i apologize if this is in the wrong spot, but i figure all of the messengers read this forum, and i didn't see a forum for people that make a living on their bike. so - i am in my senior year of college, and i will be graduating this next spring. i know i will be slightly overeducated being a messenger w/a chemistry degree, but it does guarantee some type of intelligence. anyways, once i'm done i want to move to a large city with an active biking community, and spend a summer, or maybe a year working as a bike messenger before i get a "real" job.

i would like to secure a job by this next spring... will it be difficult to move to a new city and get a job as a messenger (i have a very good memory and sense of direction/navigation skills and i'm in awesome shape)? any recommendations on how to go about finding a mess job? any recommendations on what city will be ideal for me(i'm a independent thinking, liberal leaning, midwestern kid, who is very much into music, the great outdoors, snowboarding,etc. , and it would be cool to live near mountains and a velodrome). any other suggestions?

thanks for any suggestions

-edit-
i also have some experience, as i do bike delivery at the moment, delivering munchies and stuff to drunk people at night (madtownmunchies!).

Chicago seems like an obvious choice, I knew someone years ago who had been a messenger in Denver (closer to good skiing); I'm of no use to you in finding a job and am unable to give any advice on your prospects in either of those locations. I suppose I might still know someone who runs a service in Boston (I've been told its a lousy job there now though).

Back in the day, without experience and a strong working knowledge of the area, it came down to knowing people, being persistant, and getting lucky. But that was a long time ago.

if your thinking about chicago get online with us at chifg.com you need to apply but just give it a few days and youll be in. people there will be able to help you out a lot, even though there are many chifg-ers on here too.

https://www.messengers.org
https://www.ifbma.ca/forums/
https://www.dccourier.com

I can roll my pants up as a messenger right? There are no rules against that, right? lol

pretty much how it is in portland still... if you can't get a sub job through a friend or someone you know, you have to be constant in your persistance and lucky in your timing. helps to have someone telling when when someone is about to leave their company, too.

figure out where the messengers hang out in your ideal city, start making friends with a few of the nicer ones, and go from there.

to quote this again that is exactly how it is you don't contact a messenger co or a legal firm and say hey are you going to need a messenger in the spring can I acquire said job now and have everything in the bag you have to move to the city learn where most things are and then be at the messenger companies door steps with a resume and ready to work

yup some of em will take your resume and have you make a run or two to see if your up to it... so line up a different job maybe at night in the city you choose to move too trust me you will need it when working as a messenger there are slow times and having a second job is really nice

Oh my god, don't let the question be between Denver and Chicago.

Chicago is 100 times the city that Denver is.

make sure not to go to portland or seattle. good cities, bad places to try and find a messenger job.

how does one learn there way around a vast city such as New york as a messenger? i live here all my life and still can't find ****.

get a good map that has the highest street level accuracy and then ride every piece of pavement on that map for about a year then you will be at the beginning of your jedi training

"no try only do"

If you are only planning on doing it for the summer I would advise you to get another job. You wont make much money since thats when every wants to "try out messengering." If you do come here and make it to/work through the winter then you will probably know the city, some other messengers, and be with a better company than you started with making some decent money. Also, keep the "overeducated" talk to a minimum.


ps - we have velodromes ski resorts and everything here or within a couple of hours. As long as you dont want to do something like swim in the ocean you can find it here.

yeah in all reality most messengers provide more services than just riding bikes too and from delivering package a lot of them where I live also do legal research and what not I am trying to learn the ropes of legal research at the moment to increase my job prospects... I am also studying to become a notary public.. when done right you can make decent money but like its been said you have to commit to it it can't just be a summer job if you plan on being any good and making any kind of money..

cool...i lke your idea, a hybrid messenger/notary public/ case filer sort of messenger? i notice some of the indy-veteran type messengers seem to really know their way around the courthouse here...learning by osmosis.

nah I got a couple lawyer friends and a good legal bookstore down the street last years regulations are about 50cents a pop and they don't update that much of the code (most of which you can find in pdf format on line I just stick it in the book as an addendum)

I'd choose the city, then get the job. Plan that next year, too, and stick to it. Those one-year-off's are seductive.

Hey buddy, I don't want to be disrespectful at all, but I don't know what you mean by "studying to be a notary public." There is an online course that makes you answer a couple questions and it gives you the answer in the text. You read for a minute and the program makes you take 20 min's or something, so you go do other things and come back and move onto the next section and then you pay the fees and buy a stamp. It should be done in 1 afternoon or evening simply because it forces you to take time on each section and once you're finished it limits you to what you can charge, something like $5-20. I'd explore other options.

yes I am aware, however you missed the legal research part as well and on the other end what I mean by studying is I am too f*n broke right now to take the course and the charges I have seen for travel are much higher than 5-20 in California at least

where are you at? i think you guys all talked me out of trying to do this. i guess i'll just have to use my degree and get an industrial job where i don't get to ride a bicycle. so sad... i still need to figure out where i wanna live though.

Chicago.

I dont think anyone meant to talk you out of it but if you are looking for a job that allows a break from your studies, and for you to enjoy riding, messengering wouldnt be first on my list. The job isnt for everyone and the winter here will QUICKLY test your breaking point. Move here, get a job related to your degree, and just ride to and from work or when you want in your free time like everyone else.

noone is trying to talk you out of it we are just suggesting that you put a little more into it than just casually working for a summer