Day job

Day job

A day job is a form of occupation taken by a person in order to make ends meet while working another low-paying (or non-paying) job in their preferred career track. Archetypal examples of this are the woman who is working as a waitress for her "day job", while she tries to become an actress, and the professional athlete who must work as a laborer in the off season because he is currently only able to make the roster of a semi-professional team.

While many people do hold a full-time occupation, the term "day job" is specific to those who hold the position solely to pay their living expenses while working on the job (their "other", not necessarily "night", job) they intend to eventually move over to entirely.

Notable figures who have worked in this configuration include the Wright brothers, who held full-time employment as bicycle repairmen while they experimented on powered flights.Fact|date=February 2007

The phrase "don't quit your day job" is used as a humorous response to a poor performance. The phrase implies that the performer is not talented enough in that activity to be able to make a career out of it.or|date=October 2008


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  • day job — n your normal job which you earn most of your money from doing, especially as opposed to another interest ▪ I d love to be a professional writer, but I m not giving up my day job just yet …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • day job — day ,job noun count the main job of someone who is also trying to succeed in some other career such as singing or acting a. don t give up the/your day job HUMOROUS used for telling someone that you do not think that they will be successful if… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • day job — day′ job n. cvb one s regular job and main source of income, usu. viewed in contrast to a speculative or irregular endeavor: Good luck in the lottery, but don t quit your day job[/ex] …   From formal English to slang

  • day job — n. [from the usual hours of such a job] a regular, full time job, esp. as distinct from some other pursuit that is less remunerative and more uncertain …   English World dictionary

  • day job — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms day job : singular day job plural day jobs the main job of someone who is also trying to succeed in some other career such as singing or acting • don t give up the/your day job humorous used for telling someone …   English dictionary

  • day job — PHRASE: V inflects If someone tells you not to give up the day job, they are saying that they think you should continue doing what you are good at, rather than trying something new which they think you will fail at. [HUMOROUS] It s a kind way of… …   English dictionary

  • day job — /ˈdeɪ dʒɒb/ (say day job) noun 1. one s daily employment and primary source of income. –phrase 2. don t give up your day job, (an expression of veiled criticism of a performance, product, etc., implying that it will never be good enough to make… …  

  • day job — one s regular job and main source of income, usually viewed in contrast to a speculative or irregular endeavor: Good luck in the lottery, but don t quit your day job. * * * …   Universalium

  • day job — noun Date: 1977 one s regular employment as contrasted with an occasional, secondary, or coveted job …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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