In fiction, it's well-known that certain jobs go with certain personalities. Chefs are angry and always shouting, bureaucrats are joyless bores, blacksmiths are gruff and wise, undertakers are creepy and macabre, and so on and so forth. This is an index for listing these various associations of occupation and personality.
Subindex of Occupation Tropes and Stock Characters. See also Animal Occupation Stereotypes, which usually has some thematic overlap, and Service Sector Stereotypes, for general stereotypes of the food industry.
Tropes:
- Accordion to Most Sailors: Sailors play accordions.
- The Aggressive Drug Dealer: Drug dealers are pushy.
- Always Camp: People of a certain job, such as actors and fashion designers, are always Large Hams.
- Angry Chef: Chefs are angry, shouting taskmasters.
- Artists:
- Artists Are Attractive: Artists are lovely, vivid and creative people.
- Artsy Beret: Artists wear berets.
- Eccentric Artist: Artists are a few light bulbs short of a chandelier.
- Lazy Artist: Artists don't put effort in what they create.
- Mad Artist: Artists are evil and insane.
- One-Track-Minded Artist: Artists stick to creating one type of art.
- Reclusive Artist: Artists stay out of the limelight.
- Sensitive Artist: Artists wear their hearts on their sleeves.
- Starving Artist: Artists live in poverty.
- Babysitters:
- Babysitter Friendship: Babysitters love taking care of their charges, and form friendships with them.
- Babysitter from Hell: Babysitters and childminders are evil.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: Babysitters are long-suffering.
- Bad Humor Truck: Ice cream truck vendors are horrible people.
- Bad Influencer: Social media personalities are immoral.
- Bartenders:
- Bartender Confidant: Bartenders are wise advisors, in a world-weary sort of way.
- Flair Bartending: Bartenders are theatrical and like to wow patrons by performing tricks while preparing their drinks.
- Battleaxe Nurse: Nurses are evil.
- Brutal Butcher: Butchers are barbaric.
- Bungling Inventor: Inventors always have their inventions literally blow up in their faces.
- Bureaucrats:
- Apathetic Clerk: Clerks, cashiers, and bureaucrats are apathetic and don't care about their jobs.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Administrators in a bureaucracy are unhelpful nitpickers who will callously waste your time.
- Burger Fool: Work in chain restaurants is humiliating and draining.
- Burly Blacksmith: Blacksmiths are big, burly, honest, no-nonsense men.
- Camera Fiend: Photographers take photos at every opportunity.
- Caretaking Is Feminine: People in charge of taking care of others are women.
- Caring Gardener: Gardeners and botanists have warm, nurturing personalities.
- Chatty Hairdresser: Stylists and salon workers are chipper and full of gossip, small talk, and inane conversation.
- Cheating with the Milkman: Delivery men and tradesmen sleep with married women.
- Cheerleaders:
- Cruel Cheerleader: Cheerleaders are nasty or evil.
- Pom-Pom Girl: Cheerleaders are cute and peppy.
- Clergy and Nuns:
- Badass Preacher: Preachers are awesome.
- Good Shepherd: Priests are pure-hearted.
- Nuns Are Funny: Nuns have a funny side.
- Nun Too Holy: Nuns are nothing like what nuns are supposed to be like.
- Pedophile Priest: Priests molest children.
- Sinister Minister: Priests are evil or antagonistic.
- Stern Nun: Nuns are elderly, strict, and humorless matrons.
- Clowns:
- Monster Clown: Clowns are evil.
- Non-Ironic Clown: Clowns are genuinely kind, talented, and funny entertainers who live to make people laugh.
- Con Men Hate Guns: Con artists hate guns and won't carry them around.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Corporate executives are ruthless profiteers who'll stoop to any atrocity to make the graph go up.
- Cranky Landlord: Property owners are grouchy, short-tempered, and constantly belligerent about rent.
- Creepy Gas-Station Attendant: Gas station and convenience store workers are sketchy, weird, and suspicious.
- Creepy Mortician: Undertakers, coroners, and gravediggers are disturbing, morbid, and strange.
- Criminal Magician: Stage magicians use their skills and talents for crime.
- Crusty Caretaker: Janitors and groundskeeper are cranky, unfriendly, and uncouth.
- Deranged Park Ranger: Park rangers are crazy and possibly murderous.
