girljen

Well, one of the reasons I started going human-powered to work (first walking, then riding) was to prevent Dispatch Ass. It's a very serious disease caused by sitting for 12-hour shifts while wonderfully nice EMTs and paramedics bring you food.

QNSplanner

Right on. I am a City Planner in NYC. I worked as a bus operator for a transit authority for a short time after college, which makes me the only person around here with any idea about how transit operations really work. I am always amazed at the institutional disconnects that exist between planners and operations people when it comes to transit.

I don't really do transportation planning now (we have a separate division dedicated to transportation). Mostly I review land use in eastern Queens and try to sort out the good development ideas from the sea of ugliness and dysfunction.

Big M

Absolutely did for me...running the marketing department at work meant working long hours (sometimes even weekends), 95% of which are spent chained to the desk/phone/computer. My downtime has been cut drastically over the years, and I find I choose to spend it on social life rather than biking and exercise.

I got hooked on biking a few weeks ago, and figure commuting is the perfect solution as i'm spending 30 minutes commuting anyway...just add another 20 and get a workout.

I've contemplated a career change from my office job to something where I'm more active (retail, manual labor), and I imagine I'd probably not want to "exercise" immediately before and after laying bricks all day.

QNSplanner

Bear in mind that jobs that don't involve a lot of sitting generally allow much less time to waste on BF.

toyota200x

Very cool thread. It is fun hearing about people's jobs.

I bike 2 mile RT. I am a assistant engineer at a industrial door company.

uke

Grad student, child psych. 2 miles from campus, so I hope to only use the car for groceries, trips to elementary schools, and bad weather/social events.

ItoDoeblin

My decision to start commuting was partially because I sit at a desk all day, and partially because I rediscovered how fun it is to ride the roads
that and I was turning soft

KimberlyL

For one more week I'm a supervisor in a Social Security field office in a small town. After next week, I will be an Area Systems Coordinator for three Social Security field offices in three separate cities.

I will be bike commuting to one of these offices three days a week, about 8.5 miles one way. No showers at work. Have gotten permission to use the break room for bike storing, but am thinking of using a little utility closet that really doesn't get used by anyone but the cleaning people, and they are gone before I will get in. Or I'll scope out the office when I'm back there and see if there is a better place. I wouldn't be surprised if I get complaints from at least one yahoo I work with. BTW, in this office the previous systems coordinator, whom I am replacing, would also never allow anything in the cubes that had to be plugged in, such as space heaters or a small fan! I may be more lenient on this issue if it is left to me. I did hear a good tip about hanging up wet/sweaty clothing on the back of the LAN cabinet to dry. Nobody will go in there but me, so I may give this a try!

One of the other two offices is about 14 miles away one way. May or may not attempt this one on the bike. Not sure yet if I can park inside or not. Will talk to the manager week after next when I'm there for the first time and see how it goes. Also will have to see if I can coordinate with the hubby getting kids to/from school and daycare. Third office is maybe 40 - 50 miles one way, so I'm not doing that.

threeflys

I started riding to work because the Coast Guard has a max weight limit and mine is 193# (I'm 5'8", medium build), I was always just making weight every six months so I had to do something.

anthegreat1

Graphic Designer

corripio

I'm a PhD student researching nanomaterials.

gronk40

Not a coincidence for me. I didn't bike when I had a physical job - but I NEED to now that I have a non physical job. Not at all convenient before, important now.

jrafael

My job title:
Loan Services Default Support Representative, in my company I review customer's request for assistance with their mortgages.

There is one big rack under a huge oak, can't bring bike inside, we do have a small gym with showers and temporary lockers.

I'm the only bicycle commuter in the whole building (500+) sad but true.

I commute 8~10 miles roud trip every day.

B Piddy

Wow. Quite a few technical professional folks here.

I work for an electric utility. Power plant project engineer, mechanical engineer by degree. Spend most of my days monitoring and brainstorming ways to help our coal-fired power plants hold their farts in. Basically, the DNR and EPA keep me busy. Commute 6.5 miles one way.

