Half a mile. Salary: $5000 or less

Your first day on the job and you're following your dream of becoming an NYC bike messenger. You pedal out into oncoming traffic on your way to dispatch and get blindsided by a crazed taxi driving the wrong way on a one-way street. You'll be out of work for a while.

Ten miles. Salary: $20,000

Your day started out okay, then you were given a strange-smelling package by a shady-looking dude who warned you not to go to the mail room with it and not to sign into security. What is that weird ticking sound you keep hearing? Oh well, a job's a job.

Thirty miles. Salary: $30,000

It's snowing, your tire had a blowout, and you almost got run over trying to change it on the side of the road. You've been doing this for a while, though, and fix it up without much delay. The tip isn't good, but you keep your job.

Fifty miles. Salary: $35,000 

You had a particularly good run. You've made over twenty deliveries already and the day isn't even over. The last delivery is at a fashion shoot where they decide to use you as an extra. They give you $100 just to be in the picture. How cool is that? You're celebrating tonight.

Seventy miles. Salary: $50,000 

You have a record-breaking seventy mile day after winning the courier messenger race only the day before. You get oodles of bonus money to add to your prize and a $100 tip from a Prince of some place or another. You even get asked out on a date. When you get home, there's a call from Spielberg's office: Steven wants to make a movie out of your life story and is interested in buying the rights for a cool million. Perhaps you should quit your day job...? Nah.