When full-time gig worker Hannibal Darby was let go of his job just one month before COVID-19 concerns began sweeping the nation, he realized that summer he needed to do something to make some money.
Darby currently drives for DoorDash, Uber Eats and GrubHub and makes his main source of income through Rover— a dog-walking, pet-sitting app—shifting from part-time to full-time work this year.
"It's a really quick way to make money and you pay your bills and, you know, just keep going," Darby told the New York Business Daily. "Uber Eats is the first app that I use(d), and that app was what got me going to keep me to be able to support my family."
Though he had grown accustomed to working with dogs at dog boarding facilities for the past 10 years, Darby began relying on full-time gig work in July 2020. He said the most important aspect of his work is the ability to take his son to school every day, noting also it's that flexibility that is pushing many out of their everyday jobs.
"I think a lot of companies are lowering and lowering the base wage because they know they have so many people out there taking these offers and if you don't learn how to do it properly, you could be making even less money or losing money," Darby said.
Among his work, Darby said he avoids taking fast food orders when delivering food, remaining cognizant of the fact that many customers aren't willing to tip on a low-priced meal and long-wait times in drive-thru lanes.
"It could be a really tough job," Darby said. "It's easy delivering food, it's not brain surgery, but you're out there … dealing with all types of situations, and crime has skyrocketed in my community as well."
Alongside his gig-work opportunities, Darby makes videos on YouTube, documenting his work—a skill and passion he developed during the mundane life of lockdowns.
"I've developed a love for making videos and podcasting and talking, communicating," Darby said. "So I think that's probably my future goal is to pursue more of the media creation, especially with YouTube."