AStomper

I'm sick of working for money, I hate my job and wouldn't mind a pay decrease to do something fun.

Any messengers in here recommend me trying it out? anyone from Detroit specifically?

doofo

work part time at something that pays

ride your bike the rest of the week

Terror_in_pink

a messenger is a person

AStomper

Yea, I meant human messengers, I hate those robot ones.

edit: did I make it sound as messengers were not people in some way? your response has me puzzled

Fugazi Dave

purple monkey typewriter

dylandom

i think terror meant taht u didn't word it correctly.
u should have said, is being a messenger a good job.

some people love it. some didn't love it. for some its a pay cut, for some is a pay increase. do it part time and see if u like it. if u got big balls, quit ur job and do it. i mean, what can people really tell u.

andre nickatina

it's a job that takes a special breed.

there's a lot of skills involved as well, it's not just something any joe can do and expect to stay for long. if you don't know how to repair a flat, if you haven't ridden your bike more than 25 miles in a day, if you don't know the downtown map intimately like it's your backyard, if you don't know how to read addresses, if you're not a people person and can't deal with the corporate atmosphere you're working in, if you don't know the tips and tricks of navigating traffic and finding the fastest route and not getting hit in the process, if you don't like to ride in any weather condition.... you may want to check into acquiring those skills first.

AStomper

dylandom, I'm getting in contact with them now, if I don't like it I can always collect pop bottles (for more than minimum wage I bet).

kitten_sandwich

i used to live in detroit, there arent many messengers there. maybe only 1 or 2. i dont think there is much of a demand for them in detroit.

check out https://www.rockdovecouriers.com/ they're probably the people to contact. or go over to back alley bikes at MLK and cass. they could probably give you some info.

soze

Not really.

Go to school, kid. The mortality rate is lower.

lvleph

I have a master's degree and thought about doing the same thing. I may still do it while I get my PhD. This 9-5 crap is for the birds, even though I work 7-4.

disconnec

become a weed delivery guy. they make decent scratch .. AND TIPS!

disconnec

would you guess that 25 miles a day is an accurate estimate? i mean, i'm sure there are people who do much more or much less, but 25 miles really isn't that much to do in a day, even five days per week.

SD Fixed

25 miles a day at stop and go and full on sprint can be different.

mykrrrr

I'd have to agree with k_s, Detroit probably doesn't have much in the way of messengers. I did see a fat guy in spandex riding a pretty expensive looking Cannondale road bici through Detroit yesterday when I was on my way to the ball game.

I wanna go down there and explore the city more on my FG.

GL in whatever you do.

pitboss

Agreed
The "pedestrian" killed was a bike messenger, on the job.

knucks

There's nothing like that in Detroit. Detroit's a pretty dead city.

powers2b

I find that difficult to believe.
We have at least two bike messenger services here in Cleveland (and we are on track to become the next Toledo).
I have to agree that it takes a special breed.
Last week during the torrential rain storms I was at a coffee shop where some messengers hang out.
One got a call for a pick up and walked right out to his bike and rode away...that was crazy...High wind + low visibility + riding in rush hour traffic is not my style.

Here's an experiment you can try.
Pick 10 addresses around downtown within a 5 mile radius (we'll start easy).
Wait for the worst weather imaginable for the current season.
Throw a 15 lb bag on.
Wait for rush hour.
See how fast you can hit all five addresses, picked at random.
At each stop you must dismount, secure bike, walk 1/2 block and introduce yourself to a complete stranger and tell them one fact about your life.
When you are done with all five stops go to a coffee shop and sit for 1/2 hour then pay yourself $20 and go home.

If that was the best day you ever had then you are already a messenger and just need to awaken your inner self.

Aeroplane

Then being a messenger may be for you.

mykrrrr

It's coming back slowly but there's really nothing in the downtown area that would really utilize a messenger service except perhaps the court system.

Good test.

andre nickatina

no, i wouldn't. it all boils down to what city you live in - i threw it out as a number for fitness sake, not for comparing to how far a messenger goes every day.

Gordiep

Then don't work at all. Or volunteer. Or have a kid-- your job will look pretty bloody good, then.

The remedy for you malaise is probably something other than just a change of employment. Perhaps you should post this in the 'Existential Dilemmas' subforum.

doofo

have you tried drugs
?

kemmer

It is for the two messengers I know here in SLC. Our downtown is pretty small though, and they have a car driver for the long deliveries.

LóFarkas

Here bike messengers say they ride 50-70 miles a day. I suspect it's significantly less in reality but still way more than 25. Just sayin'.

I did a tiny bit of messengering myself (subbing) and I quite liked it... no harm in trying although it's not much of a career.

(Actually, even as a spoiled pseudomessie w/ few runs done intermittently in my 6 hour shift, I rode way more than 25 mi, trips to the office and back home included.)