Certainly the broadest group in the employment spectrum, we have all, at some point, been day-jobbers. What exactly qualifies as a day job anyway? Is it simply what you do for money before you can make a living doing what you love? Does a day job have to suck… be mundane or generally uninspiring? Must the job literally be conducted between hours of 9 to 5? Can self-employed people be considered day-jobbers or is a petty, micromanaging boss a prerequisite? Think Lumbergh from Office Space… “Ummmm yeeeeaaaaahhh… Hey Peter… I’m gonna go ahead and need you to come in on Saturday… that would be greeaaaaaahhhht.”“Don’t quit your day job.”
Although most day jobs don’t conger up images of deep career satisfaction, the term inherently implies that you are considering some other ambition or hobby. This is a good thing. People only say, “Don’t quit your day job” when you’re attempting to do something else… like become a famous magician or the next American Idol, right? An aspiring writer might be a copywriter by day, working in a more commercial industry to pay the bills while trying to get established doing what he or she truly enjoys. Day-jobbers are actually closer to career fulfillment because they keep their dreams afloat by actively engaging their interests and hobbies, even if they don't get paid just yet.
Remember Alex (Jennifer Beals) in Flashdance? She was a welder… trying to get into ballet school… “She’s a maaaaaaaniac, maaaaaniac on the floor… ” I always thought it would have been more interesting if she were a burned-out dancer, tired of the glamour and pressure of ballet that wanted to be a world-class welder. Let that marinate! Seriously though, Alex was the quintessential day-jobber. She welded because she wanted to dance, not on a pole, but in a professional company. In reality, I'm sure she continued welding to pay for school, but at least she knew what she wanted and went for it. Many of us don't. We just have jobs. A day job thus distinguishes itself from a job because it is defined by that "other thing" you're DOING (or trying to do). One man’s trash…
Sometimes… something one person considers worthless, has great value to someone else. This is true in careers as well. Maybe the thought of welding is absolutely repulsive to you… and ballet…? You’re cramping up just thinking about it. Now insurance sales on the other hand… there’s a field worth exploring. No toxic fumes or soar muscles, just you… in an office… on the phone… at conventions… driving company cars… making magic.
Tim Lippe (Ed Helms) actually makes being an insurance agent sound cool in Cedar Rapids. Evidently, when he was young, some devoted insurance agent made an enormous positive impact on his life inspiring him to do the same. He enjoys his job, almost to a fault, and maintains an integrity that confuses those around him. 
Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), from Groundhog Day, has an equal flair for the insurance business. Needle nose Ned… Ned the Head… remember? By the end of the film, he sells Frank (Bill Murray) every policy possible, with unmatched persistence and enthusiasm. This seemingly mundane job is actually “living the dream” for Tim and Ned. One man’s trash… right?
The important point here is... wait for it.................... how YOU relate to your WORK… how you FEEL about what you DO. If you love tending bar, then you transcend the label of “day-job.” You’re not a bartender, trying to be "whatever." You’re a badass, bottle spinning, Tom Cruise-looking barkeep… and you should push it to the limit... Cocktails & Dreams baby. I suppose it would be easier if you wanted to be something society deemed noble or that received an obscenely disproportionate amount of income, but when your passion doesn’t align with any of the conventionally acceptable professional pursuits, well... that’s just how the cards were dealt.
Luckily, you are free to pursue any interest you choose, no matter how silly or insignificant the rest of the world sees it and there's no better time in history then now. The late Isaac Asimov spoke passionately about this back in a 1988 interview with Bill Moyers.
Once we have computer outlets in every home, each of them hooked up to enormous libraries where anyone can ask any question and be given answers, be given reference materials, be something you’re interested in knowing, from an early age, however silly it might seem to someone else… that’s what YOU are interested in, and you ask, and you can find out, and you can do it in your own home, at your own speed, in your own direction, in your own time… Then, everyone will enjoy learning. Nowadays, what people call learning is forced on you, and everyone is forced to learn the same thing on the same day at the same speed in class, and everyone is different.So... learn what you want to learn about and be what you want to be. Wear your day job badge with honor, knowing that you have a leg-up on everyone that hates there job and has no idea what else they might do. If you love a job that doesn't get much praise or respect, then more power to you. Isn't that more genuine and rewarding that doing something you can't stand just to be accepted?
If you do something totally unrelated to your passion to make that passion possible, don't despair. Keep working those hobbies and interests. Be persistent and suddenly... the whole scenario will get flipped on its head.
Go dance... or weld... or sell insurance. Just make sure you give a shit.
