This guy went from a 9 to 5 programming job to being a courier in Toronto, Canada. His account sounds very appealing and I admire the choice he made, but this wouldn’t be a good move for me, however much I want to be rid of a 9 to 5 job. I don’t like the part about inevitably getting hit by a car.
“If it’s a slow afternoon and you want to lounge around outside the hub drinking coffee or even beer, no one will ever come over and ask you if that is an appropriate way to spend company time. Ever.”
“I often describe myself as a chronically lazy person, but to be honest, I don’t mind working. I simply hate working under an oppressive structure. As a coder, I would find myself slacking off just because the environment gave me no motivation to work hard. And at the same time, I hated the obligation to look busy from nine to five, regardless of how much actual work [there] was to do. And I hated working in a cubicle ten meters from my supervisor’s office.”
“Issues of pay aside, I can easily say that couriering is the best job i have ever had (and I have more than a few eclectic jobs on my resume). … And, even considering the fact that my pay as a courier is between half and two thirds what it was as a coder, it is a rare day that I seriously consider going back.”
Update: Upon further research, starting from his kuro5hin profile, it seems this coder turned courier has self-published a novel and wrote a guide to looking busy at work, sure signs of someone looking for alternatives to a 9 to 5.
- Thanks for reading
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- Get your financial house in order before quitting your dayjob
- Carla Blazek, free from 9 to 5
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March 22nd, 2005 at 1:14 am
Bike Messengers belong to their own subculture. Even if you wanted to do it, I don’t think it’s something you can just jump into by going down to your local distribution hub and handing them a resume. There really are only two cites in the US with a significant bike messenger scene (NY and SF), never mind the 40-50 mile days, 5 days a week. I’m a cyclist myself, and I’d have trouble handling that much mileage.
It doesn’t help you toward your goal of freeing yourself from 9 to 5 drudgery, but you might find it interesting to read up on bike messengers a bit. They’re an interesting group of people.
March 22nd, 2005 at 10:54 pm
I definitely don’t disagree with you, Tyler. I didn’t even broach the topic from the subculture point of view, just from a practicality standpoint and suitability (for me).