History Main / NewJobAsThePlotDemands

** Less of a reach, though, as all of his ''DKC'' services involve building and subsequently selling/renting machines. As for ''Mario Kart'', just about everyone in the extended Mario universe seems to do that (presumably he built his own karts.)

** Homer's occasional propensity for this was actually a bone of contention in the writer's room early on, as, realistically, he wouldn't be able to take extended time off to manage a country singer or conduct a monorail while still keeping his job at the power plant. Naturally, RuleOfFunny usually won out.

* On ''Series/UndercoverBoss'', we have an unfortunate variation of this trope, where a woman ends up with three or four different jobs... ''[[UpToEleven 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 WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, her job is replaced by two people ''and'' an assistant.

* ''VideoGame/GameAndWatch'': Mario has been a packager, cement factory worker, soldier in Vietnam, [[UpToEleven a lot more things than he even normally is]]. That's not even taking the ''Gallery'' series into consideration.

*** In the [[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS3E25ThePizza The Pizza]], he has such a bad day at work that [[OptOut he quits his ALL of his jobs]] and moves out of Elmore. Since he had practically every blue-collar job in the city, [[VetinariJobSecurity society crumbles down and the apocalypse begins]]. [[UpToEleven All within fifteen minutes]].

** Bubs can always be found behind the counter of his concession stand, but what goods and/or services he has available at the time is often plot-dependent. This could be seen as him just being an opportunist and spontaneously catering to whatever need the others happen to have at the time (regardless of whether or not it's within his areas of expertise), but notably he once switched from selling "questionable medical insurance" to selling donuts ''before'' it came up as a plot point. And was very upset when it turned out to be one, in the form of Homestar also setting up a donut stand about five feet away.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' involving the Ghost of Lunch Tomorrow, a Binkie-look-alike ghost with a sandwich over his head that is responsible for revealing what food will be available at the next lunch. He first appears in the episode "Prunella Gets It Twice" tagging alongside the Ghost of Presents Past (who reveals the circumstances of how a present was obtained) when the former was haunting Prunella. He later appears in "Arthur Changes Gear" as the Ghost of Bicycles Never Riden (this time in a biking uniform instead of his cloak, though he still has the sandwich over his head), haunting Arthur for not using his newly bought bike. The Ghost shows Arthur a few characters who withhold using their precious items, one of whom was Prunella, who remembers their last encounter and thinks he came to tell her tomorrow's lunch. The Ghost then decides to leave with Arthur before it gets awkward.

* With LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has a sizable subset in this role, each for a different kind of job.

* In the ''Advertising/CNCity'' bumpers, characters are typically seen working whatever job is needed for the bumper to work. Sometimes this can get weird when the characters are children, as seen in one bumper where [[WesternAnimation/CampLazlo Chip and Edward]] (who have no given ages in canon, but all of the Bean Scouts are generally implied to be preteens or possibly younger) are working as ushers in a movie theater.

* The eponymous ''Advertising/LongLongMan'' is first seen working as a deliveryman, and then later, as a mascot selling ballons.

* This trope is PlayedForDrama in ''Series/Roseanne''. Dan is an independent contractor who has to bid on different jobs, and is shown to have skills in various areas of carpentry, construction, and plumbing, but has a hard time finding a permanent position anywhere. Roseanne has a steady job in a plastics factory in the first season, but leads a walkout when it's taken over by a sexist boss who treats her and the other women on the staff like slaves. For the rest of the series, she's shown trying to find permanent employment while taking on all manner of thankless part-time jobs including telemarketing, serving fast food, sweeping floors in a beauty parlor, waitressing, and giving away free samples in a supermarket. The lack of steady wages makes the Conners live in PerpetualPoverty and constantly struggle to make ends meet, especially since both Dan and Roseanne are also determined to be good parents to their kids.

%%* Stan Freberg, in a few episodes of ''Series/{{Roseanne}}''.

** These job changes can be dramatic. In the early 2000's Wrestling/TheUndertaker took a turn from an undead, supernatural zombie character to a brutal biker, still called The Undertaker. He later returned to the "Deadman" gimmick due to negative reaction to the [[FanNickname "Bikertaker"]].

* The ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series' [[ThoseTwoGuys recurring duo]] of [[FanNickname "Dumb Guard" and "Smart Guard"]], who guard multiple locations throughout the first two games. The smarter one eventually reveals in the penultimate mission of the second game that they keep getting fired because Garrett keeps breaking into the buildings they're guarding to steal things.

** A mustached Charles Bronson-sound-alike [[FanNickname known to fans as]] "Sarcastic Middle-Aged Man" (also known as Wiseguy) is a customer service worker. Sideshow Bob calls him "Raphael" in one episode, but that name has never been used since. The following exchange occurred in "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" with Homer in Sarcastic Man's taxi:

* A RunningGag in ''Series/AustinAndAlly'' is that Trish gets, and gets fired from or quits, her job each episode. She even had a {{Catchphrase}} of "Guess who got a job at the...?" This joke seems to have been retired for the third season.

* Gamao from ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5''. After failing his first mission, he never reported back to Nightmare and basically went AWOL. Since he still needs money, Gamao could be found doing a bunch of odd jobs (store clerk, street sweeper, stage hand, etc.) while running into the eponymous magical girls purely by accident.

* 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...
* ''ComicStrip/BigNate'' has "School Picture Guy", who when not the photographer has shown up as a clown, a reporter, etc…

* 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]]
* Madame Red from ''Out of the Gene Pool'' has appeared with different jobs, usually at a fast food restaurant and as a newspaper columnist. It was implied, although never explicitly stated, that she held multiple jobs at the same time.

