Advanced degree in Chemistry. Working in environmental testing saving Mother Earth at my desk 9 to 5 for a living. Therefore zero patience for Greenpeace, tree huggers and Prius owners.

It has been my observation that there are two basic types of bike commuters. There are those on the bike who, like me and most BF posters, want to be. Then there are those that have to be. Those that want to be, regardless of the style of bike they prefer, tend to be more educated, or at least have better paying jobs. Most probably make enough that they have other options besides the bike. Those that have to commute by bike are usually on the bike for economic reasons. Sure, there are a number who ride for legal reasons, usually having to do with alcohol, but is seems that most are just too poor to afford a car. They are usually seen salmoning, or on sidewalks, and riding the cheapest bikes possible.

You'll be movin' to Montana soon?

I'm a poster child for "Cs earn degrees" and got my BS in Criminal Justice.

I worked in retail investigations and loss prevention for about 5 years after college for Target.

The last three years, I've been a store manager for TJ Maxx in Southern California and now Northern California.

Another university prof...PhD and all that jazz. My colleagues think I'm crazy to bike commute all winter.

Along the way, my other interesting ways of making money included grocery store clerk, textbook retail, second shift janitor, and various second/third shift security jobs. The 9-5 hours never really did it for me.

Nothing special over here. I worked my way up with experience here and there. Now I work for Toyota as a Procurement Agent. I'm actually back in school so I can apply for a Procurement Analyst job in the near future.

I have a degree in electronics technology, I work directly for big blue.

I work in cleanroom and dress like this


I repair machines like this


that make microchips like these.

BA in Latin American Lit. MBA. Farmer and teacher.

.


These days I work as a Nurse's Assistant and Unit Clerk, 12 hour night shifts in pediatrics, at a large (for the region) area hospital. I've been doing this kind of thing for over 20 years now, doing everything from home healthcare, to orthopedics at the trauma center, from integrating autistic kids into the community, to working in ICU's and an ER and just about everything in between. I also worked as a bicycle courier (specializing in heavy cargo) and legal messenger for a couple of years and played a lot of bike polo and did a fair amount of tall bike jousting at that time.

As far as the stereotypes go; high school diploma, a few years of college, no degree, and yeah, I can't afford a car on what I make given what rents are around here. A good friend has two cars, and I can borrow one of them most weeks of the year, but even when I have it borrowed for 6 weeks or a couple of months at a time I ride almost every day. So I think even if I owned a car again I'd be riding almost every day. I prefer to ride and don't like dealing with parking or paying for gas. But really, it's about preferring to ride. I feel better both mentally and physically when I ride, and I enjoying riding. I'd prefer to ride, even on rainy days and with jerky car drivers around me, than drive a car myself.

Also known as Court Appointed Cyclist.

I'm the Commercial Sales Mgr at a wholesale millwork distributor. One year of college. It's a small department at our facility, so I wind up wearing a lot of hats. I most enjoy talking with longtime customers and helping them figure out what they need to use for doors and hardware on any given project from a back door on a warehouse to mutltifamily/hotel/motel buildings to large you name it facilities. People sit in line on the phone to talk to me. That feels kind of good because there are other places they could call to get the same products.
There is one other bicycle commuter at my workplace. He is a "Court Appointed Cyclist" (I LOVE that term!).
Many of the people that think I'm crazy have health issues that go on and on. Most of them 10-15years younger than myself (55).

I am currently unemployed. 30 yrs in the Aerospace Engineering....laid off staring over. I have a car but commute by bike

I'll be laid off starting in February and am using the time to take courses to pursue a CPA. I'm in (or was in) contracts management...I draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts along with contracts support and work with proposals. I had an easy two mile bicycle commute, which was actually a bit too close. My ideal commute would be about 10 miles - enough to get in a ride, not so much that the commute becomes inconvenient. I'd either like to work with a government agency, preferably in audit, or work directly with customers and be self employed; after 10 years working in corporate, I've had enough.

I haven't owned a car in about 10 years, although I did renew my license last year (after 5 years without one) at my wife's request. I do occasionally drive, but it's a rare event.