Jim from Boston

I'm a pathologist and much of my day is spent sitting at a microscope looking at histologic slides and issuing reports. One nice thing about my job is that I can get started on my work as soon as I reach at the Hospital. That's the time I'm really at my peak, after the ride. I arrive very early and I don't have to deal with anyone else, so I can clean up later at my convenience.

BTW, tnath0522 or some other correspondent, this is a pretty long discussion thread and I haven't had time to read it all. It would be interesting if someone could tally all the responses.

;8==I()[

(Busy pathologist furtively winking from behind his binocular microscope.)

JR97

Nice. I was an audio/video mastering engineer for about 10 years. Fun job until it became a "job". Never paid squat though.

MAR_inPDX

Work for a small startup that is in the computer servers biz. So I spend my whole day in front of this computer. One of the job related hassles is that I carry my laptop to and from work each day and that is a killer on my back. Probably poor core strength since I started to commute just this summer.

alex_o

I am actually an electrical engineer who writes Linux app software for the largest medical diagnostics company. My commute is about 15 miles of round trip. I pick up a commuter train close to my house and ride to the end stop and then bike to work from there. No showers in my building. I shower before I ride and this does the trick. Yes I sweat but, I usually towel off in a bathroom. Like someone said before when you are doing software for living, your boss does not really care about hours you work or how much you sweat. That is the best part of the job. I actually look forward to my bike ride because I can take it slow and not act like rest of the mechanized idiots that waste oil and environment. I have several bikes
1985 Trek 400 - Do not ride it anymore, but would like to do something with it.
1995 Trek 950 MTB - my commuter with Nashbar zipon bag
1999 Bianchi Veloce - sweet road ride - but bit heavy
2001 Gerry Fisher Sugar 3 - mtb ride that is great
2007 Scattante CFR Elite - my newest addition

Cilfton - curious who do you work for?

qmsdc15

I'm a freight biker. I ride about six miles to my first pick, less than three miles from my last drop to home when it works out right.

VeloBusDriver

Bus driver for King County Metro in Seattle. I drive split shifts and live close to work so I get to commute twice!

HuffyMan

Mechanical Engineer here but that's where it stops. I program industrial control systems (PLC/DCS)for the past 16 years and have added robots in the last few years. Two more years left on development of my "girl" robot.....

5kdad

Professional portrait/wedding photographer, Master of Photography degree from Professional Photographers of America. Have had my own studio for nearly 30 years.
Studio and home are in a rural area. Shortest route from home to work is 6 and 2/3 miles, but I often take a longer route, to get in 15 to 20 miles RT. When I want a more relaxed ride, I'll take one of the side dirt roads. When I'm trying to rack up the miles, I stay on pavement.
Morning rides I take fairly easy depending on weather, so I don't get too hot and sweaty. Carry a bag with fresh clothes to change into when I get to work. If I get too sweaty, I can wash up in a sink. One evening I work late, so sometimes have to use lights for trip back home.
No, I don't bike to weddings.

Pobble.808

Professor. Keep bike in my office. Bringing bikes into the building is officially a no-no but almost nobody knows this or cares.

Commute is only 1.5 miles each way. Baby wipes + change of clothes in office.

EliteTempleton

IT Analyst at an Electric & Natrual Gas utility. I spend my 8 hours taking calls from folks like Piddy, I think he represents my average caller, except of course the commuting via bicycle part. I also get calls from the lineman, mechanics, VIP's(Company CEO types) and their secretaries, call center reps who have to take calls from external customers. It gets pretty interesting having to switch mentalities with each call, especially when going straight from one call where one of the lineman(for example) often will use some words/language I cannot post to describe some bad software they must use and then switching to the CEO's secretary where everything is very professional.

I also agree, having this job is why I found this forum and also why I have the time to post on it.

However, thats just what I do to pay the bills, for a living I hunt, have a couple of chickens, garden, etc. Sadly I am unable to pay my bills with Eggs and Tomatoes...

Thorinos

I'm a undergraduate student in Computer Engineering. 6 km from my home.

I also work as a programmer in a major video game company here in Quebec. Less than 2 km .

I also do lots of weekend trip in the summer and I'm planning a big trip next summer in Europe (on my bike) when I'll graduate.