History Main / NewJobAsThePlotDemands

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', tertiary character Ser Addam Marbrand winds up doing this. This is a pretty justified case since most of the higher-ranking members of the Lannister forces continually prove themselves to be incompetent screwups, but Ser Addam handles every task that Lord Tywin gives him to [[HyperCompetentSidekick with competence]] and [[MagneticHero the sort of charisma that inspires loyalty]]. Over time Tywin develops a habit of assigning Ser Addam to fix whatever problem is bedeviling the Lannisters, keeping him there just long enough to iron things out, and then moving him on to the next problem. Ser Addam becomes exasperated by this, and in particular he loathes the last such assignment he is given, to be the captain of the capital's City Watch. When given a chance he leaps at the chance to get out of the job and go back to his original position as [[CavalryOfficer a commander of the Lannister cavalary]].

* On ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'', [=MacArthur=] from ''WesternAnimation/TheRidonculousRace'' is always seen working different jobs in this series, including a juice shop employee, a zookeeper, an ice cream truck driver, and a chiropractor, among other things.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'', [=MacArthur=] of ''WesternAnimation/TheRidonculousRace'' is always seen working different jobs in this series, including a juice shop employee, a zookeeper, an ice cream truck driver, and a chiropractor, among other things.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'', Goofy is a child photographer, a high-paying and decent job that he enjoys. By the start of ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'', he's instead working as a factory line worker in a run-down toy factory with no explanation towards how or why he started working there. Of course, this is Goofy we're talking about, so he probably lost his old job in a NoodleIncident.

* In ''Theatre/BloodBrothers'', one actor plays a milkman for one scene, then shows up a few minutes later claiming to have given up the milk rounds and become a gynecologist. After this, the show leaves it ambiguous as to whether or not all the other characters he plays are the just the same person with a different job.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', Coco takes several jobs at the local mall that end up relating to what the other main characters are doing. It is later revealed that she used the cash to buy a massage chair for Madam Foster's birthday.

* While on the subject of Garfield, in ''[[WesternAnimation/GarfieldSpecials Garfield in Paradise]]'', suspiciously the same person who looks suspiciously like Frank Nelson is both a hotel clerk and a car rental agent.

* WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck has done many different jobs. Many of them while forced by Uncle Scrooge to do so. His uncle Scrooge is no slouch either: before becoming rich he did the shoe shiner, the firewood (later peat) seller, cared for cows on the boat that brought him to America, the sailor on his uncle's river boat, river captain, sailor again, cowboy, a brief stint as a sailor on the ''Cutty Sark'', an actor for the Wild West Show (according to Buffalo Bill, Scrooge actually came up with the idea!), the prospector, another stint as a sailor to pay the travel for Klondike, and the prospector again. After becoming rich he did the banker, directed a sawmill, armed ships, SOLD LEMONADE, and traveled the world to create and buy companies, mines and other things that would make him richer (including the ENTIRE STOCK MARKET in 1929), before settling in Duckburg. That's probably not even a complete list...

* Team Rocket from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' often find some random job near Ash and co. when they're not failing to steal Pokémon. [[CutLexLuthorACheck They're actually quite skilled at these jobs]], but they only use the money earned to finance their mechas and future schemes since their criminal boss, Giovanni, is refusing to pay their bills after repeated failures to steal a single Pokémon for him.

* Team Rocket from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''. They often find some random job near Ash and co. when they're not failing to steal Pokémon.

** Laurence "Larry" Needlemeyer is seen working in almost every video/video game store, a gas station, a grocery store, and a pizza place. WordOfGod explained that he holds these jobs simultaneously and this was formally addressed a few times in the show:

* Trish from ''Series/AustinAndAlly'' may very well be the personification of this trope; she gets at least one new job each episode, and is usually fired (or she quits) by the end. Even her {{Catchphrase}} relates to this ("Guess who got a job at [insert workplace here]?").

** The role originated on the [[OlderThanTelevision early radio show]]. He was identifiable by his bald head, mustache, and CatchPhrase, "Yeeeeeeeees?". Nelson played this same role on many other shows including ''Series/ILoveLucy'', ''Sanford and Son'', and even a WesternAnimation/{{Garfield special|s}}. After his death, a similar character showed up on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', explaining his odd cadence with "I had a stroooooooke!" ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' character even has, in one episode, a Brazilian lookalike who says, "''Siiiiim?''":

* Jim Moralès from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' may have a stable job now, but he's had a ridiculous number of jobs in the past, ''21'' in total, from sewer worker to basketball star to locksmith to B-Movie actor to ''professional ping-pong player''. This all in addition to '''20 years''' as a gym teacher at Kadic. Every time someone brings up one of his old jobs, he tells them that "[[{{Catchphrase}} I'd rather not talk about it]]." The catch phrase became the name of an episode, in which Jim gives the kids a run-down of some of his old jobs. Though there always seems to be some truth in these jobs, he still tends to [[TheMunchausen embellish his exact role]].