* A humorous ''Manga/InuYasha'' fanfiction has Sesshomaru. Kagome and crew travel to all fifty of the United States, and any time they stay in a state for any length of time, they will find Sesshomaru has a job there relevant to what they are currently doing. The author even encourages people to spot how many times he pops up. The only time the group ever arrive anywhere before Sesshomaru, it was because they ran him over on his way to work. The story, called ''Roadtrip Around the USA'', can be [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/803437/1/Roadtrip_Around_the_USA found here.]]
* In the Undertale fanfic Fanfic/ThePartyIncidentAndOtherEmbarrassingAnecdotes, Reader keeps running into her fake boyfriend, Sans, while he's at his job. So far, he's been an art model, a nice cream vendor, a clerk at a grocery store, a bouncer at a strip club, and a mall Santa.
* In [[WebAnimation/BonusStage Matt Wilson's]] ''Homestar Runner'' fan animation "Not Without My Application (Or, Jorbs-A-Plenti)", Homestar takes a long string of new jobs to buy Marzipan a present, all of which seem to involve knocking on Strong Bad's front door (such as gas meter checker, pizza delivery, collecting late fees for the video store, and door-to-door salesman), [[SanitySlippage slowly driving Strong Bad up the wall]] in the process.
* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/441213 No Sign of Love]]'' Harry had to keep changing jobs because of his status as the Boy-Who-Lived.
-->'''Draco:''' Anyway, he bounced around Diagon Alley for awhile, working at Honeydukes, Flourish and Blotts, Eeylops, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and he even managed to last half a day at Fortescue's. Every single time his adoring public managed to drive him off or have him sacked for creating a nuisance. He tried, Severus. He really tried.

* ''Fanfic/SaikoRocks'' lampshades the tendency of Kermit and Jeeves to do this in [=SMG4=] canon. They both show up doing new jobs they haven't done in the bloopers and both times, the narration goes on to list the number of jobs they'd already done before saying that one more couldn't hurt.

* 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.

* Bert in ''Film/MaryPoppins'' goes through several jobs and street performances in the course of the film: one-man-band, pavement chalk artist, chimney sweep, kite seller. He also mentions selling hot chestnuts, though we don't see him doing it. This follows [[Literature/MaryPoppins the books]], in which he is a jack-of-all-trades. The chimney sweep is a separate character, but they just added it to Bert's repertoire for the movie.

* Ramone in ''Film/TheProposal'' is seen as a waiter, a stripper, a store employee, and a priest at a wedding. Possibly {{justified|Trope}} in that it's a small town....

* [[Creator/MarxBrothers Chico's]] character in ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera''. "[You thought I worked at] The circus? That was ages ago. Last week. I have lotsa jobs since then."
* In ''Film/BrainDonors'', the character played by Mel Smith is not only a cab driver, but also cleans swimming pools and runs his own toupee business. In fact, he's only driving the cab as a sideline. As soon as he gets his drivers license, he's out of there.
* Name all the jobs Film/TheThreeStooges have had. It may take a while. Granted, during the Great Depression, quite a few of the occupations were "vagrant", "drifter", "bum", and "none".

* A bunch of activists in ''Film/{{PCU}}'' keep changing causes.

* Creator/StanLee is seen in multiple jobs throughout the ''[[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]]'', rarely the same one twice. This is likely because he works for the Watchers and his various jobs are covers to let him get close to the action.

* 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]].
* In ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'', there is a tertiary character called Monsieur De Boville, who over the course of the novel goes from being the inspector of prisons for the south of France, to a high office in the police in Paris and finally to receiver-general of the charities. And he keeps crossing paths with Edmond Dantes or one of his aliases in every single one of those jobs.
* ''Literature/DeadEndJobMysteries'': Helen Hawthorne has a different job in each book of the series. In books 1-3, she has to find new work in the end because the place she'd been at closed down. In books 4-8, a variety of reasons lead to her choosing to go (including bad events at the ends of books 5 and 8; she was unwilling to return to those jobs, since she'd been so happy there before and now they were tainted after [[spoiler:witnessing a man kill himself and seeing her mother have a heart attack at her aborted wedding, respectively]]). In book 9, she finally gets to remarry and, with her new husband, starts a detective business; in books 10-15, she goes undercover at other businesses to investigate things for their current case.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Across the series, Bronn has served as a dueling champion, a sellsword, a bodyguard, Commander of the City-Watch, household Knight, potential Lord and courtier, bodyguard again, siege organizer, commander, and during the battle, a ballista operator.
* ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'': "Troublemaker," from Season 2, saw Charles ask the new teacher, Hannibal Applewood, why his resume was so lengthy, exposing the reason why he kept moving to new schools every few months and never holding them for long.

* In the second half of ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'', [[ThoseTwoGuys Bulk and Skull]] had a different job-of-the-week, sometimes losing it (or saying ScrewThisImOuttaHere) onscreen. The two would get a permanent job working for Professor Phenomenous in the next season.
* Subverted in ''Series/HomeImprovement'', where the character is actually a set of triplets, who cause Tim trouble in multiple cities. Each one claims to be the nice one.
* In ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'', Hant's got a different part-time job every time his work situation comes up.
* In ''Series/{{Monk}}'', it's revealed that Natalie Teeger is a walking example of this trope, having bounced from job to job before working for Monk. Some known occupations have included a temporary job at a mall, a stint in a regular office, and a Vegas blackjack dealer.

* This is the essential premise of ''Series/ThePretender'': [[OnceAnEpisode Each week]], Jarod uses his [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist unfathomable intelligence]] to slide into a new job as though he's had it for years, [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong Set Right What's In The Process of Going Wrong]], and then escape just before his former captors at The Center find him.
* ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram'':
** Frank Nelson played an omnipresent clerk who gave Benny trouble across multiple industries. At one point it was lampshaded in the quote formerly at the top of the page.
--->'''Jack Benny:''' You again!! Every time I met you, you have another job! You're my waiter, my bellboy, my shop clerk! Now you're a lawyer?!?\\
'''Frank Nelson:''' Well, at least ''I'' am trying to better myself in life, what's your excuse?
** 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?''":
** 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 episode of the Jack Benny program quoted above was a dream episode where Benny is on trial for murdering a rooster. He hires Franchise/PerryMason (Raymond Burr himself) to defend him but he is roundly beaten by Nelson.

* Sgt Joe Friday and his various partners turn up in just about every police division, from Bunco to Citizens Complaints, on ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}''. Explained in several episodes that they were "on loan" or "helping out" due to too much work.

