History Main / HappinessInMinimumWage

* A brief scene in ''Literature/GoodOmens'' mentions a cook in one of [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Famine's]] fast food restaurants. (Famine sells food that have been scientifically stripped of all real nutrients, to the point that eating too much of it could cause someone to die from malnutrition, an irony that Famine finds delightful.) Said cook happily whistles and sings while he works, blissfully unaware that simply taking pleasure in doing his job is annoying Famine enough to plan on firing him. Between the physical description of the cook and some other tidbits in the book, it's strongly hinted that the man is [[ElvisLives Elvis Presley]].

** One episode featured one of the hospital's menial staff who loved his job because he felt that supporting the doctors was quite a meaningful vocation. He has to be fired because of budget cuts.

* ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'s garbageman is the Smartest Man in the World, and is quite happy being a garbageman, the joke being that we aren't qualified to question the Smartest Man in the World's decisions.

* ''Series/HometownChaChaCha'': Despite being a talented engineering graduate from one of South Korea's top universities, Du-sik is content working menial minimum wage jobs around the village. Whenever the notion of getting paid more comes up he always rejects it.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': Out of the many jobs that fall into his lap in season 2, Mr. Peanutbutter takes the one with the lowest payment in his career: Lady Footwear as a clerk. Surprisingly, Mr. Peanutbutter's content there doing his own thing and attracting people by juggling shoe boxes and dishing out compliments. This only reinforces what he likes the most: [[AttentionWhore attention]]. It also shows what he lacks: foresight. If Princess Carolyn hadn’t seen him, it’s unlikely he and Diane would have been able to maintain their lifestyle, something that hadn’t quite dawned on him.

* In ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'', the side character Mem takes great pride in her job as a washerwoman and her ability to restore almost any garment to perfect condition. She even [[NiceToTheWaiter gets high praise from her boss]], a ranking member of the Ghostblood AncientConspiracy who gets some ''very'' weird stains on his clothes.
** Szeth-son-son-Vallano, from the same work, is a OneManArmy with a SoulCuttingBlade, magical powers that haven't been seen in centuries, and the skills to use both to their fullest extent. He is also a strict pacifist, yet bound by his culture's mores to follow any order given by the holder of his Oathstone. He therefore is practically gleeful to be used as a pot-scrubber and garbage-carrier, since it means he is ''not'' being sent to slaughter innocents or assassinate royalty.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/ForwardFoundation'': Mandel Gruber, one of the royal gardeners, loves his job on the palace grounds. When Emperor Cleon promotes him to Chief Gardener in "Cleon I", he tries to [[DecliningPromotion decline it]], not wanting to be [[DeskJockey indoors, and out of the weather/work]]. When this doesn't work, [[spoiler:he takes advantage of an AssasinationAttempt and [[TheKingslayer kills Emperor Cleon]]. Gruber has a [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment of shock]] once he sees the dead body, and freezes]].

** ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'': Lu-Tze the Sweeper is a supremely powerful [[TimeMaster History Monk]] who once beats down [[spoiler:Time itself]]. Despite being a textbook AlmightyJanitor, he also remains a sweeper (the lowest level in the hierarchy short of novices) with only the Abbot and some higher-ups knowing just how strong he is, and once described his salary as "two pence and all the kicks I can't dodge".

* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''

--> Herman (please, call him Jiffy!) is a waiter at a medium-quality restaurant, and this is the single defining fact of his existence. Ever since "Jiffy" was a small child, he knew what he wanted to do in life, and now he does it. He loves his work, which may make him unique among the waiters of the world. With a song in his heart and a dance in his step he serves his customers, and no one is happier than he.

* ''Series/HometownChaChaCha'': Du-sik is content working menial minimum wage jobs around the village.

A more extreme version of this is HappinessInSlavery. If a character's dream is to obtain one of these jobs, it's HumbleGoal. Sometimes overlaps with MundaneLuxury. Compare CallToAgriculture, where a powerful character wants to retire to work on a farm. Contrast SoulCrushingDeskJob, a job that leaves people miserable despite generally having better pay.

A more extreme version of this is HappinessInSlavery. If a character's dream is to obtain one of these jobs, it's HumbleGoal. Compare CallToAgriculture, where a powerful character wants to retire to work on a farm. Contrast SoulCrushingDeskJob, a job that leaves people miserable despite generally having better pay.

* At the end of ''Film/OfficeSpace'', Peter quits his SoulCrushingDeskJob so he can spend his days as a construction worker just like his neighbor Lawrence. He appreciates the physical exercise and being outdoors all day. [[spoiler:A DeletedScene that expands the epilogue subverts this, though, by showcasing that Peter's boss at the construction company [[MeetTheNewBoss is a perfect clone of Peter's previous and highly annoying boss Bill Lumbergh, down to the exact same way of talking]]. [[HereWeGoAgain Meaning Peter traded his old white-collar hell for a similar blue-collar hell]]. The scene cuts just as Peter starts to feel depressed again as he processes this revelation.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Despite Stan being a MeanBoss who never listens to his ideas, Soos loves working at the Mystery Shack, as he's a perpetually cheerful ManChild with an overly worshipful view of his boss. [[spoiler: An in the SeasonFinale, he's Stan's first pick to become the new boss of the Mystery Shack when Stan retires to go on adventures with his brother.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Despite Stan being a MeanBoss who never listens to his ideas, Soos loves working at the Mystery Shack, as he's a perpetually cheerful ManChild with an overly worshipful view of his boss.