* The father in ''Literature/TheSwissFamilyRobinson'' spent "a large portion of his childhood" in the workshops of pretty much every craftsman known to man. Admittedly he doesn't say he was working with them, but he had enough exposure to each to recreate their machinery ''from memory''. In older, unedited-to-death editions, it becomes even clearer why he knows so much; he was a ''pastor'' back in Switzerland, and visited his congregation in their homes, including helping them out with their work while he talked with them.

* Mona from the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series has had a different job in nearly every game. She's been a gelato server (original), a waitress (''Mega Party Game$''), a pizza delivery gal (''Twisted''), the bass player in a rock band (while still delivering pizzas, ''Touched''), a cheerleader and a steamed bun street vendor (''Smooth Moves''), a roller-coaster operator (''Snapped''), an explorer/reporter (''[=D.I.Y.=]''), a photojournalist (''Game & Wario''), and a fashionista (''[[MegamixGame Gold]]''). If you include her appearance as an easter egg in ''[[VideoGame/RhythmHeaven Rhythm Heaven Megamix]]'', she's also been a sports reporter and interviewer. Not to mention that she works as a games developer for Wario throughout. What makes all of this especially weird is that she's listed as a high school student, and all these jobs are part-time. Her boss, Joe, is usually seen working alongside her, so it's most likely that she follows him when he decides to change careers.

* Xianne from ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'' has a couple of waitressing jobs over the course of the series, not to mention jobs in a strip club and her aunt’s massage parlor. At the end, it’s possible (depending on the romantic paths taken) for [[spoiler:Melody to hire her as a masseuse for the protagonist, Sophia, and herself.]]

** Rockwell "Rocky" Robinson fills pretty much every non-teaching, non-administrative job at Elmore Junior High, usually the janitor, the cafeteria worker, and the bus driver.

* Pretty much the idea of ''WesternAnimation/HuckleberryHound''. Each cartoon in which he appears has him in a new occupation. His first cartoon had him as a policeman (which he held a couple of more times afterwards), followed by a Western sheriff, a sheepherder, a scientist, and much more.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpacedOut'' has Guy, who turns up in pretty much every job on the space station besides its custodian, school teacher and supply shuttle pilot. His official job description is being the station's [[LampshadeHanging "Everything"]] (it's occasionally implied that he is actually a robot). Especially curious, considering that the station is the size of a large town and has fully stocked amenities (all run by Guy) despite their being a total of eight other residents.

** Peter Griffin is a {{downplayed|Trope}} example, where he's had several {{Cutaway Gag}}s referencing his menagerie of bizarre, out-of-nowhere past jobs such as "providing night-time heat for Lara Flynn Boyle", or, "acting as Sandy Duncan's glass eye". Aside from these jokes, however, Peter tends to hold his main job for several seasons, and whenever they change, they're always addressed logically in the plot: he was a safety inspector at a toy factory for seasons 1 to 3, got laid off and became a fisherman up to season 4 where his boat gets destroyed, then became a shipping clerk at a brewery from where on out.

* Bruce, the effeminate guy with a mustache in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' is usually holding a job that usually ties with his "bleeding heart liberal sensible" persona. He's been a teacher, a faculty worker, [[TropaholicsAnonymous a host for AA]], a psychic, a lawyer, etc.
** Peter is an aversion, changing jobs during the show's run (including stints as a safety inspector at a toy factory, a self-employed fisherman, and a shipping clerk at a brewery) -- but all have been addressed logically in the plot and he never comes with a new job out of nowhere, except in random flashbacks, though many of those are nonsensical, such as "providing night-time heat for Lara Flynn Boyle", or, "acting as Sandy Duncan's glass eye".
** Doubly so since the creators want to have him change jobs every couple of seasons since this is commonly the case in RealLife.

* Dogbert from ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' is definitely this. In a [[http://www.amazon.com/Obvious-Wont-Survive-Your-Alone/dp/0836204158/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331004618&sr=1-1 single anthology]] that ranged from the 5/19/91 strip to the 12/13/92 strip, Dogbert had no fewer than forty jobs [[note]]a teacher at "Dogbert’s School of Hard Knocks," a business consultant, an encyclopedia writer, a tabloid newspaper writer, Dilbert’s lawyer, the manager of "Dogbert’s Find-A-Friend Service," a pop psychologist and lecturer, a used car salesman, the despotic king of Elbonia, the host of "Dogbert’s World of the Unexplained," a Supreme Court justice, a prophet, a newspaper critic, a babysitter, the warden of a private jail for the rich and famous, an insider stock trader, a square-dance caller, a Presidential candidate, the host of "Dogbert’s World of Amazingly Ignorant People," a tax preparation accountant, an industrial spy, an economic advisor in Washington, a MTV reporter, a greeting card designer, an advertiser, the host of "Healing for Dollars," a teacher at "Dogbert’s School of Common Sense," a newsletter writer, a marriage counselor, the leader of a vegetarian movement, a hitman, a private detective, a demagogue and author, a hypnotist, a doctor, the manager of a dating service, a time management expert, a driving instructor, a teacher at "Dogbert’s School for Jerks," and the Supreme Ruler of the World. He also ran a "Pet Me" stand, an "I Will Listen to Your Sad Story" stand, a "Confess-O-Rama" stand, and a "Parent Licenses" stand. [[/note]]