* Roland from ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' takes on a new role in each of his appearances: finder, equalizer, private investigator, leprechaun and finally Cupid's assistant.
-->'''Zelda:''' Some people collect stamps. You collect jobs.

* ''Series/TheFugitive'' of the original TV series took about a job a week in the course of WalkingTheEarth. Harrison Ford, in TheMovie, had only time enough to disguise himself a few times instead.

* In ''Series/CharlesInCharge'', Ben Stein played an ObstructiveBureaucrat in various settings (bank, mental institution). Initially played as InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals, but {{lampshade|Hanging}}d 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 ''Series/GreenAcres'' appeared whenever Oliver needed a specific service or item.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'':
** Poor old Helo. He gets shoved around from job to job regardless of his actual rank. He's actually a trained Raptor copilot, so his job is to sit in the back, play on a computer handling all the communications, scanning and tracking, and get bossed around by his pilot. But during the course of the series he ends up as second-in-command of ''Galactica'' itself while most of the crew is planetside, caretaker to an onboard community of refugees, and even CAG -- commander of all ''Galactica'''s fighters and Raptors.
** Lee Adama started as a Viper pilot visiting from another ship and was promoted to ''Galactica'''s CAG by the end of the miniseries. Since then, he's had a number of jobs, including military advisor, Raptor pilot, military police, battlestar commander, legal counsel, Quorum representative, and even Acting President of the Colonies on various occasions. Sometimes he's held several of these positions at the same time. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in one episode during some argument, with Tom Zarek saying, "Excuse me, I'm confused, but what exactly is your job this week?"
* Major Marks, recurring character in the Franchise/StargateVerse, has been an officer aboard '''all five''' of the Air Force's star ships over the course 3-4 years of three shows. No explanation has been given for his frequent transfers, and in one instance he might have been in two places at once.
* Xander in Season 4 of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' 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. He later gets promoted to management.
* Mr Pitt appears in ''Series/TheBeiderbeckeAffair'' and each of its two sequels, 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 ''Series/{{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."

* After being [[spoiler:fired from Shortywood]] on an episode of ''Series/PitBoss'', Ronald switched jobs constantly. [[spoiler:He did get his old job back, though.]]
* In the last season of ''Series/TheATeam'', Murdock is released from the V.A. Hospital to be with his friends, and this becomes his gimmick for every episode.
* Henry on ''Series/{{Eureka}}'', complete with a different Velcro patch on his uniform for each of his jobs. In season 3, he gets a "Mayor" patch. He doesn't actually switch jobs a lot, he holds multiple jobs at once due to his [[JackOfAllTrades expertise in many areas]].
* A RunningGag in ''Series/AustinAndAlly'' is that Trish gets, and gets fired from or quits, her job each episode. She even had a {{Catchphrase}} of "Guess who got a job at the...?" This joke seems to have been retired for the third season.
* On ''Series/UndercoverBoss'', we have an unfortunate variation of this trope, where a woman ends up with three or four different jobs... ''[[UpToEleven 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 WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue, her job is replaced by two people ''and'' an assistant.
* Nick on ''Series/MyFamily'' 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. Later in the series, Abi went through a large number of jobs as well.
%%* Riki and Ramon in ''Series/KamenRiderKiva''.
* Geoffrey of Monmouth in ''{{Series/Merlin|2008}}''. His official title is "Court Genealogist", but he also runs the library and (even more oddly) officiates various court ceremonies, like coronations and marriages.
* Kramer from ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' doesn't really have a designated job, but he is regularly seen taking on odd jobs or getting caught up in various get rich quick schemes. A last-season episode revealed that he has technically been on strike from his bagel store job for the entire run of the show, and he managed to get himself fired immediately after going back.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Amy Pond seems to have a different job in each episode it comes up. In order, she is presented as: a kissogram, a model, a travel writer and, finally, a children's and mystery author. She also at one point has her own brand of perfume. While she may simply embark on each of these endeavors as they come, no mention is made of how she came to be in these roles. A less extreme example than many on this page, since from her perspective the episodes where she has these jobs are years apart, and besides the one jump from "pretty face" jobs to writing they share some continuity.
* Gerardo aka "the bald guy who talks really fast" on ''Series/AquiNoHayQuienViva''. He's one of the most memorable RunningGags in the series, as he keeps switching jobs and confusing the neighbors with his quick explanations of whatever they might have bought from the place where he was working at the time.
* In Creator/DisneyChannel's ''I-Man'' the protagonist, technically, keeps one job, but he has tried dozens of professions earlier. His phrase "I've worked as <insert occupation>, but quit, because the job was nervous" is something between RunningGag and VerbalTic. Which makes a good excuse for SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat. It was a pilot for a cancelled series about an unkillable [[MacGyvering MacGyver]].
* In ''Series/MidsomerMurders'', Inspector Barnaby's wife and daughter would have new jobs or volunteer gigs almost every other episode to justify their proximity to the latest murder(s). If they stayed home, the county murder rate would probably drop by half.

* Wrestling/TeddyLong is best known as a referee, or maybe as a manager, or a general manager, or a political activist...

* Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} was a manager, except in NWA Florida's territory she stepped in the ring besides her men and helped them win TagTeam Tiltes. So she was a wrestler but then was a referee. Then she was a bodyguard for hire. Then she was doing color commentary. Then she dressed up for kids as the EasterBunny. Then she was on tv as a judge and trainer of aspiring wrestlers.

* Gwen on ''Series/JohnnyAndTheSprites''. She liked to try out a lot of different jobs as her aunt had a saying that "You never know what you can do until you try out something new."
* ''Series/ThePajanimals'' has Edwin, who is a magician, but is always pretending to be some type of job or role each time the Pajanimals visit him, often royal stuff such as a king or a knight.

* ''Radio/HancocksHalfHour'' had an unnamed character the writers called 'Snide', who has a different occupation in every episode he appears in. The minute Kenneth Williams (who also played ''Radio/RoundTheHorne''[='=]s Sandy) coos " 'ello", the audience burst out laughing, anticipating Tony's horrified reaction.

