History Main / OutOfJobIntoThePlot

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/OfficeSpace'', the main protagonist ''doesn't'' lose his job (by sheer chance) but his two deuteragonists lose theirs, kicking off their scheme.
* In ''Film/GodBlessAmerica'', Frank wakes up, goes to work, and finds out he is fired, adding one more reason for him to go on a killing spree.
* ''Film/AspenExtreme'' starts with TJ employed as a low-level unskilled machinist. His boss offers him a promotion; TJ takes this as the opportune time to quit his job so he can follow his dream of becoming a ski pro.

* ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'' begins with Robin Williams' character walking out of a cartoon voice-acting job in protest at the cartoon character smoking.
* In the 2005 remake of ''Film/FunWithDickAndJane'', Jane quits her job and Dick's company goes bankrupt due to Enron-style corruption on the same day. Since Dick was used as the scapegoat for the company, he's unable to find work, which drives most of the plot. In the original, only Dick loses his job, since Jane was a housewife.
* At the beginning of ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', Bruce is fed up with his job as a news reporter because they only give him crappy personal interest stories. He throws a tirade live on the air that ends with an [[PrecisionFStrike F-Bomb]], which immediately gets him fired. This causes Bruce to accuse God of messing up his life, thereby kicking off the main plot of the movie.
* Daniel Jackson is laughed out of academia at the beginning of ''Film/{{Stargate}}'', allowing him to join the super-secret military program.
* Doctors Venkman, Stantz and Spengler decide to go into business as the ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'' after the NYU Board of Regents cuts their funding and kicks them off campus.
* Joe quickly leaves the job he hates in Film/JoeVersusTheVolcano.

* In ''Literature/AmericanGods'', Shadow is released from prison and is travelling to his home to a job waiting for him. Unfortunately, his job is gone as the guy who was giving it to him is dead, leaving him free to work as Mr. Wednesday's bag man.

* Near the beginning of ''Literature/{{Memory}}'', Miles is fired from his job at [=ImpSec=]. Then a crisis arises in [=ImpSec=] that requires someone with inside knowledge but outside of the normal chain of command.

* ''Series/JustShootMe'': Maya is fired from her job as a writer at a newscast in the pilot, and is forced to work for her father's fashion magazine.
* ''Series/DontTrustTheBInApartment23'' opens with June arriving to her first day of work at a financing firm, but finds it in the midst of shutting down as the boss is being arrested. Thus she is unemployed before she even started work.

* Sometime before the beginning of the story, but really the catalyst for the whole thing, in ''Series/VeronicaMars'' Keith Mars loses his job as the sheriff because of Lily Kane's murder, allowing him to open up his private detective firm and allowing the titular Veronica to start getting experience as a Private Eye

* The whole plot is on ''Series/TheNanny'' theme song.
* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Isn't it convenient that [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose Rose has just lost her employment]]?
--> '''Rose''': I'm only at home because someone blew up my job.

* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': Near the beginning of ''Memory'', Miles is fired from his job at [=ImpSec=]. Then a crisis arises in [=ImpSec=] that requires someone with inside knowledge but outside of the normal chain of command.

* Doctors Venkman, Stantz and Spengler decide to go into business as the ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'' after the NYU Board of Regents cuts their funding and kicks them off campus.

* Joe quickly leaves the job he hates in JoeVersusTheVolcano.

* ''TheMillenniumTrilogy'' has Mikael Blomkvist suspended from the magazine giving him the free time to work on the Vangar case, which is how everything gets rolling.

* ''VorkosiganSaga'': Near the beginning of ''Memory'', Miles is fired from his job at [=ImpSec=]. Then a crisis arises in [=ImpSec=] that requires someone with inside knowledge but outside of the normal chain of command.

* ''GingersBread'' starts this way, leading Ginger to start her own bakery.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Isn't it convenient that Rose has just lost her employment?
--> '''Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose''': I'm only at home because someone blew up my job.

** It's worth noting though that, once he's done using his powers to give his girlfriend spontaneous orgasms and bigger boobs, he uses them to get his job back. All we actually see of Bruce at work though it one news report, and a montage.

* ''AspenExtreme'' starts with TJ employed as a low-level unskilled machinist. His boss offers him a promotion; TJ takes this as the opportune time to quit his job so he can follow his dream of becoming a ski pro.

* In the 2005 remake of ''FunWithDickAndJane'', Jane quits her job and Dick's company goes bankrupt due to Enron-style corruption on the same day. Since Dick was used as the scapegoat for the company, he's unable to find work, which drives most of the plot. In the original, only Dick loses his job, since Jane was a housewife.

* Right at the start of PiersAnthony's ''Literature/ApprenticeAdept'' cycle of books, the hero, Stile, loses his job as a jockey because he has been nobbled by another stable - they sent a hit-man out to laser his knees and render him useless as a jockey. Stile's Citizen boss then terminates his contract.... all this is to give Stile an incentive to explore the parallel world of Phaze, where he discovers he is the missing Blue Adept.

* After the post-intro TimeSkip, [[TheIncredibles Mr. Incredible]] is (presumably) fired by his boss for throwing him through several cubicle walls after said boss yelled at him for helping his clients and [[ChronicHeroSyndrome refused to let him stop a mugging going on outside.]]

