day job

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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.^{[citation needed]}

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.

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