* A rather creepy version is the baritone guy in ''Death in Venice'', who appears in seven different forms and jobs. It's the same singer, and, well, most likely a symbol for [[AC:[[TheGrimReaper This guy]]]].
* The appropriately named Common Man in ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'' fills all the various minor odd jobs in the play.

* The Music/KurtWeill opera ''Die Bürgschaft'' has a trio of nameless villains who play a different role in each scene they appear in.

* Franchise/SylvanianFamilies has a rather strange case -- as character sets get discontinued and introduced, the jobs of the characters all get shuffled around. For example, Rebecca's dad was the dentist in the village, but when the Hamster family was discontinued, he's suddenly the nursery bus driver. Likewise, Rebecca's mom was a nurse at the dentist office, but became a preschool teacher. Pier's dad somehow got saddled with double duty as both the teacher at school and as town mayor when the hound family was discontinued -- Dennis' father was previously the teacher of the school. Likewise, Saffron's parents were previously thespians at the local theatre, but we're changed into inventor and salon owner respectively.

* Namingway from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV DS'' loses his original job of changing character names because the game now has voiced cutscenes, making him suddenly unable to fulfill his job when his attempts to change names won't stick anymore, and spends the rest of the game trying out new jobs whenever he meets the party in a new location. He finds his calling 17 in-universe years later in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'', however, as the Challenge Dungeon Manager. Rather hilariously, every time he changes his job, he also changes his name. So in effect, he's still fulfilling his original purpose (changing names), but only for ''himself''.
* Tataru from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' is normally the secretary of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, the organization the player joins. However, when money begins to get tight, she tries her hand at multiple jobs to raise money from jobs the player can do such as mining and weaving to more bizarre things like street performing and being a waitress. She also tries to learn how to fight by becoming an Arcanist, but although she is able to summon a carbuncle, it completely ignores her. Weaving is the only side job that she has shown any talent at (she made Alphinaud and Alisaie's new outfits for them and creates a nice clothing set for the Warrior of Light as well.)
* Not only is Sierokarte of ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' a shopkeeper, a blacksmith and a cook, she also happens to be a bartender, an innkeeper and also does various odd jobs as the plot demands.
* 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.]]
* Stan from the ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' series is running a different business in each game. In order, they are: used ship salesman, used ''coffin'' salesman, life insurance salesman, time-share representative and attorney-at-law-who-makes-a-side-income-by-selling-souvenirs-based-on-his-cases. His job changes are often explained as a result of something that Guybrush did in the previous game.
* Sybil Pandemik from Creator/TelltaleGames' ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]]'' adventure games, as seen in the article image above. She has a different job in every episode of Season One, and each of them is coincidentally useful in solving the case.
** Well, almost all of them, she's already been through about 3 or 4 jobs by her first appearances. By the end of Season One she's been: interior decorator, taxidermist, tattooist, psychotherapist, tabloid journalist, professional witness, dating service, carbon-dating service, beta tester, and Queen of Canada. In Season Two she uses her office for other purposes, such as choosing a new boyfriend and [[spoiler:planning her wedding]], though she doesn't do anything commercially.
** All throughout Season Three, whenever you meet someone new (at least for that season) it takes a snapshot of them, and provides (usually) three "useful" facts about them. [[spoiler:When Sybil shows up, it shows "former Psychotherapist, Former Brain Surgeon" and trails off the screen. You can ''hear the amount of jobs she's had speeding up and continuing to list past the screen!'']]
** Sam refers to it as "Attention Deficit Career Disorder", or something like that, which is an apt name, as with each career change, Sybil gushes about how convinced she is that she's finally found her one true calling.

* 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.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', you meet a mysterious AlmightyJanitor occupying various jobs in various locations. [[spoiler:He turns out to be the legendary superspy Ford Cruller, the commander of the Psychonauts, and it later turns out that his mind was shattered into fragments in the past. Despite appearances he's not merely keeping an eye on things with his different jobs, each one is a different fragment of his mind.]]
* 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.
** And all that is if you don't count referenced cameos in games not specifically mentioned as something involving the UniversalAdaptorCast. He's also played baseball (''Baseball''), golf (''Videogame/MarioGolf''), soccer (''VideoGame/MarioStrikers''), refereed and played tennis matches (''VideoGame/MarioTennis''), and even worked the count in the boxing ring (''VideoGame/PunchOut''). This might explain why Mario holds the record for most appearances in a video game.

* In ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', protagonist Travis earns his money in both games by doing every job imaginable, however, his boss in each job is always the same. It probably has something to do with "the unspoken laws of Santa Destroy" he keeps babbling about.
* According to the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' [[http://www.teamfortress.com/war/demo/01.htm War! Update comics]], the RED Demoman's father held something like thirty jobs simultaneously. (The Demoman himself works three jobs.)
* Besides being TheHero, Link himself has had many oddjobs. A world traveler in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', a blacksmith's apprentice in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'', and a rancher in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''. {{Justified|Trope}} by them being [[LegacyCharacter different Links]]. These jobs later turn out to be ChekhovsSkill when helping others on side quests or fighting a monster.
** All of the Links are also very prolific at [[MundaneUtility chopping down tall grass with the Master Sword]].

* Bea Bear from the ''VideoGame/SPYFox'' series. The game ''Operation Ozone'' had her explain why she changed jobs.
* Sheep Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan10'' originally herded sheep; he was built for that purpose. He got bored and worked to test static cling at a textiles factory. He grew bored of this too and was about to change jobs once again when he was inflicted with Roboenza and went berserk.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series' [[ThoseTwoGuys recurring duo]] of [[FanNickname "Dumb Guard" and "Smart Guard"]], who guard multiple locations throughout the first two games. The smarter one eventually reveals in the penultimate mission of the second game that they keep getting fired because Garrett keeps breaking into the buildings they're guarding to steal things.

* As the only non-{{LARP}}er in the Fargarths, ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'''s Wendy is constantly changing roles is an attempt to fit in better.

