If you read my blog regularly, you already know that I prefer to work an entire pile of 10-99 contract jobs rather than being stuck in one soul-sucking corporate 9-5. Unfortunately, contract work can be fickle and sometimes contracts fall through at inopportune times, making me regroup and find another revenue stream quickly. This happened to me recently, and it brought me back to an industry I haven’t worked in 15 years: delivering food orders.
When I was in college, I was a delivery driver for Domino’s, and I loved it. I’ve always liked driving, listening to music, drumming on the steering wheel, and singing along (even though my singing voice is awful). At the time, I considered it a means to an end so I could get my degree and get a “real job.” I did a lot of random jobs when I was in college because I had grown up being told that I had two options: 1) get a college degree 2) be a complete and utter failure. Great options, right?
So, 7 years (because I had to work full time) and several shit tons of student loan debt later, I got that magical bachelors degree and set out to find that “real job.” There were no such jobs available for entry-level grads in NE Ohio in 2009 (recession) and I eventually moved to North Carolina in 2013, where I was able to find these elusive “real jobs.”
Guess what? I discovered throughout the last 5 years that I hate real jobs. I hate being tethered to a desk, asking permission to go to the bathroom, always being on someone else’s schedule, listening to crappy top 40 music all day, being guilt tripped/gaslit into working overtime, and having conversations with people I have nothing in common with about things I don’t give a shit about. I was wildly disappointed by the reality of the exact kind of job I always thought I wanted, but I thought I had no choice but to keep on pretending I could deal with it.
Earlier this year, I broke free and began contracting, and it was exactly what I needed. Sure, I don’t get health benefits or paid vacation and it’s not as stable, but I’m free to set my own schedule and make my work environment as laid back as I want it. I’ve never been happier. I have so much variety in my tasks and I love it. Much of what I do is strictly from home, with the exception of my new food delivery gig, 919 dine.
Yesterday evening was my first shift making deliveries as a contractor for 919 dine, and I’m glad I decided to do this because it was a wake up call as to how terribly out of shape I am. Lifting heavy crates of pop bottles (no, not “soda”), bending, carrying heavy bags of food, and climbing stairs proved to be more difficult than it should be for a 34-year old in reasonably ok health. I woke up today sore all over as if I spent 5 hours at the gym.
Feeling the burn isn’t discouraging me from continuing this gig; in fact, I’m excited to do more and get back into some kind of decent shape.
So if you’re like me and you’re sick of being tethered to a desk and getting fat butt office syndrome, there are lots of companies out there that employ contractors for this kind of work: UberEats, Grubhub, etc. I chose 919 dine because they’re a local family-owned company here in Raleigh area, and I highly recommend them. The irony kills me though; 15 years ago, I was delivering pizzas and dreaming of how great my “real job” would be after college. Now I’ve discovered that I’d rather deliver food orders than spend one more day in a corporate office.
Food delivery: it’s not just for college kids anymore. Back to the “gym” tomorrow!
Musings of a Dog Mom 