Uber Drivers of LA #2

I have had a few rides since my last post, but unfortunately, most of them didn't have very much to discuss. In the future, I may choose to catalog every driver I have, but when they don't feel like making conversation, there isn't much I can do.

I was fully prepared for another driver that wanted to restrict the topics of conversation to the weather and awkward silence, but I was pleasantly surprised on my way to a business lunch by an older Asian American gentleman named Gary.

The conversation was routine to start with. I have a sort of formula for conversing with drivers. I generally ask if they are just starting or ending their day. This gives me a frame of reference for how open to conversation they might be.

Next, I will ask if Uber is their main gig or just a part-time thing. This is to get a general understanding, but I have had fascinating drivers from both ends of the spectrum. The cliché that you can't judge a book by its cover is true in this regard.

Uber happened to be Gary's main gig currently, so I asked what he used to do before pursuing Uber full-time. He was happy to share that he used to work as a graphic designer, primarily for a clothing company that manufactured sports apparel such as team jerseys and the like. He pointed out that the shirt he was wearing was the type of clothing he had previously designed, although this particular shirt had been done by a coworker.

I shared how I was heading to a meeting to discuss a change in career path. I…