* In ''VideoGame/TheSims4'', you are encouraged to make your sims quit their current job and get a new one once they've reached the top of the existing career ladder. This is enforced though aspiration changes (certain aspirations require your sim to be working in a particular occupation to proceed) or unlocking household furniture and equipment (unlocking an appliance or furniture for one sim does not automatically make it available to all sims in the save file).
* In the ''Cake Mania'' series Risha, who was running a bakery in ''Cake Mania 2'' and a flower shop in ''Cake Mania 4: Main Street'', opens a boutique in ''Cake Mania 5: Lights, Camera, Action!'' She comments on it at the beginning of one level.
-->'''Risha:''' When I was a little girl I dreamed of running a trendy boutique when I grew up. Of course, I also dreamed of being an Olympic gymnast... a Nobel laureate... a film director... and a forensic anthropologist. Hey, [[TwoOutOfThreeAintBad four out of five isn't bad]]!

* In ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'', Lancer, left alone after the Fifth Holy Grail War, keeps taking on several different menial jobs across Fuyuki, from fisherman, to florist, to gardener, to waiter at [[InnBetweenTheWorlds Ahnenerbe]].

* ''VideoGame/GameAndWatch'': Mario has been a packager, cement factory worker, soldier in Vietnam, [[UpToEleven a lot more things than he even normally is]]. That's not even taking the ''Gallery'' series into consideration.

* Many characters in ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' have been seen with various jobs, but Lumpy is definitely the worst offender. He's been a farmer, surgeon, carol singer, etc.

* In ''WebAnimation/TheGrosseryGang'' webseries, Fingers takes on many random jobs whenever it is needed. He has been a shark, a butler, a construction worker, a rancher, a tailor, and a guard dog.
* ''WebAnimation/TheMostEpicStoryEverToldInAllOfHumanHistory'': Even though the Epic Skatepark Owner is a [[ShapedLikeItself skatepark owner]], he also shows up to fill the waiter role whenever a restaurant setting appears, and makes a comment suggesting he might do construction work as well.
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Several of the characters who worked at the mall in episode 5 are working at the carnival in episode 7. Its hand waved by the job change only being for the week the carnival is in town.

* In ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'', Wally Wackford has a different job every time he appears. In the first season alone, he's been an inconvenient torch salesman at an amusement park ("Loo Loo Land,") the owner of a tech startup ("C.H.E.R.U.B,") the announcer for the Harvest Moon Festival ("Harvest Moon Festival,") and the bartender at {{Asmodeus}}' nightclub ("Ozzie's.")

* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater''[='=]s Akbar runs a different shop every time he appears, always with [[HonestJohnsDealership blatantly deceptive marketing]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Real Life|Comics}}'' has this with Alan Extra, who is basically anything from a pilot to a movie theater worker, to a random guy on the street who gave the main character directions.
** In fact, one of the comics states flat out that Alan Extra is everyone who isn't a named character. Store Clerk? Alan. Tech Support? Alan. Guy in panel 1 who looks different from guy in panel 4? Both are Alan.
* Recon A. Dye serves this purpose in ''Webcomic/PokemonX''. Yes, the AuthorAvatar. Leads to a lot of YouLookFamiliar.

* Vess [=MacMeal=] from Website/PlatypusComix first appeared in ''Webcomic/{{Keiki}}'' comic, as a spokesgirl for a blackmailing service. She later starred in her own comic, as a teacher. Today, she runs a Q&A column in Portland, Oregon periodical ''BANG! Magazine'', and claims to have many other side jobs. Incidentally, her name intentionally sounds similar to that of Creator/TressMacNeille, who voiced Lindsay Naegle in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
* ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo'': Midway through the Key Manati arc, we meet Sybil, who has a new job every time she's met, because she keeps getting fired for telling nightmarish company secrets and generally being toxic and obnoxious. This is later revealed to be intentional on her part.
* ''Webcomic/ExistentialComics'': Karl Marx constantly shows up performing new jobs. Given that he attempts to apply Marxist analysis to everything and encourages communist revolution in the workplace, his constantly shifting careers may be justified.

* The Yurble Janitor/Foreman/whatever outfit he's shoved into next plot in ''Website/{{Neopets}}''.
* Played with in ''WebVideo/TheJokerBlogs'': the Joker recruits a homeless man named Ted to help film his exploits. Over the course of about half an hour (if that), Ted claims to have been a cameraman for the news, a priest, a medic and a delivery man. It's unclear if he's desperate to sound useful or genuinely unwell.
** Season 2 confirms that he was at least telling the truth about being a GCN cameraman, [[spoiler:and that he was married to Summer Gleason while employed there.]]

* Mocked in WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's review of ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}:'' the Jem dolls might just be a blatant money-making fad, but at least she knows what she wants to do with her life, while Barbie (see above) seems to have [=ADHD=] or something.

* WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat never has a consistent job throughout the franchise, due in part to the [[BroadStrokes fast and]] [[NegativeContinuity loose continuity]] and [[UniversalAdaptorCast varying settings and timelines of some of the cartoons]]. In "Felix Turns the Tide", he works for (or lives with) a Deli shop owner, and joins up with the army in the same cartoon. In "Felix in Hollywood", he lives with a starving actor and eventually gets a job as an actor himself. In episodes that star Poindexter like "Felix Babysits", the Professor hires Felix as a babysitter, and in other episodes even hires him as a lab assistant. In "Stone Age Felix", he's briefly seen holding an office job, but in episodes like "Detective Thinking Hat" and "The Invisible Professor", he acts as a private detective. In an episode of Twisted Tales, Felix works as a pizza delivery boy.

