coder in courierland

i ran across this story on kuro5hin .. (i'm a developer as well, but having
messenger friends i was not similiarly tempted. i like what i do .. and i
thoroughly enjoy being paid ;-). interesting story, tho, and i didn't see
it mentioned he

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/3/19/133129/548

"Once upon a time, I was a coder not unlike yourself. My day consisted of
coffee, perl and java hacking, meetings, and e-mail. I had a cubicle with
fluorescent lighting, my own bookshelf and two computers. And I traded it
all in.

Even before Office Space, white collar workers peered out the window (if
they were so lucky) and imagined a more romantic life doing real work out
under the sun.

Well, having no children, no great career ambition and no financial
obligations more pressing than a crippling student loan, a year and a half
ago, I decided to live this dream.

I became a bicycle messenger and now I'm here to report back."
--
david reuteler

David Reuteler wrote:

Well, having no children, no great career ambition and no financial
obligations more pressing than a crippling student loan, a year and a half
ago, I decided to live this dream.

Thanks for sharing, very cool article. I've contemplated it a time or
two, but seeing as how I have all three of the above I'm left chained
to my golden handcuffs in cube land.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
You can bring any calculator you like to the midterm, as long as it
doesn't dim the lights when you turn it on.
-- Hepler, Systems Design 182

David Reuteler wrote:
i ran across this story on kuro5hin .. (i'm a developer as well, but
having
messenger friends i was not similiarly tempted. i like what i do ..
and i
thoroughly enjoy being paid ;-). interesting story, tho, and i
didn't see
it mentioned he

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2005/3/19/133129/548

"Once upon a time, I was a coder not unlike yourself. My day
consisted of
coffee, perl and java hacking, meetings, and e-mail. I had a cubicle
with
fluorescent lighting, my own bookshelf and two computers. And I
traded it
all in.

Even before Office Space, white collar workers peered out the window
(if
they were so lucky) and imagined a more romantic life doing real work
out
under the sun.

Well, having no children, no great career ambition and no financial
obligations more pressing than a crippling student loan, a year and a
half
ago, I decided to live this dream.

I became a bicycle messenger and now I'm here to report back."
--
david reuteler



Heh heh, stairwells are like roach motels
for rookie couriers.

His estimate of potential pay is a bit low.
Most of the top couriers I know make 15-25
per hour depending on the day. But there are
fewer top couriers and they are actually
making less than they were 10 years ago.
And no benefits.

R

Dane Jackson wrote:
David Reuteler wrote:

Well, having no children, no great career ambition and no financial
obligations more pressing than a crippling student loan, a year and
a half
ago, I decided to live this dream.

Thanks for sharing, very cool article. I've contemplated it a time
or
two, but seeing as how I have all three of the above I'm left chained
to my golden handcuffs in cube land.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
You can bring any calculator you like to the midterm, as long as it
doesn't dim the lights when you turn it on.
-- Hepler, Systems Design 182

I have all of the above too plus the golden handcuffs....but I
comtemplate leaving my office space and going to a tropical island. I
dream of a life free of obligation where I can be a self centered ass
with no one to think about but me. I dream of unlocking the cuffs to my
office chair and escaping to a place where I can watch TV and eat
cheetos without anyone yelling at me that they are hungry and asking me
when am I going to cook. I dream of this at work. I dream of this
when the tuition bills come, I dream of this when I can't afford a new
car and ride around in clunker because my daughter wants a wedding. I
dream of this, and then I wake up to realize....I would not trade my
life, my kids, my crabby husband, my aging parents, my bills, or my job
for anything. ;-) It all makes life interesting. It keeps me focused
on what is important. Something new happens everyday. Sometimes good,
sometimes bad, but always "something." No one ever promised me a rose
garden. I knew there would be thorns with the roses, but the roses make
the thorns bearable. So stay chained to your cube in golden
handcuffs....having "all of the above" makes it all worth it. Don't cha
think?
All Good Things,
Maggie