* Doctors Venkman, Stantz and Spengler decide to go into business as the ''{{Ghostbusters}}'' after the NYU Board of Regents cuts their funding and kicks them off campus.

See FriendsRentControl, StandardizedSitcomHousing and ImprobableFoodBudget for problems this can raise. See also GetUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld for situations in which this is ''not'' in effect, and the ramifications can be dire.

* ''VorkosiganSaga'': Near the beginning of ''Memory'', Miles is fired from his job at [=ImpSec=].

* After the post-intro TimeSkip, [[TheIncredibles Mr. Incredible]] is (presumably) fired by his boss for throwing him through several cubicle walls after said boss yelled at him for helping his clients and refused to let him stop a mugging going on outside.

* Doctors, Venkman, Stantz and Spengler decide to go into business as the ''{{Ghostbusters}}'' after the NYU board of regents terminates their grant and kicks them off campus.

* Right at the start of PiersAnthony's ''ApprenticeAdept'' cycle of books, the hero, Stile, loses his job as a jockey because he has been nobbled by another stable - they sent a hit-man out to laser his knees and render him useless as a jockey. Stile's Citizen boss then terminates his contract.... all this is to give Stile an incentive to explore the parallel world of Phaze, where he discovers he is the missing Blue Adept.

Of course, there's a fix for it: Shortly before or after the story begins, the protagonist loses his comfortable ordinary job. This provides him with both a strong motivation to find a new source of income and a lot of free time to engage in more adventurous activities. It provides drama and possible story hooks while removing possible limitations on the plot. The downside is, well... how is it that your hero is still living in that gorgeous penthouse apartment two months later?

* Beginning of ''Series/{{Community}}'' has Jeff Winger lose his job as a lawyer as he got his licence from Colombia (and now he has to get it in America!), allowing the wacky hijinks of the community college setting to kick off.

Shortly before or after the story begins, the protagonist loses his comfortable ordinary job. This provides him with both a strong motivation to find a new source of income and a lot of free time to engage in more adventurous activities.

* {{ComicBook/Batwoman}} gets kicked out of military academy (job training counts right?) because she was making out with her girlfriend, this allows her the free time to start training to become Batwoman.

* In ''Film/OfficeSpace'', the main protagonist ''doesn't'' lose his job (by sheer chance) but his two co-protagonists do, kicking off their scheme.

* ''AspenExtreme'' starts with TJ employed as a low level unskilled machinist. His boss offers him a promotion; TJ takes this as the opportune time to quit his job so he can follow his dream of becoming a ski pro.

* In the 2005 remake of ''FunWithDickAndJane'', Jane quits her job and Dick's company goes pear shaped due to Enron-style corruption on the same day. Since Dick was used as the scapegoat for the company, he's unable to find work, which drives most of the plot. In the original, only Dick loses his job, since Jane was a housewife.

* Right at the start of PiersAnthony's ''ApprenticeAdept'' cycle of books, the hero, Stile, loses his job as a jockey because he has been nobbled by another stable - they sent a hit-man out to laser his knees and render him useless as a jockey. Stile's Citizen boss then terminates his contract.... all this is to give him an incentive to explore the parallel world of Phaze, where he discovers he is the missing Blue Adept.

* In ''Literature/AmericanGods'', Shadow is released from prison and is travelling to his home to a job waiting for him, only to learn that his job is gone as the guy who was giving it to him is dead, leaving him free to work as Mr. Wednesday's bag man.
* VorkosiganSaga: Near the beginning of ''Memory'', Miles is fired from his job at [=ImpSec=].

* ''Series/DontTrustTheBInApartment23'' opens with June arriving to her first day of work at a financing firm, only to find it in the midst of shutting down as the boss is being arrested. Thus she is unemployed before she even started work.
* In the beginning of the ''Series/BurnNotice'' pilot Michael Westen is in the middle of a dangerous mission for the CIA when he discovers that he has been 'burned' by the agency. Not only was he fired but the CIA also froze all his bank accounts and none of his coworkers and contacts will speak to him now. He is dumped in his home city of Miami and has to find out why he was burned while trying to build a new life for himself.
* Beginning of ''Series/{{Community}}'' has Jeff Winger lose his job as a Lawyer as he got his licence from Columbia (and now he has to get it in America!) allowing the wacky hijinks of the community college setting to kick off.

* ''{{Series/Girls}}''' Hannah Horvath starts the first episode off being cut off from her parents and fired from her internship (when she demands it turn into full time employment). HilarityEnsues.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'''s "Bender's Big Score" [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] it; first there's an opening montage of what everyone's job is, then the professor says "You're all fired!" because the company is going out of business (or "cancelled", as part of the movie's thinly-veiled TakeThat to the Fox network); then within minutes, they're rehired.

Shortly before or after the story begins, the protagonist loses his comfortable ordinary job. This provides him with both a strong motivation to find a new source of income and a lot of free time to engage in more adventurous activities.

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Shortly after the story begins, the protagonist loses his comfortable ordinary job. This provides him with both a strong motivation to find a new source of income and a lot of free time to engage in more adventurous activities.