* With LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has a sizable subset in this role, each for a different kind of job.
** Troy [=McClure=] is an ''extremely'' prolific BMovie actor who'll host whatever informational video advances the plot.
** Lindsey Naegle is a single successful businesswoman/TV executive. The season 13 episode "Blame It On Lisa" lampshaded this when Marge asks Lindsay why she keeps changing jobs. Lindsay's answer: she's a sexual predator.
** The very point of the character Gil is to be perpetually dangling by a thread at his current job, whatever it may be -- he was introduced as in real estate, another had him working at a shoe store, another was at a car lot, and another had him as a department store Santa.
** Although Lionel Hutz spent most of his appearance as an incompetent AmoralAttorney, he's suddenly a babysitter in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E6MargeOnTheLam "Marge on the Lam"]], tries to muscle his ways into being Milhouse's acting agent in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E2RadioactiveMan "Radioactive Man"]] (also mentioning himself as an unauthorized biographer and drug "[[LastSecondWordSwap keeper-away-er]]), and is a ShadyRealEstateAgent in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E9RealtyBites "Realty Bites"]]. One gets the impression the writers wanted to expand his role to other disreputable jobs, but the death of Creator/PhilHartman pushed Hutz into ActorExistenceLimbo.
** Captain [=McCallister=] has held a lot of nautical jobs (despite not being a licensed captain), as well as owning and operating an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant (the latter of which has been used more often in later episodes).
** Squeaky Voiced Teen (whose name was established as Mitch Peterson early on, then seemingly forgotten by the writers, and later established again as Jeremy Freedman) either works at Krusty Burger or works as a ticket taker, concession stand clerk, or usher at the Aztec Movie Theater (or the Googleplex). Some episodes have him working at an ice cream parlor called Phineas Q. Butterfat's.
** A mustached Charles Bronson-sound-alike [[FanNickname known to fans as]] "Sarcastic Middle-Aged Man" (also known as Wiseguy) is a customer service worker. Sideshow Bob calls him "Raphael" in one episode, but that name has never been used since. The following exchange occurred in "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" with Homer in Sarcastic Man's taxi:
--->'''Sarcastic Man:''' So, what do you do for a living?\\
'''Homer:''' Oh, you know, I'm a guy at a place. How'd you get such a crappy job? You a convict or a junkie?\\
'''Sarcastic Man:''' Little of both.
** "Bart Sells His Soul" features two mustached "Sarcastic Middle-Aged Men". One working as a bug exterminator at Milhouse's place, the other driving a street cleaner car, running over Bart's car, then driving it down a subway station staircase.
** That Jerk Who Says "''Yeeehs?''" is an homage to Frank Nelson, above.

* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife''
** Chuck and Leon, better recognized as The Chameleon Brothers. They're always on the hip end of any career, often as entrepreneurs or artists, and have an [[FunnyForeigner extremely fake Scandinavian accent]]. Their FunnyAnimal species is a dead giveaway to their ever-changing role.
** One main character, Filburt, spent a few episodes with different jobs before being promoted to a main major character. He has held at least nine different ones during the course of the series.
** Dr. Hutchison held a number of jobs in various medical fields before being promoted; upon meeting Dr. Hutchison, Rocko would invariably say, "Dr. Hutchison? I thought you were a [dentist/pharmacist/whatever job she had last]", to which she'd respond with laughter and a pun relating to the previous job: "I couldn't handle looking down in the mouth anymore!" One time, Rocko just said all the jobs at once, to which Hutchison replied, "Yeah... it's been a crazy year."
** In the 20 years between the series and ''Static Cling'', Nosey went from a talk show host to a news reporter.
* Rancid Rabbit of ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'' is a fairly untrustworthy example of the trope, seemingly filling every authority position on the show. In one episode, he appears as both a teacher and a policeman. [[LampshadeHanging Cat is a bit surprised]].
** To a lesser extent, this also applies to Mervis, Dunglap and Mr. Sunshine, as they are also seen with different jobs throughout the series, but not as frequent or noitceable as that of Rancid Rabbit.
* [[JerkAss Joshua]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Clarence}}'' is a depressing version of this trope, winding up at a job in every place where his least favorite person, Clarence, is going. Whenever he's at work, expect something to go wrong.
* [[{{Satan}} The Red Guy]] from ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' and ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel''. One "I Am Weasel" episode has Weasel being sent to jail with Baboon by Baboon's lawyer (the Red Guy). At prison, he meets the jailer (also the Red Guy) and [[LampshadeHanging accuses them of being the same person]], which causes the jailer to become nervous and dodge the issue.
** It [[RuleOfFunny varied from episode to episode]] whether Red Guy was one person changing jobs or a series of InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals. In one "Cow and Chicken" episode, Red Guy himself ends up in jail, and meets the warden -- who, as pointed out, looks exactly like him. Sadly, this was the end of the episode, so the gag didn't go any further. There was also the theme song which shows the Red Guy showing off his personas which are separate characters, although this could just be a gag.
** One episode showed Cow and Chicken moving out of their house and the Red Guy begs them not to go, as he'll no longer have anyone to pull his schemes on. This seems to imply it is in fact the same Red Guy.
* Uncle Ruckus from ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'', who is seen working in almost any low-wage service job you can think of; everything from ice cream trucks, to school buses, to janitorial duty, etc. He's mentioned that he holds down about 32-47 different jobs at the same time. There is no explanation for how he has time to do anything else (or sleep for that matter).
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Mr Barkin seems to be the substitute teacher for every subject, coaches the football team, works part-time at Smarty-Mart, and is leader of a troop of Pixies (a Girl Scout analogue). This is lampshaded in an episode where they meet Mr. Barkin's father who works at a Living History community. The senior Barkin holds every single occupation in the village by himself, including churning butter. In a dress.
* 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.
* SantaClaus in ''Animation/{{Pucca}}''. He's had ADayInTheLimelight episode or two, but he's mostly there to be whatever strange job is needed, from ticket taker, to "guy in a frog costume." Since he only works his well-known job one day a year, he seems to have a lot of hobbies and side jobs.
* Jeremy ''always'' has a job nearby what's going on in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', usually at a concession stand chain in the series.
* Quint, a recurring human character from ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'', who has a new profession in every episode he's in. In addition, the title [[AlliterativeName matches his name]] (Culinary Quint, Counterfeiter Quint, and so on). There were identical twin Quints in one episode -- a case of InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals.
* Literally everyone on ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'', most notably Little Miss Whoops, who can't keep a job because she's just so bad at everything she does, despite always claiming to be "a trained professional".
** One episode revealed that the Mr. Men and Little Misses invoke this trope deliberately, getting new jobs every Tuesday.

