"It's the best job ever. Don't do it."
What it’s like to be a USPS mail carrier in 2025
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a mail carrier? We sat down with Alex Rybarczyk (she/they) – a designer, Catdroool Club member, and most recently – a mail carrier! We chatted at length about their new(ish) role working for the USPS.
10 years ago in Minneapolis, Alex embarked on a design career– working at various agencies and studios, learning the trade of branding and eventually working heavily in digital design. They have always enjoyed creative endeavors – especially those of a tactile nature. In 2022 after a move to DC, she grew increasingly fatigued from spending most of her time on a computer. They knew their design career in its current form had an expiration date. But what was next?
She didn’t know right away what her next move would be, but she did know it needed to be more tactile, more on her feet, and less digital. On November 15, 2024 they made a journal entry during the full moon that read “I welcome: agency over my transition out of design and into something sustainable.* *USPS?!” This uncertain footnote would gently usher her into the next chapter.
After researching more about working for the USPS, she came across several people on social media who said something to the effect of, “it’s the best job ever. Don’t do it.” On February 8, 2025, they were officially hired by the USPS. After 3 weeks of orientation and training, they “touched mail” for the first time.
So what does a day in the life look like for a mail carrier?
Alex clocks in at 8 am at the station. The first thing they do is prepare their route. Most people don’t realize – your mail carrier is sorting a lot of your mail. They don’t just get on the truck and deliver it. Letters, postcards, and small mail get sorted by a machine, but larger pieces of mail and thick envelopes get sorted manually. “That’s actually one of my favorite parts of the job. It feels like such a good mental exercise to wake up my brain first thing in the morning.”
After sorting (the official term is ‘casing’), she loads up her truck and heads out on her route. Since she’s a recent hire, her route is not the same every day. As you stay longer and work your way up, your route and hours become more predictable. For the next 6-8 hours, they deliver mail, taking lunch and bathroom breaks as needed. Where do mail carriers use the bathroom? “You learn really quickly which places are welcoming to carriers and which ones aren’t.” One time they went into a Starbucks to use the bathroom, and the employee asked them to purchase something even after Alex told them it was an emergency.
What’s the worst part of the job?
This job exists in extremes. On one hand, it’s simple, they said, ”I’m just delivering people’s mail.” However, when they arrive at the station every morning, they have no idea how long their day is going to be. When they’re lucky, they clock in at 8 and get home at 4:30, when they’re unlucky, they get home at 10:30.
This past summer’s DC heat was killer. Alex often suffered from heat exhaustion on the job and when it’s too hot for humans, that means it’s also too hot for everyone’s animals to be outside – which is an uplifting part of the job.
They walk on average 8-12 miles a day. In a lot of ways, this is amazing for their mental health. “This is what humans have evolved to do…just walk around.” On the flip side, they experience exhaustion and terrible blisters. There’s no time for the blister to heal, because every morning they have to wake up, clock in, and keep going.
In 2018, Alex ran the Chicago marathon. They shared that running the marathon trained them for this job. “I could not do this job if I had not run a marathon before because this job is so, it’s mental. When you get to those extremes, like, your body can keep going, but like, can you mentally keep going?”
What is the best part of the job?
She enjoys getting to go on long walks through the neighborhood, and this job allows her see her city an intimate way. “I get to have such a unique perspective of the community,” they shared. When it’s not “a million degrees out” they get to enjoy DC spring, and they were really looking forward to fall. She used to hate small talk, but since starting this job, she has really enjoyed the “wholesome human moments” they have with people along their route. “I was feeling really energized by the little conversations I was having with people.”
Alex has been a member of Catdroool Club for a while now. We asked them how they found out about it and why they joined in the first place. When they discovered it on Instagram, they said they remembered thinking, “I’ve sensed this growing desire for tactility from so many creatives. I think post-pandemic, everyone’s like, oh my God, I need to touch grass.” Tactility and sensory experiences are really important to Alex, and being part of Catdroool Club connects her to creative tactility.
With their new job they, “have a unique perspective of mail, and these days, it is just ads. 95% ads. It’s just so exciting to receive something in the mail that’s personal and like intentionally for you, not just Progressive trying to sell you insurance.”
She told us that Catdroool Club tends to show up on the worst days of the month somehow. They look forward to it and know, “it’s going to be a bright spot because quite literally, I see the green or the orange envelope in my mailbox.”
Alex hasn’t left behind her passion for tactility and design. In her (rare) spare time, she has started a stationary brand called Station Ry. You can purchase intentionally designed pocketbooks on their website. They are made with smooth text paper, a durable cover, and thread-bound with a blind-debossed logo on the front. It will surely delight your senses. Follow along on Instagram and Substack.
Thanks for reading, and thank you local mail carrier!
P.S. “Your mail carriers are reading your postcards in full.”
Alex does not speak on behalf of USPS. All opinions expressed are hers alone.
Thank you so much for having me!! 💌
I love knowing that the mail carriers read my postcards. I’ve always liked the idea that a stranger has seen a small piece of me and I just find that to be beautiful