General Cycling Discussion - Computer Programmer Turned Bicycle Messenger

A former computer programmer who quit his job and became a bicycle messenger posted his experience on Kuro5hin. You can read it here (http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/3/19/133129/548).

Interesting read, thanks for the link.

Awesome. Thanks for the passion hit.

that was a pretty cool article, thanks!

Posted before... in fixed forum.

that rocks :)

Too bad he wasn't a stock trader / wall street guy...
Still... as long as I get to ride 2 hours to work everyday pushing like a time trial, I'll take that over the romantic image of being a messenger that this guy presented. I make more money sitting around eating lunch and breakfast all week than most messengers take in on average. Not to mention riding around at 15mph all day isn't quite my thing. Most messengers ride at a pretty slow pace since they have to do it 8 hours a day. I only have to do it 2 hours a day so I can push all out and make it exciting.

Posted before... in fixed forum.

Not everyone frequents the fixed forum. Odd that it should be posted there, too... the guy rides a non-fixed bike <index fingers crossed, held out front and hissing noise>

I am laughing my head off at slvoid's post. Poor guy has yet to see the light outside the corporate corridors!

I am laughing my head off at slvoid's post. Poor guy has yet to see the light outside the corporate corridors!

I've seen it. I used to work at a materials science lab where I had enough time waiting for samples to be tested that I went out to a lunch and matinee movie before going back. Else I'd go back to my office where I had a tv and vcr in it, a home made fridge made of a styrofoam box and dry ice that I smugged from the chemistry lab. I could go in any time between the hours of 8-11am and no one cared. Time sheets were filled out by us and my boss didn't even look at it, I'd frequently just fill out 8-8-8-8-8 at the beginning of the week. If it were a nice day out, I'll stay out for 4-5 hours and just run a few more tests and analyze them either at home or the next day. I can't even count the number of times I was so bored I took the left over liquid nitrogen from the electron dispersive analyzer to make ice cream from frozen yogurt. At that time I made about a hundred bucks over what messengers averaged. I can't imagine a job with as much freedom as I did. Best of all, it was goverment funded half the time, so the more money we spent, the more we got.

I quite enjoy reading personal stories like this. I did one of my knee replacement surgery. It gets a lot of hits.. about three per month... probably accidents.

I've seen it. I used to work at a materials science lab where I had enough time waiting for samples to be tested that I went out to a lunch and matinee movie before going back. Else I'd go back to my office where I had a tv and vcr in it, a home made fridge made of a styrofoam box and dry ice that I smugged from the chemistry lab. I could go in any time between the hours of 8-11am and no one cared. Time sheets were filled out by us and my boss didn't even look at it, I'd frequently just fill out 8-8-8-8-8 at the beginning of the week. If it were a nice day out, I'll stay out for 4-5 hours and just run a few more tests and analyze them either at home or the next day. I can't even count the number of times I was so bored I took the left over liquid nitrogen from the electron dispersive analyzer to make ice cream from frozen yogurt. At that time I made about a hundred bucks over what messengers averaged. I can't imagine a job with as much freedom as I did. Best of all, it was goverment funded half the time, so the more money we spent, the more we got.

Nup... missed the point altogether.

The guy in the article probably didn't quit. He probably got canned and had his job outsourced to Bangalor just like I did. They don't just weave Madras anymore.

At least I'll say this, he's making lemonade out of lemons. Gotta give him credit for that. Kudos Transient0.

Not everyone frequents the fixed forum. Odd that it should be posted there, too... the guy rides a non-fixed bike <index fingers crossed, held out front and hissing noise>

I am laughing my head off at slvoid's post. Poor guy has yet to see the light outside the corporate corridors!

It was my imgaintatino that it was a singlspeed MTB. At least it looked that way in the picture?
And isn't it a girl?

It was my imgaintatino that it was a singlspeed MTB. At least it looked that way in the picture?
And isn't it a girl?

Looks like a SS w/ front a rear brakes and shimano 540 spd's. Looks like she did what I did on my old mtb and stuck reflective tape on the inside of her rims.
And that's either a girl or very femanine dude. S/he's kind of cute.
http://256k.org/duff/img/bicycle[2005].jpg

Nup... missed the point altogether.

Make more money and have more fun. What's to miss about being a bike messenger?

Lol...


S/he's kind of cute.

Let it be known that slvoid is bi...! :D ;D

I've seen it. I used to work at a materials science lab where I had enough time waiting for samples to be tested that I went out to a lunch and matinee movie before going back. Else I'd go back to my office where I had a tv and vcr in it, a home made fridge made of a styrofoam box and dry ice that I smugged from the chemistry lab. I could go in any time between the hours of 8-11am and no one cared. Time sheets were filled out by us and my boss didn't even look at it, I'd frequently just fill out 8-8-8-8-8 at the beginning of the week. If it were a nice day out, I'll stay out for 4-5 hours and just run a few more tests and analyze them either at home or the next day. I can't even count the number of times I was so bored I took the left over liquid nitrogen from the electron dispersive analyzer to make ice cream from frozen yogurt. At that time I made about a hundred bucks over what messengers averaged. I can't imagine a job with as much freedom as I did. Best of all, it was goverment funded half the time, so the more money we spent, the more we got.