* Meeker and Snurd from ''WesternAnimation/BobbysWorld'' all constantly reappear with different jobs ranging from pee-wee sports coaches to Airport Security personnel. The Generics always act like they've met for the first time.
* 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]].
* Jonesy from ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' has a RunningGag of being fired OncePerEpisode. He's also a main character, which is a tad rare.
** One episode shows he has a resume consisting of some thirty pages of work history. He says this should help him get a job, but his friends point out he's never worked anywhere for more than a day. The sheer ridiculous size of the mall contribute to this.
** According to Jude, if Jonesy had been able to work at Stick it [[spoiler: before it was closed due to health reasons]], Jude would had fired Jonesy for sticking the wrong meat in the wrong stick despite their friendship.

* The first two seasons of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' featured [[ThoseTwoGuys a pair of teenagers]] named [[http://www.rugratonline.com/rrchar3c.htm#LarrySteve Larry and Steve]] who would be working a job of some sort only to have the babies cause them to mess it up. Of course, the fact that they kept messing up their jobs no doubt explains why they kept changing them.
* 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.
* In the original ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' series, Barney is never shown with a consistent job, though in later specials and series he is often shown working alongside Fred at Mr. Slate's quarry.
* The [[CouchGag gag credits]] for the first season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' listed Kathryn Page as a different nonsensical crew member. These may all be part of her "real" job as one of the [[TheIntern interns]], as shown in another segment of the credits. Whether all these odd responsibilities mean she's more trusted than the other intern or a bigger [[ButtMonkey target]] is a matter of speculation.
* The old guy in glasses from ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt''. Began as a pet store owner (he was actually the guy who sold Newton to Ned in the first place), then continued to pop up in various roles. He even pops up at the beginning of one episode ("Summer Gone, Summer Not") to [[LampshadeHanging point this out]].
%%* Elmo the Elk in ''WesternAnimation/EekTheCat''.
* ''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.
* The recurring red mustache guy from ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' holds many different jobs depending on the episode. Many of his jobs include working as a Nowhere police officer, an archaeologist, a captain, a pilot, a New York police officer, a ranger, a [[ItMakesSenseInContext soda vending machine]], a general, a pirate, and a mayor. He even sometimes had his hair and mustache changed to white.

* Inspector Willoughby, in the Creator/WalterLantz cartoon shorts, until he became--well--[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin an inspector]].

* Mr. Ford on ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo''. He's been a mental hospital worker, a pet store clerk, gun store clerk, security for underground rabbit fights, polling consultant for Killface's presidential campaign, political analyst for a news show, US Secretary of State, and US President. Even shows up in ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' a few times.
-->'''Mr. Ford:''' [[LampshadeHanging Yeah, my ass is everywhere isn't it?]]

