Yeah... the gig economy. Can you survive in it? Stories abound of drivers for Uber and Lyft doing whatever it takes to earn a meager wage—something highlighted today in a new story from the Financial Times. After you’re done reading the piece, the FT has created an interactive game to see how you’d do as an Uber driver.
Me? I did terrible. I tried making a trek from Sacramento to San Francisco every day, missed a friend’s party, had to fix a busted windshield. It sucked. And in the end, after expenses, I ended up with about $400 after putting in 72 hours of work in a week. That’s about $5.50 per hour.
I slept in my car one night, sure, but I managed to get home early one night to help my son with his homework. (Oh, also, I have a son. Thank you.)
If I had to offer any advice, buy a gym membership. I had to head home one night, the game mandated, because I smelled awful after a long day of work. Anyway, if you’re in the mood to feel depressed, see if you can beat $406.