It's so much more than the money or freedom. And I don't know who you know who rides slow all day? Until you've done it you will have no idea what you are talking about. Try getting up day after day in Seattle when it is raining for weeks at a time. You get soaked through just riding into the office and you know you still have 9 more hours of being wet. Or better yet, the look of pure envy on the office drones during one of those rare sunny days when they are all stuck inside and they know that you are outside riding a bike for a living.

Oops, my mistake on the fixed gear (I'll cover up the gender confusion by saying guys seems pretty universal for both these days, like in "Hey guys"). Back to comprehension classes for me.

Still a neat story.

It's so much more than the money or freedom. ...better yet, the look of pure envy on the office drones during one of those rare sunny days when they are all stuck inside and they know that you are outside riding a bike for a living.

I don't get it, first you say it's so much more than freedom. Then you go on to describe that the advantage of being a messenger is basically back to freedom, but then going back to it, I had even more freedo mand more pay...
I had the freedom to go outside on a "rare" sunny day (85% of all the days in NYC are sunny in the summer usually) and take a 4 hour lunch break and do damn near nothing and I still got paid. I think that's even MORE freedom than what messengers have.
Forgive me if I think that while someone's stuck "having" to deliver stuff back and forth to get paid on a sunny day, I can be out riding where ever the hell I want outside the city on nice roads with fresh country air and I *still* get paid whereas if a messenger did that and stopped delivering, they *won't* get paid.
Maybe you can help me cause I'm really confused on this issue. Are you trying to say that it's better to be riding through dense traffic everyday for 8 hours hauling packages and being paid more to pretty much do absolutely nothing more than throw in 2-3 hours of analysis time a day is somehow WORSE?

Not everyone sees a stressful 8-6, 51 week, $350,000/yr job as the end all to happiness.
Not everyone sees a dangerous, 5 days a week riding through dense traffic making $35,000 a year if you're lucky as the end all to happiness.
But if someone's paying double that for 20 hours of work a week while you can pretty much sit on your ass (or saddle) and do whatever you want, I'm sure most people here would gladly take that over the 35k/yr job.

why the shizzle would he drop a fuzzle good job for a bad one? he's a dizzle idiot! :eek:

It's not about the money, for heaven's sake, and how much work you do (or don't do) to get it.

I think that's the point of the article. Pay cut, sure. But a lifestyle that's active and exhilirating and with some camaraderie, and challenging with no real boss except yourself.

I don't know whether bragging about four hour lunch breaks and getting paid for them really substantiates your position. Seems to me that your life revolves entirely around money. And there is not much challenge to getting that money.

Some people want some challenge in their lives. Makes it much more interesting.

Slvoid, most people would rather do little or nothing for twice the pay. You're "normal". Bike messengers have a different kind of work ethic. At least we can take some pride in our work. We aren't wandering around the city waiting for our samples to get tested. I wouldn't want a job like yours.

Obviously everything revolves around money. No money means no beer, girls, sex, roof, bikes, girls.

Slvoid, most people would rather do little or nothing for twice the pay. You're "normal". Bike messengers have a different kind of work ethic. At least we can take some pride in our work. We aren't wandering around the city waiting for our samples to get tested. I wouldn't want a job like yours.

I was very very stress free and happy.
SO that's not a good thing right?

why the shizzle would he drop a fuzzle good job for a bad one? he's a dizzle idiot! :eek:

You're still at school Your opinion doesn't count. Shut up and listen. You might learn something. :D

Obviously everything revolves around money. No money means no beer, girls, sex, roof, bikes, girls.

You have a point there. But it depends on HOW MUCH beer, girls, sex, roof, bikes and girls you want.

Let's see, eliminate beer, girls and sex, and substitute tent for roof, and you've got yourself a happy touring cyclist. :D

I was very very stress free and happy.
SO that's not a good thing right?

But was it all the money that made you stress free and happy? What would have happened if the money was half or a quarter of what it was?

The real question about money vs career is this ...

Are you working for a living? Or are you dying for a living?

A couple of the higher paying jobs I had in the IT business were so stressful that had I stayed on course I would probably already have had a heart attack by now. My blood pressure was through the roof and I was definitely headed toward an early grave. I'd rather get by on less moolah and have my health.

Just my $0.02.

Edit: if I were to win a lottery tomorrow I'd never entertain the idea of working for "the man" again! No friggin' way.