* A good deal of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' cast. To date, Mario alone has been a [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong carpenter]], a [[VideoGame/MarioBros plumber]], a [[VideoGame/DrMario doctor]], a demolitionist, [[Anime/TheGreatMissionToSavePrincessPeach a grocer]], a pizza delivery man (in the ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'' record album), a [[VideoGame/MarioKart kart racer]], and a [[VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong toy maker]], ''on top'' of constantly rescuing Peach from Bowser.

* Nanami of ''LightNovel/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'' is seen working at several places. However, she states that she's earning the money enter voice acting training.

* ''LightNovel/SisterPrincess'': Jeeves mysteriously appears wherever Wataru is, and his job title changes based on where Wataru is and what he needs at the moment.

* Minori Kushieda from ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' holds many jobs. She's captain of the softball club, a waitress at a restaurant, a part-time helper at a convenience store... Seems like she is following the advice of [[Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei someone]] from a manga...

** Maggey Byrde is more or less forced into this due to her bad luck.

May overlap with HonestJohnsDealership. Compare InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals and RecurringExtra, which is a less specific and less likely to be plot relevant version, and TheGenericGuy where the character and his job have little relevance to the plot at all. Compare NewJobEpisode, where the job is actually the focus of the plot. Related to BusinessAsUnusual.

* One middle-aged woman can be found in almost every episode of ''Anime/LuckyStar'', working in a different field every time. Whether it's actually meant to be the same woman isn't exactly clear, though... Especially since one of the later episodes has six or seven of them on screen at the same time.

* In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'', Psiren, [[spoiler:the local PhantomThief]], keeps changing jobs to avoid being caught by the police. The brothers Elric first meet her when she's working in a hospital, then changes to school nurse, nun, etc. This trope is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Edward when they meet her in her nun get-up: "Why the hell do you keep changing jobs?!"

* This is WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}'s whole schtick in WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts. He's later joined by MickeyMouse and WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck. Then again, Donald has had quite a lot of jobs himself, mostly due to his own incompetence.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* A lengthy resume -- especially one where several short-lived jobs are indicated -- may raise some red flags for potential employers, particularly if the applicant is not a college student.
* This is basically what being a hobo means. You wander from place to place, briefly taking whatever odd jobs present themselves.
* This is what many university students end up doing; either taking different jobs every summer or having to change jobs often to find one that balances with school hours.
* UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill. Besides being a soldier, journalist, novelist, painter, and historian, within the British government he was Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, First Lord of the Admiralty, Undersecretary of State, President of the Board of Trade, Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War, Secretary of State for Air, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Minister of Defense, Conservative Member of Parliament, and Liberal Member of Parliament. This doesn't include all the obscure honorary positions he accumulated, like Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports or Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was also a licensed bricklayer.
* Many high schools tend to do this by hiring an extra teacher whose specific job is to cover other teachers who're off sick, regardless of what the teacher's actually trained to teach.
* This actually was tried in the commune New Harmony, Indiana started by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Owen Robert Owen]]. He insisted doing this too, and became a baker... unfortunately everyone agreed that his bread was inedible. A sign that his idea wasn't that great, and subsequently, the commune faltered.
* This was the case for many people in the Three Kingdoms era, thought Deng Ai stand out in particular for achieving this kind of life after things had settled down and careers were fairly static. He started as a farmer, before becoming a local clerk before joining the central government. His first major assignment was an agricultural survey, in which he devised a large scale irrigation effort for several provinces. He was then made a military adviser, before being given his own command. As well as serving as a general, he would also go on to serve as the chief administrator of several regions throughout his life. He died after successfully conquering the kingdom of Shu, due to slander from his colleague Zhong Hui.
* According to Leo Rosten's ''The Joys of Yiddish'' a 16th-century Venetian Jew named Leone de Modena tried his hand at twenty-six different professions and wasn't a success at ''any'' of them.
[[/folder]]

* ''[[Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'':

** PlayedForDrama with Meggy. After ''Machinima/MeggysDestinyAnSMG4Movie'', she starts bouncing between jobs that she picked up as hobbies during her earlier appearances, including police officer, firefighter, and defense attorney, each of which she either drops out of after the end of the episode or doesn't follow through with at all. It's eventually made clear that this is because she's DesperatelySeekingAPurposeInLife, [[DeconstructedTrope which leads to a nervous breakdown]]. After finally finding direction during ''WebAnimation/SunsetParadise'', she commits herself to being a sports coach.