Good luck in you job searches, Aaron and xuwol7.

This thread is so long, I'm not even sure if I already replied!

I started my adult life as a professional studio and concert musician and started a home business (telephone "Message-On-Hold" programs) during those years. Then I accidentally got into large-scale crime investigations for Lloyd's of London, using my knowledge and experience with digital video to collect and enhance surveillance footage from the darndest places all over North America. When all that fell apart in 2009, I spent a year wandering around on my bike, wondering what to do next.

I ended up working for my local township, officially as an audio-visual technician, but in reality, an all-around, go-to guy for anything having to do with computers, proof-reading, building maintenance, or summer concert logistics. Although I earn a lot less now than ever - and the job isn't quite as "glamorous" as it sounds, I am at the peak of happiness in my working life, due, in large part, to the fact that I work within a few miles of home and can bike to work every day from about April to November.

I'm a poorly paid retail manager at Petsmart. I can't ride every day, due to scheduling. One day, I work 10 to 7pm. The next, its 4am to 12:30. And because my commute is an hour, I ride when I can. But, I'll tell you what, when I do ride those days are so much better.

You and your pygmy pony would need to be in Montana for that.

Software developer, San Francisco Bay Area.

Our business park has free bike lockers--even some that are big enough to hold my Electra Townie.

This pretty much sums me up as well.

I've never heard of this, but perhaps that's because I live in a very bicycle-friendly area. I always figure people on bikes are the smart ones.

I'm an accounting drone in a cubicle farm of a large corporation. It's not an exciting or prestigious job, but it keeps my family fed and a roof over our heads. And at work we have a fenced-in bike cage in the parking garage that requires an employee badge to enter, lockers, and showers. When I see bikes chained up outside in all kinds of weather, I realize how lucky I am to have a covered and fairly secure bike parking area.

An' ride him all along the border line
With a Pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand
By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely Dental Floss

BA in Elementary Ed and History
MSed in Instructional Technology

I taught 5th grade for the past 6 years. I love my profession, but hate my job. The bullcrap going on in the world of US education has forced me to change careers, and that saddens me. I'm currently about to take the tests to become A+ certified in IT. I've worked as a desktop support person for 3 years in college as well as unofficially and officially my whole time teaching, so I'm no stranger to the world of IT.

If anyone knows any cool IT positions in Houston - hook a brother up! I'm going out of my mind being home every day.

I bike commuted to my school when I lived in Knoxville. But since I'm jobless here in Houston, I just ride recreationally often. Would love to be able to ride to future job here, but it could easily be far too dangerous or too far to consider. We'll see!

Machine repair in a spring factory for over 30 years. Looking at early retirement from the factory life. When I turn 56 or 57 (I'm 53 now) I would like to go into a new line of work.
The plant has about 150 employees and three of us bike to work weather permitting.

I work for a company that makes suits like that. (Except ours are sterile as well)



I once taught Computer Aided Drafting in the for-profit vocational ed industry for a "Technical Institute" that shall not be named. I feel your pain, especially over the mistaken notion that some people have that those problems are all the teachers fault. In my experience the students, and to a lesser extent the parents deserve much of that "credit". This is even worse in the for profit sector where the profit motive gives a huge incentive to make unrealistic promises to students. I was expected to perform magic on apathetic students, many of whom only wanted to be shown the easy way to success.

Those for-profits are sucking up huge amounts of the educational budget that public and non-profit private schools have depended on. I know of two, U O Phoenix and the crooks I used to work for who get 80% of their revenue from taxpayer funded sources, mostly local and federal student aid, including the GI bill, and students loans, which are defaulted on at a higher rate than at the non-profits.

I am in the accounting dept in a small food manufacturing company for twelve years now. I am happy in my position with the company and the company themselves.

I've been a process engineer involved in the manufacture of solar cells. The whole industry more-or-less ate it and I found myself unemployed again in 2013, so now I'm about to move to Sweden to do some early stage R&D. I wasn't really able to transition into the semiconductor or optoelectronics industry here in the US the way that I had hoped I would.

Previously I designed bridges and building systems, and I nearly became an architect.