You're still at school Your opinion doesn't count. Shut up and listen. You might learn something. :D

don't sass me woman! i've worked lame jobs... and am working one. it's the best i've had. but man.... if i could sit around bizzleing at students all day and acting crazy and playing with magnets and getting paid lots of money to do it... i would. i soooooooooooooo would.

any sane person would choose that over, lawn mowing, being a laborer at a subway shop, trying to figure out what the hizzle your job actually is at a grocery store, messengering, etc.

I suppose I deserve the gender confusion because of my previous gaffe.

But just to make sure, Mert old boy, I'm male.

It's only because some idiot actress named her baby girl Rowan that this gender confusion has emerged. Never had it before.

By the way, boredom can kill any job, money or not. It usually results in what's called here in Australia, a "seachange". Done it myself. Have a look at all the touring cyclists who have stepped outside the restrictive walls of wealth to see the world.

ain't nothing restrictive bout wealth, old man.

you just don't know how to handle it.

You have a point there. But it depends on HOW MUCH beer, girls, sex, roof, bikes and girls you want.

Let's see, eliminate beer, girls and sex, and substitute tent for roof, and you've got yourself a happy touring cyclist. :D

BLASPHEMY!!!

ain't nothing restrictive bout wealth, old man.

you just don't know how to handle it.

And you do? Hmmmm.... entertaining thought.

[QUOTE=slvoid]I was very very stress free and happy.QUOTE]
Now everyone will want to be an engineer. Don't tell them!

Even if I end up spending 60 hours in the lab, it's fun and not really work. And I suck so bad at biking it's not like I could get any worse.

But was it all the money that made you stress free and happy? What would have happened if the money was half or a quarter of what it was?

Honestly, I'm surprised they paid me at all. It was one of those, "hey we have money left over on our budget and if we don't use it we lose it, let's hire someone to sit around" government deals.
I would've done it for half the price. For the amount of work involved and the level of fun, I would've done it for half the price. But since they offered me so much, I'm no idiot, I didn't turn it down.

Let's see, eliminate beer, girls and sex

Good lord... that's brutal...

Even if I end up spending 60 hours in the lab, it's fun and not really work. And I suck so bad at biking it's not like I could get any worse.

Exactly my point. I LIKED what I did and they paid me a lot more to do nothing than they would someone to do something for 8 hours a day. Of course that's very hard for some people to understand.

Of course you could always lose your sense of balance.. that would probably suck worse.

Ach. I hate this debate because I played it out for so long. Couriered for 8 long years and loved most of it. It really does change the kind of worker you are. One of my old messenger friends gave some funny advice to a new messenger once. He said, "you better decide today whether or not you like this job. If you do, should quit immediately." Funny how many of my friends left couriering for "real" jobs, then went back to couriering. I left and don't think I'll go back because I grew to hate, I mean really really hate envelopes.

Incidentally, I made more as a courier 5 years ago than I do now as a teacher. Of course, now I get my summers off...

http://www.bigbrownenvelope.co.uk/images/envelope.jpg

Honestly, I'm surprised they paid me at all. It was one of those, "hey we have money left over on our budget and if we don't use it we lose it, let's hire someone to sit around" government deals.
I would've done it for half the price. For the amount of work involved and the level of fun, I would've done it for half the price. But since they offered me so much, I'm no idiot, I didn't turn it down.

Fair enough <still shakes head in amazement then realises: Government money!>

Of course you could always lose your sense of balance.. that would probably suck worse.
Nah. I know what my priorities and long term goals are (both academic and personal), and will be pursuing them. When work is so much fun you can get more done after work because you aren't overcome with stress! Which makes 60 hrs for me about the same as someone else working a 40hr job they hate. I guess most people just don't understand that.

Prepares me for when I start a company as well.

[QUOTE=slvoid]I was very very stress free and happy.QUOTE]
...
Even if I end up spending 60 hours in the lab, it's fun and not really work...


Be careful, you may get what you wish for!

imho, its better to focus on efficiency and getting things done than to spend huge amounts of time on stuff. I learned that the hard way in grad school. Better to save your energy for an occasional 80 hour crunch mode and work the balance of the time at an easy sustainable rate like 40-50 hr/week.

Not everyone sees a stressful 8-6, 51 week, $350,000/yr job as the end all to happiness.
Not everyone sees a dangerous, 5 days a week riding through dense traffic making $35,000 a year if you're lucky as the end all to happiness.
But if someone's paying double that for 20 hours of work a week while you can pretty much sit on your ass (or saddle) and do whatever you want, I'm sure most people here would gladly take that over the 35k/yr job.

I doubt messengers even make 35K. In fact, a job that pays 25K and provides health insurance and a 401K is better off in the end. I look at those poor messengers during this past winter when the temperatures were below zero degrees and really felt sorry for those guys.

Also keep in mind that's he's still paying for his education and throwing it out the door!

No money means no beer, girls, sex, roof, bikes, girls.

Tis true.

Money's all that matters.

Incidentally, I made more as a courier 5 years ago than I do now as a teacher. Of course, now I get my summers off...
I am heading that way myself. Woo hoo!