Sooo.....is this a dumb idea?

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

right, so its become increasingly aparent that my current jobs are not cutting the mustard, money-wise and the internship i was hoping for has finally let me know they are passing on me. So, with nothing on the horizon career-wise, i need to focus on money. Prideful as a I am, I have been putting off applying to fast food places and the like, and trying to get into any position my degree will qualify me for, but I've had no calls lately and shit needs to change in a hurry. So i hatched a scheme. I came across a service called Breeze which is partnered with Uber. Basically they will lease you a brand new Prius and then help you pay off the lease by helping you land a job with Uber. By all accounts it seems like most people who drive for Uber are pretty happy with the arrangement, and it seem to be what a lot of youngins my age are doing for money these days.Both my dad and my sister have warned me away from doing this, my sister having had a bad experience with leasing cars in the past and my dad saying that i wont be able to make the payments. Bu this is something that seems really appealing to me, being able to have a car that can take me all over the state and a job that i can do on my schedule. I was even planning to use the job as a means to do a little roadtripping, which is an experience i have woefully lacked up until this point. I should probably get an estimate on what specific leasing terms i can get, considering this would be my first time doing so, but i ask for the advice of the older members here, am i insane for thinking about this? Is this perhaps the kind of insane thing its good to do at 25? i feel like i'm tired of waiting for shit to drop into my lap and this seems like a good risk to take if it results in a job situation that makes me happy.

[Demolition Squid]

Definitely research the leasing deals, compare that to how much money you can make from Uber (I'm guessing you know/can find some people you trust who can answer those questions) - assume you will earn less than that at the start.

If it all seems to add up, I say go for it. As 'something to do whilst looking for something I want to do' it sounds pretty good. I worked in supermarkets/cafes until I managed to land something even vaguely related to my field at 26, and it sounds more pleasant than doing that work IMO. Just make sure you're not going to screw yourself over with the loan - but that's pretty obvious.

[Reginald Ret]

Be very careful about the loan and the lease conditions.
Other than that, sounds good.

[MMIX]

Don't take advice from random foreigners on the interwebs, including me, and I am the 3rd eurovoice. This needs careful local research. Also will you be responsible for the cost of the vehicle if Uber go bust? Word from India seems to suggest they have grown too fast to be entirely legit. Good luck with whetever you decide to do, though.

[Reginald Ret]

Uber or something similar lost a legal fight with the taxicab union here, they are in mayor trouble because of that.

[MMIX]

Uber or something similar lost a legal fight with the taxicab union here, they are in mayor trouble because of that.

Yeah. Take serious care before you sign anything.

[Cain]

Yeah, I'm not saying do it or don't do it, but do take care in your dealings with Uber.  They are a notoriously bad company, in how they treat their customers, employees and critics alike, and do seem to have no real regard for the law.

I would read any contract with them very carefully before signing.

[LMNO]

I took a quick look at Breeze.

It costs $250 to join, and a $195 weekly lease.  You can return the care only after one month, with two week's notice.

So you're starting $1,420 in the hole.

Slate (I know, Slate) has an article seeing how much Uber drivers make, and came up with a rough estimate that after fees, gas, taxes, etc, many are making roughly $12 an hour.  And that's only the hours there was an actual customer in the car.  No fares, no money.  So let's say you're making roughly $480 a week, now down to $285 because of that weekly fee.  Now we're looking at about $7 an hour.  Also, not sure what state you're in, but a lot require you to have car insurance, so there's another cost.

I'm not telling you what to do, and my numbers might be slightly off, so I'd advise you to really track down the costs and see if you can suss out how busy the other drivers are, so you can estimate how much you'll be making at the end of the day.

[Junkenstein]

I'd run like fuck.

asically they will lease you a brand new Prius and then help you pay off the lease by helping you land a job with Uber.

So on top of LMNO's reality check about the wages of uber/taxi drivers, there's this shitshow.

They are leasing you a car. Fuck all more. They may be able to help with uber, or not. Fuck it, they don't care they've got your money and you're stuck with that lease. Bet the T+C's include "Fuck you" and "Fuck off". Mine would.


Here's what I would do - Order a car from Uber to somewhere about 1-2 miles away. Pick a route with heavy traffic. Get in the front and complain to the driver about your life. Then tell them they are doing great with whatever the car is and all the money they make. Observe the reaction. Get out and consider it on your walk home.

I'd say you'd probably be better off looking at HGV licences or similar, there's always work for wagon drivers with clean licenses. It's also got the added benefit of at least being somewhat monitored and regulated (at least in the UK) and places are kind of forced to give a shit about driver hours/safety etc. Something of a plus point.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

From what I've read that my taxi driver friend has written and linked about Uber, I wouldn't do it.

A journalist who drove for Uber to get a first hand account wrote this excellent article: http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/

[LMNO]

Plus, assholes like me only use Uber Black, as they're licensed livery vehicles with full insurance and regular professional driving jobs, only using Uber for side money. Every Uber horror story I've heard comes from people who used Uber X (what you'd most likely be). 

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

Yikes, this is starting to sound less like being rescued at sea and more like having a ticket for the Titanic. taking into account the fact that I don't have the money for those upfront costs, and the mounting evidence that this bubble is about to burst in a huge way, I dont think i'll be going through on this. If i'm gonna be putting down that kind of dough, i think i'd rather drop it on one of these teach English abroad programs I've been researching. Get to travel, get a paycheck and usually get help with room and board.

Now my plan is to spread out feelers to see what else i can get going: Respite services, behavioral analysis, substitute teaching, my old marketing job, maybe return to work for the YMCA as a substitute to avoid writing lessons which is part of what made that job so infuriating.

Another thing i was considering, which I would like some input on, was performing wedding services. Now, i'm not sure if a Discordian Pope Card is legally recognized as an ordination in the state of CA, but i DID get ordained online as a Dudeist priest a while back, and while i mostly did it as a joke , i'm wondering if it might be a fun way to earn some money. According to the research i did on the subject, so long as the marriage license is taken care of, any ordained representative of any faith can solemnize a wedding ceremony.

[Chelagoras The Boulder]

oh, also reaching out in the local Stand-up comedy scene to see if i can find someone who will pay for jokes i've written.

[Reginald Ret]

oh, also reaching out in the local Stand-up comedy scene to see if i can find someone who will pay for jokes i've written.

Cool!
Good luck with all your plans.

[MMIX]

Yep, probably not a good career path . . .



http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8844649/french-taxi-driver-protest-uber-pop-paris