

Q. What were some of your stranger experiences?

A. Meat packing in Kansas -- that was something I’ve never seen before. It’s an environment that, being from California and working with high school students, was surprising. Some kids would come after school and work in the meat-packing plant. ... I was actually really hungry that week. I was a rodeo announcer in South Dakota. I’ve never been to a rodeo before. They set me up with clothes and I was looking like a cowboy. Also, in Detroit, I was an auto mechanic. Some guy from the streets came in with a gun and wanted money. I thought it was a joke. He was really angry. Luckily, the guys I worked with were tough and they brought out their shotgun. And in Orlando I was a stilt walker at Universal Studios. I was 12 feet in the air. I fell once behind a popcorn machine. I ripped the pants. Hopefully, the employers weren’t mad.

Q. Do you have a newfound respect for any careers?

A: Coal mining. And, actually, modeling I have a new respect for. Everyone thinks that’s a glamorous job, but it's not. I was outside for eight and a half hours. I did 3,000 different poses. And you have to be creative, the photographer doesn’t tell you what to do, you've just got to be natural. And I lived with Amish people in Pennsylvania making furniture, which totally changed my perspective. They’d get into the car with me—they can do that as long as they don’t drive. They use propane lights, I thought it was only candlelight. They are the hardest-working people in America, and you could never tell unless you’re with them. They’re up at 4 a.m. every day. They never sleep. And they’re really family-oriented.

Q. Did you make a difference at any of your stops?

A: A lot of them. At the marketing company in New York, I pitched this whole idea to clients and they bought it. In Boise, Idaho, I was a real estate agent and we sold three homes that week. Oh, and in Las Vegas, I was a wedding coordinator. I got two couples married. I drove their limo and made their flowers. As an archeologist in Arkansas, I found a Civil War horseshoe and a bullet, and tons or arrowheads.

Q. So how’s this week in Massachusetts been, with the Rox?

A. Awesome. I’m not a baseball fan at all, but I came into this hoping it would change my perspective. I really like being part of the game rather than just being a spectator. And that’s kind of how I felt when I worked in the pit crew in Indiana. I didn’t even consider NASCAR or Indy a sport until I actually got there and worked in the pit crew. And it’s real hard work, it's more than a sport. I changed the tires under 6 seconds on average. To make the team you’ve got to be right around there. It took me a couple days to get at that speed, but to see the real professionals, how they do it, the precision is unbelievable.