Avi Lichtenstein isn’t sure what he wants to be when he grows up. He’s landed on a unique way of trying to figure it out: tag along with one working New Yorker every week this school year and figure out what kind of future actually looks appealing. The Wall Street Journal‘s Joseph Pisani profiles the 16-year-old high school junior, who spent $500 he’d saved hiring two Craigslist workers to blanket New York City with more than 300 flyers that say things like: “Your boring Tuesday could be my dream job. Could I shadow you for a day?” Each has a QR code, and his gambit is working.
Avi has already trailed a dog groomer, sat in on a satellite radio morning show, and shadowed a Bronx ramen shop co-owner who ended up hiring him part time. To keep things safe, would-be job mentors have to upload a photo, share their LinkedIn profile, and do a video call, with his parents reviewing things. He may shadow an airline captain, tattoo artist, and marketing executive next; all his learnings are going into a spreadsheet. Read the full story for more on his quest.