Often a character like this will be contrast to a "conventionally" miserable co-worker of similar rank.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}'', Dez reveals he originally wanted to become a veterinarian because he [[AnimalLover loves animals]] and wanted to help them. However, when his daughter got sick, he instead opted to become a barber, since the training is much cheaper and much faster, and he needed money quickly. 22 thinks it's sad that he had to give up his original dream, but he says that he found he actually loves being a barber; he gets to talk to all sorts of interesting people, and he's extremely good at what he does. It's not where he expected to end up, but he's happy.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spongebobmakingpatties.png]]]]

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!!Examples

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film - Animated ]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', after Mike and Sulley are [[spoiler: expelled from Monsters University and lose any chance of achieving their dream of being Scarers at Monsters Inc., Mike reminds Sulley that [[IronicEcho they're always hiring in the mail room.]] They wholeheartedly enjoy their jobs sorting mail at the mail room and even earn a "most mail delivered" award, and perform various other jobs such as "can wrangling" and serving food at the cafeteria. Eventually, they fulfill their dream of becoming Scarers when the company hosts scare tryouts.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}'', Dez reveals he originally wanted to become a veterinarian because he [[AnimalLover loves animals]] and wanted to help them. However, when his daughter got sick, he instead opted to become a barber, since the training is much cheaper and much faster, and he needed money quickly. 22 thinks it's sad that he had to give up his original dream, but he says that he found he actually loves being a barber; he gets to talk to all sorts of interesting people, and he's extremely good at what he does. It's not where he expected to end up, but he's happy.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', it's revealed that Sid's became a garbage man in between the events of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory 1'' and ''3''. He takes on his job with newfound enthusiasm, listening to music, scatting to himself and drumming on the garbage cans while dumping the garbage. It just goes to show how much CharacterDevelopment he's gone through after being scared straight by Woody (and, if one interprets the ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' comics as canon, Mike and Sulley).

[[folder: Film - Live Action ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Music ]]

* In the video to Music/ReelBigFish's "Sell Out," the band appear very fond of their jobs in a greasy spoon hamburger joint and laugh off a record executive's offer of a recording contract... until he brings out the obligatory BriefcaseFullOfMoney. They wind up back in the greasy spoon at the end of the video.

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* ComicStrip/{{Frazz}}, the custodian at an elementary school, reveals in one strip that he has a degree in biochemistry; he's also known to be a successful songwriter. He appears to be a BrilliantButLazy man who sticks with his low-paying job because he enjoys interacting with the kids that much. (Presumably royalties from his songs offset the low-paying part.) Queried in that strip why a janitor needs a biochemistry degree:
-->'''Frazz:''' You want to be a janitor who isn't afraid of losing his job.
* ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'s garbageman is the Smartest Man in the World, and is quite happy being a garbageman, the joke being that we aren't qualified to question the Smartest Man in the World's decisions.

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': Scrooge [=McDuck=]'s employees never get paid very much (Mrs. Beakley is explicitly stated to work for room and board, at least at first), but none of them seem to mind a lot. Part of this is probably because of their UndyingLoyalty to Scrooge and his family; they just want to stay near them.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', working on Planet Express's interstellar delivery crew is a bottom-of-the-rung situation not far up from Fry's previous job of delivering pizzas. Fry being a FishOutOfTemporalWater though is thrilled to have a job that affords him everyday access to space travel beyond the wildest dreams of his 21st-century self, as well as allowing him to spend his days with his TrueCompanions. When he briefly has ownership in the company and its stock rises enormously, his fellow employees, who all own shares, urge him to sell so that they can all be rich, but he's actually relieved when the stock plunges again, since he prefers to live simply if it means he can work with them. This eventually creates conflict in his relationship with Leela, since she dreams of moving forward while he doesn't want to change a thing.

This trope can reveal many things about the character. [[ThePollyanna Maybe they're just that unflappably cheerful]]. Maybe they enjoy contributing to society by [[WhoWillBellTheCat doing simple and/or unpleasant jobs necessary for a functioning society that few others are willing to do.]] Maybe it doesn't matter how miserable the work is, as long as [[TrueCompanions they get to work with (or for) their friends.]] Or maybe they just genuinely enjoy the work. A more cynical variation is when one employee is a LazyBum who enjoys their job [[AllTakeAndNoGive because they can push their work off on more responsible co-workers]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', it's revealed that Sid's become a garbage man in between the events of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory 1'' and ''3''. He takes on his job with newfound enthusiasm, listening to music, scatting to himself and drumming on the garbage cans while dumping the garbage. It just goes to show how much CharacterDevelopment he's gone through after being scared straight by Woody (and, if one interprets the ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' comics as canon, Mike and Sulley).

* A running theme in ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' and ''Film/ClerksII'' with character Randal, who thinks his cashier job is perfect "if it weren't for the fucking customers", unlike his friend Dante who feels like he should be doing more with his life. Though he seems less happy with his fry cook job in ''II'', especially when he finds out Dante is going to move to Florida. It reaches a head at climax [[spoiler: when Randal admits he'd want to buy the video store he used to work at so he could go back to that job.]]

* A brief scene in ''Literature/GoodOmens'' mentions a cook in one of [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Famine's]] fast food restaurants. (Famine sells food that have been scientifically stripped of all real nutrients, to the point that eating too much of it could cause someone to die from malnutrition, an irony that Famine finds delightful.) Said cook happily whistles and sings while he works, blissfully unaware that simply taking pleasure in doing his job is annoying Famine enough to plan on firing him. Between the physical description of the cook and some other tidbits in book, it's strongly hinted that the man is [[ElvisLives Elvis Presley]].

* When Franchise/WonderWoman was down on her luck due to [[ItMakesSenseInContext the Justice League computer refusing to pay her because it thought she was dead,]] she got a job at [[BlandNameProduct Taco Whiz]] to make ends meet. She amazes her manager not only by being highly competent, but that she considers it "a just and dignified occupation" because it involves feeding the hungry.