FYI: Messenger is #5 in the Career Builder/CNN "Jobs that Keep You in Shape" list, coming in just below "Construction Laborer" and above "Freight and stock material mover." Average annual salary: $21,050

21,000 a year? I could make that much selling plasma. And the crack I'd buy with the proceeds would keep me fit enough.

21,000 a year, and no health insurance. Not to mention the added cost of the 3,000 extra calories you burn a day.

Dream job!

I'm so glad that working at a hardware store isn't the hip thing to do. Although it'll probably make a come around now that huge beards are in.

i heard "being an olson twin" ranked number one.

true? false?

Construction laborer keeps you fit. lol. I've been working construction since I was a kid. Laborers don't look lean because of the work, they look lean because half of them are addicted to meth. By the time they are 40 they are usually dead or disabled from too much speed fueled labor.

What is the pay schedule for messengers anyway? A few bucks for each drop off/pick up? Hourly wage? How many hours a day are people working for 21,000? It must be one of those "I do it because I love it" jobs. Plus, messengers probably like the street cred it buys them.

Street cred? LOL


What "street cred"? People that ride bicycles in the city are the spat upon (percieved)lower class.

correct me if i'm wrong, though, but street cred is exclusive to the young or lower class.
the spitter has nothing to do with the percieved "street cred" of the spittee (to use yr example).

Street cred within the bicycle community in which they are a part of. What the hell do you think I'm talking about? That people in cars will think you are cool? Jeez, maybe try thinking of the most reasonable interpretation before you lash out next time around.

Yeah, because burning 3,000 extra calories a day is a totally undesirable thing.

By the way, some people make friends better than other people, and subsequently get free stuff. Example: I rarely have to actually pay for rear tires, it's almost like my LBS sponsors me to skid around!!

street cred, huh? i think it's just (us) silly people on internet forums that romanticize about messengers and their bicycles. i'm willing to bet that messengers do it because it's what they have to to make money. let's leave it to daydreamers like us to equate their job to street cred/track racing/etc.

if you're living on $21,000 a year and are effectively doubling the amount of food you have to eat, then yeah, I'd say it's undesirable.

So you're essentially saying wealth over health.

I'd have to disagree but this is an age-old debate.

Also gotta factor in that there's those who, through all the hardships involved, still love their job. Most veterans would probably tell you it's a love/hate thing but they just can't stop.

I'm certainly not saying that burning 3,000 calories a day is bad or undesirable. What I am saying is that the doubling of your food expenses while making such little money sucks.

health & wealth do NOT have to be mutually exclusive, ya know? office workers can work 8-9hr days and still manage to train for triathlons or other sports hobbies/events.

No. You're wrong about that too. Messers, fadmongers, and even commuters (Freds) are also spat upon by the "bicycle community", i.e. roadies, club riders, etc..


What the hell are you takling about? I actually did the car free thing for three years in the city, mostly fixed. It had nothing to do with being "cool". I lived downtoen in a busy city center, parking is outrageous, my car was broken into/towed about five times, etc.. I felt a little greener, even if I really wasn't.

It was practical, and saved me money...but it was never romantic. Especiallyn the part when I get ran over by a truck. I would not consider messing again. It really is not for everyone, or most people. Maybe it's not for anyone. It's just a job that needs to be done.

if i lived in a city where i could do it and make a living doing it i think i would give it a go.
if not just to add it to the list.

life guard
motorcycle tech
bike tech
pedal cab
porn store clerk
photog
network admin
night club bouncer
car salesman

More of an exception than a rule for that particular area of vocation though, wouldn't ya say?

The office worker is a favorite target of the health industry for what's NOT healthy. Being inside all day, driving your car to work and taking an elevator to an office, eating fast, cheap food, stressing out and then being stuck in a cubicle... yeah, you can still go to the gym but you'd be in the minority among the people of your profession.

in the grand scheme of thing no job is healthy. every job i have worked has taken so toll on my body.
being a life guard i was swimming and working out everyday but i was also drinking chlorine and urine. plus a buddy picked up tb from some chick. working in the porn store i got a staph infection and had to go to the hospital. riding the pedal cab i got sun burned. being a motorcycle tech i got chemical burns. everything has a trade off. you really have to just make the call is it worth it on a long enough time-line.

everything on my resume has been high risk i kinda like it that way

I hate working in a cube, but I love writing software. I wish there was a way to get around that... somehow combine bikes and coding... any suggestions?

True, I'll give you that.

Part of the reason why that careerbuilder list looks somewhat venerable is because some Americans vegetate -- drive to work, sit @ desk, drive home, eat, sit @ TV.

get really awesome at riding rollers, and ride sitting upright while typing on a strategically positioned keyboard tied to a 40"+ display.

come work in dc. couriers here make way more than that. good pro couriers i know here make between $40,000 - $50,000.

I am going to play the jack-a** card here, why is this in the SSFG sub forum?