* Crunchy from ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' Most of the time, he changes jobs because Dan makes him lose his in one way or another.
* Even though she's usually a singer, WesternAnimation/BettyBoop is often shown working at different jobs in her cartoons.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has an episode where we meet a guy under the identities of Dock the ferryman, Xu the shopkeeper, and Bushi the river cleaner. WordOfGod has it that he has a split personality because his mind is screwed up from the pollution in the river where he gets his water.
* ''WesternAnimation/GrojBand'' has a recurring character named Barney, who periodically provides plot-related help in an episode related to his job and what the band are doing. His hat always changes to his Job of the Week.
* A running gag in ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeAndMartha'' was a creepy komodo dragon named Eton always showing up as an employee of whatever franchise the titular hippos were frequenting. Usually right behind George, freaking him out.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
** 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:
*** In [[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS2E40TheFinale "The Finale"]], he explains that [[DysfunctionalFamily the Wattersons]] have caused so much property damage, he needs to have a ridiculous amount of income sources in order to pay for the repair of the shops he works shifts at.
*** In the [[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS3E25ThePizza The Pizza]], he has such a bad day at work that [[OptOut he quits his ALL of his jobs]] and moves out of Elmore. Since he had practically every blue-collar job in the city, [[VetinariJobSecurity society crumbles down and the apocalypse begins]]. [[UpToEleven All within fifteen minutes]].
*** In "The Schooling", Gumball and Darwin take Larry's jobs for a few minutes, showing how much he has to suffer daily. His list of work is extremely long. They switch from job to job by hearing the customer.
** 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.
** Some minor characters also change their jobs from episode to episode, such as Gary Hedges (bus driver and mailman), Pantsbully (hot dog vendor, truck driver, cashier), and Karen (office worker at two buildings, town hall worker). In fact, almost every minor adult has had more than one job. The most common is a character working at Chanax Inc. and Rainbow Factory like Karen mentioned above, which are two different buildings, but any random minor adults can be slapped into either of those to fulfill the plot.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' this applies to Bolin. He goes from unspecified gang thug, to pro-bender, to Asami's business assistant, to "mover"(sic) star, to soldier, to police officer, to aide to the president, before leaving that last position for yet another adventure with Korra. His brother Mako points this out, and Bolin recognizes this fact but goes anyway.
** Ironically, Mako's [[TheDitherer lack of romantic commitment]] is what led both Korra and Asami to break up with him, so he is also sort of speaking from experience in a different arena.
* Treeflower, Norb's {{Love Interest|s}} from ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' always seems to have a new job, and new personality aspects to match. This is lampshaded in the episode where Norb and Dag try to tease her and end up being teased right back by [[spoiler: the tribe of female raccoons from an earlier episode.]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/PegPlusCat'', Ramone seems to regularly change from one job to another.
* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/{{Maisy}}'', apparently little girl mouse, nevertheless does everything from being a doctor to flying a plane.
* This is used to great comic effect in "Strawberry's Big Journey" from the 2003 version of ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake''. When the group meets Banana Candy, she is working as a mechanic. They ask if there's somewhere that they can get food and she directs them to a local cafe, and offers them a taxi... which turns out to be driven by her. When they get to the cafe, Banana Candy is making the meal, leading them to wonder just how the car is going to get fixed.
-->'''Banana Candy''': Small towns like this, you need a few jobs to make ends meet.
* ThoseTwoGuys from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfFigaroPho'' take on many jobs, such as ballet dancing and ghost hunting.
* Mr. H, or Hollywood as he's referred to in the credits, is a recurring character on ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'' who tends to have a different job depending on the episode's plot. Substitute teacher, farmer, and actor are just some of the occupations he's assumed.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' first Season 1 finale "Gideon Rises", Gideon taking control of the Mystery Shacks means Soos has to get new jobs from scene-to-scene. First he's a short-order cook at a diner, and then a bus driver. After the episode ends, he resumes being a handyman.
* Mr. Smiley from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has been an actor/R&B singer, stand-up comedian, and seems to have worked at the Big Donut in the past. In the present, he's mostly seen working at Funland, where he apparently operates every ride, as well as the arcade, and has also appeared as a commentator for various events.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Bulk Biceps' first seen job, early in season 5, is as a masseur at the Ponyville Spa. But in season 6, he's shown teaching foals how to weight-lift, and early in season 7, he's shown selling cinnamon nuts out of cart. It turns out he "wears many hats" and is holding down multiple jobs at once.
* 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.
* In each installment of ''The Day Henry Met...?'', Henry meets an object or an animal such as a lighthouse or a rooster that has some sort of problem and decides to take an occupation to help them out, i.e. lighthouse keeper or farmer.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': Depending on the episode, the characters, especially Kaeloo and Mr. Cat, tend to have new jobs if the plot requires them to. One episode even lampshades this; after holding several different jobs through the episode, Kaeloo, as a police officer, arrests Stumpy and Quack Quack for robbing a bank, and then tells them that if they need an attorney for their court hearing, she'll be there to do that for them too.
* In the ''Slimer!'' segments of ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'', Slimer sometimes ran afoul of a burly woman named Mrs. Stone, who has a different job every time she shows up. She's been a nurse, a lifeguard, a school guard, owner of an obedience school, and a judge at a dog show.
* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman:''
** Every season, the main characters (Bojack, Princess Carolyn, Mr. Peanutbutter) get a new job.
** Todd is the king of this trope, in certain seasons getting a new job almost every episode. His occupations include: website executive, owner of an amusement park, owner of a year-round Halloween store, owner of a clown dentistry practice, owner of an Uber competitor, assistant to Mr. Peanutbutter, stagehand, prisoner, etc.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' has recurring background character Theo. In his initial appearance (and biggest role), he was a sculptor. Since then, he's showed up passing out fliers for a play, as a roadie for a Music/JustinBieber knock-off and a bike-rickshaw driver. WordOfGod says it's intentional. He's still an artist, just a StarvingArtist, and needs additional work to supplement his income.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' involving the Ghost of Lunch Tomorrow, a Binkie-look-alike ghost with a sandwich over his head that is responsible for revealing what food will be available at the next lunch. He first appears in the episode "Prunella Gets It Twice" tagging alongside the Ghost of Presents Past (who reveals the circumstances of how a present was obtained) when the former was haunting Prunella. He later appears in "Arthur Changes Gear" as the Ghost of Bicycles Never Riden (this time in a biking uniform instead of his cloak, though he still has the sandwich over his head), haunting Arthur for not using his newly bought bike. The Ghost shows Arthur a few characters who withhold using their precious items, one of whom was Prunella, who remembers their last encounter and thinks he came to tell her tomorrow's lunch. The Ghost then decides to leave with Arthur before it gets awkward.
* WesternAnimation/PorkyPig has had a variety of different jobs throughout his shorts including a farmer, carpenter, pilot, doctor, restaurant owner, bakery owner, busboy, actor, mover, conductor, bank teller, hotel manager, sports broadcaster, judge, zoo keeper, cop, etc.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jellystone}}'': Shazzan is seen working somewhere different almost every time he appears: handing out free samples at a grocery store, managing tickets at the movie theater, running a falafel stand, and so on.

* Lampshaded in one of Dane Cook's routines about "The Scary Guy at Work":
-->''"Even now at your job, there is a freak. There is a weird guy at every job... And the strange thing about it is, it's ''the same guy'', at every single job you go to. He's there, you quit, you go to the new job, and you're like "Oh my God, isn't that the guy from the other job?! 'It's the guy! THE SCARY GUY!'"''

* Jonesy, a character from ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}} 6teen]]'', has a running gag of being fired OncePerEpisode. He's also a main character, which is a tad rare.

** According to [[WordOfGod Word of Jude]], if Jonesy had been able to work at Stick it [[spoiler: before it was closed due to health reasons]], Jude would had fired Jonesy for sticking the wrong meat in the wrong stick despite their friendship.

* The old guy in glasses from ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt''. Began as a pet store owner, then continued to pop up in various roles. He even pops up at the beginning of one episode ("Summer Gone, Summer Not") to [[LampshadeHanging point this out]].

* Inspector Willoughby, in the Walter Lantz cartoon shorts, until he became--well--[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin an inspector]].

* A running gag in ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeAndMartha'' was a certain creepy lizard guy always showing up as an employee of whatever franchise the titular hippos were frequenting. Usually right behind George.

* Yosemite Sam of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' fame. Starting out as a Western outlaw, he has since been a pirate, a prison guard, a Hessian, a claimjumper, a Medieval knight, a sheik, a politician, a Roman centurion, a Confederate officer, and many more.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' this applies to Bolin. He goes from pro-bender, to mover star, to soldier, to police officer, to aide to the president, before leaving that last positon for yet another adventure with Korra. His brother Mako points this out, and Bolin recognizes this fact but goes anyway.

* ''Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers'':
** Luigi is shown in at least three or four bloopers to be working a new job, such as a casino game host, a milkman and an ice cream man. He apparently has to take a number of jobs to pay for the destruction Mario causes in his misadventures.

* In ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'', Wally Wackford has a different job every time he appears. In the first season alone, he's been an inconvenient torch salesman at an amusement park ("Loo Loo Land,") the owner of a tech startup ("C.H.E.R.U.B,") the announcer for the Harvest Moon Festival ("Harvest Moon Festival,") and the bartender at {{Asmodeus}}’ nightclub ("Ozzie's.")