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Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?: Difference between revisions
Moved examples from "comic books" to "newspaper comics", added text, copyedits
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== Comic Books ==
* [[Donald Duck]] 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,
* ''[[Big Nate]]'' has "School Picture Guy", who when not the photographer has shown up as a clown, a reporter, etc...▼
* Hieronymus Jobs in one story by [[Wilhelm Busch]]. (He's just the 18th century equivalent of a spoilt upper class son.)
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* In ''[[Power Rangers Turbo]]'', Bulk and Skull had a different job-of-the-week, sometimes losing it (or saying [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here]]) onscreen.
* In ''[[Engine Sentai Go-onger]]'', Hanto's got a different part-time job every time his work situation comes up.
* ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]'' introduced [[Frank Nelson]] as the omnipresent clerk who gave Benny trouble across multiple industries, and at one point lampshaded in the above quote. (The role originated on the radio show, making this trope marginally [[Older Than Television]].) He was identifiable by his bald head, mustache, and [[Catch Phrase]] "Yeeeeeeeees?" Nelson played this same role on many other shows including ''[[I Love Lucy]]'', ''Sanford and Son'', and even a [[Garfield]] TV special. After his death, a similar character showed up on ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'', explaining his odd cadence with "I had a stroooooooke!"
** Jack Benny's show also brought us Mr. Kitzel, who started as a hot dog vendor but eventually took on all sorts of random jobs.
** ''[[The Simpsons]]'' character even has, in one episode, a Brazilian lookalike who says, "''¿Siiiiim?''"
* Sgt Joe Friday and Off Bill Gannon turn up in just about every police division from Bunco to Citizens Complaints, on ''[[Dragnet]]''.
** This was deliberate on the part of series creator/producer Jack Webb -- they weren't supposed to be specific characters so much as "everymen" representing all police.
* Kirk from ''[[Gilmore Girls]]''. It is eventually lampshaded when out of the blue, he overbids Luke in a real estate deal:
{{quote|'''Luke:''' Where the hell did you get that much money?
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* [[Stan Freberg]], in a few episodes of ''[[Roseanne]]''.
* In ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', one crewman (Lt. Leslie) filled a bewildering number of jobs aboard the ''Enterprise''. He has been a security guard, helmsman/weapons officer, navigator, medtech, bridge crewman, technician, engineer and transporter chief.
** This is actually true of ''all'' [[Red Shirt
** Between ''[[The Next Generation]]'', ''[[Deep Space Nine]]'' and his back story, Miles O'Brien has been a tactical officer, flight controller, security guard, a transporter chief, tactical officer again (briefly), one of the greatest engineers in the galaxy, and then moves on to teaching at Starfleet Academy. Not a bad career path for an enlisted man.
** Fellow [[Transplant]] Worf has been communications officer, security chief, tactical officer, ambassador, lawyer (okay, that one's sorta cheating. He played his [[Identical Grandson|identical and identically named grandpa]] in a TOS movie.) and back to tactical whenever crossing back over for the TNG movies, and when Data was thought to be dead, Worf was the one who was going to get ''his'' jobs, too (meaning he'd have been doing his, Tasha's, and Data's jobs ''all himself at once'' had Data's death been for real.)
** ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]''. Out of sheer need and a desire to be useful (so the nice people don't kick him off) Neelix has been a jack of all trades. Morale officer, cook, diplomat, babysitter and much more as the plot calls for it. His background had given him a deep understanding of these jobs.
* In ''[[Charles in Charge]]'', Ben Stein played an [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]] in various settings (bank, mental institution). Initially played as [[Inexplicably Identical Individuals]], but [[Lampshaded]] in his last appearance, when it is revealed that delusions of grandeur have led the character to repeatedly "promote" himself to increasingly higher-status positions.
* Mr. Haney on ''[[Green Acres]]'' appeared whenever Oliver needed a specific service or item.
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* Xander in Season 4 of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' had a new job in just about every episode. This was the season where his friends went to college and he was trying to find himself. Eventually, he settles into a construction worker.
* Mr Pitt appears in all three parts of Alan Plater's Beiderbecke Trilogy, having taken what he describes as a 'sideways career move' each time.
* This is Shawn's entire background before forming the eponymous detective agency in ''[[Psych]]''. He seems willing to keep this up if it helps the case, too, as when he took a job at the museum in "From the Earth to Starbucks."
* In [[Disney Channel]]'s ''[[Wizards of Waverly Place]]'', a woman appears in some of the episodes of the first two seasons, sporting a new job, and it's not like she only does normal jobs either - she also appears at the [[Wizarding School]]. She is easily identified through her monotone voice and short, dark hair and always seems to hate whatever she is doing for that episode.
* After being {{spoiler|fired from Shortywood}} on an episode of ''[[Pit Boss]]'', Ronald switched jobs constantly. {{spoiler|He did get his old job back, though.}}
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* On ''[[Undercover Boss]]'', we have an unfortunate variation of this trope, where a woman ends up with three or four different jobs... ''[[Up to Eleven|all at the same time, and with the same company.]]'' Downsizing's a bitch. She literally runs from building to building, frantically skipping from job to job. After she's promoted in the [[Where Are They Now? Epilogue]], her job is replaced by two people ''and'' an assistant.
* Nick on ''[[My Family]]'' had a new job in almost every episode. On one occasion, he was able to afford a motorbike because he'd been saving up the severance pay every time he was fired.
== Newspaper Comics ==
* The character of Mabel in ''[[Cathy]]'' shows up as a clothing store clerk, travel agent, bank teller, etc.
* Uncle Ruckus of ''[[The Boondocks]]'', everything from ice cream trucks to school buses to janitorial duty.
* ''[[Pearls Before Swine]]'': Rat has been everything from a stockbroker to an oil executive.
▲* ''[[Big Nate]]'' has "School Picture Guy", who when not the photographer has shown up as a clown, a reporter, etc...
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