- Deranged Taxi Driver: Taxi drivers are lunatics, even occasionally trying to kill someone using their services through their driving.
- Detectives:
- Defective Detective: A detective that's good at doing their job, but terrible at managing their social and personal lives.
- Detectives Follow Footprints: A detective's go-to course of action is following a trail of footprints.
- Hardboiled Detective: Private investigators are grim, cynical, and hard-drinking.
- Diabolical Dog Catcher: Animal control officers are cruel to animals.
- Doctors:
- Depraved Dentist: An evil, sadistic dentist.
- Obscene OB-GYN: Gynecologists are perverted.
- Determined Doctor: Doctors are very determined and persistent.
- Doctor's Orders: Doctors have authority over everyone, no matter what powerful positions they're in.
- Dr. Jerk: Physicians are abrasive and condescending.
- Mad Doctor: An evil, crazy doctor.
- Dumbass DJ: DJs are loud, obnoxious, and annoying.
- Eccentric Exterminator: Pest controllers are bombastic and take their jobs too seriously.
- Eccentric Fashion Designer: Fashion designers are bold, flamboyant auteurs.
- Da Editor: Newspaper/magazine editors are tough, demand that their reporters get juicy stories, and, despite a gruff exterior, genuinely care about the truth and freedom of the press.
- Evil Debt Collector: Debt and bill collectors are thugs who'll stoop to any low to extort money out of their targets.
- Friendly Shopkeeper: Shopkeepers are polite and sociable.
- Hired agents:
- Hitman with a Heart: Assassins have lines they'll refuse to cross.
- Holy Hitman: Hitmen quote the Bible.
- Psycho for Hire: Hitmen love torturing and killing to an insane level.
- Honest John's Dealership: Salespeople are conmen who sell cruddy products (often cars).
- Hospital Hottie: Attractive nurses.
- Hunters:
- Egomaniac Hunter: Hunters are narcissists.
- Hunting Is Evil: Hunters are bad people.
- Manly Men Can Hunt: Hunters are the epitome of manliness.
- Inhuman Resources: HR staff are soulless bureaucrats.
- Innocent Flower Girl: Those who sell flowers for a living are innocent, sweet, vulnerable and adorable young girls.
- Inspector Javert: Lawmen staunchly believe people they've decided as guilty of the crimes they're accused of are guilty.
- Intrepid Merchant: Merchants are adventurous and get their wares from faraway, exotic, fantastical places.
- Journalists:
- Immoral Journalist: Journalists are sleazy and will fabricate and falsify stories to make a sale.
- Intrepid Reporter: Journalists are plucky, determined, and fearless as they chase down a story, especially if it's a big scoop.
- Judges:
- Hanging Judge: Judges are obsessed with dishing out harsh sentences.
- Stern Old Judge: Judges are serious, stern old men who don't have time for courtroom nonsense.
- Kindly Vet: Veterinarians are kindhearted and empathetic.
- Lawyers:
- Amoral Attorney: Lawyers are amoral profiteers who care about their paychecks more than justice.
- Crusading Lawyer: Lawyers are passionate and driven to see justice be done.
- Good Lawyers, Good Clients: Good lawyers are hired by characters who are innocent.
- Persecuting Prosecutor: Prosecuting attorneys use dubious or outright criminal means to win cases and get defendants convicted.
- Simple Country Lawyer: Rural lawyers lack the book-learnin' of their big city counterparts and rely on their charm and plain words instead.
- Librarians:
- Evil Librarians: Librarians are bad.
- Hot Librarian: Librarians are attractive, but prim and proper.
- Loony Librarian: Librarians are eccentric and peculiar.
- Magic Librarian: Librarians have magical powers.
- Scary Librarian: Librarians are terrifyingly stern, and enforce library rules with an iron fist.
- Magical Nanny: Nannies are a positive influence on their charges' parents.
- Mailmen:
- Mailman vs. Dog: Mailmen and dogs are mortal enemies.
- Unstoppable Mailman: Postal workers are relentless and will cross any obstacle to deliver mail packages to their destinations.
- Mighty Lumberjack: Loggers are big, rough-hewn, jolly salt-of-the-earth types.
- Military:
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Drill sergeants are short-tempered and sadistic, with zero tolerance for mistakes.
- Sociopathic Soldier: Soldiers have no regard for human life.
- Morally Bankrupt Banker: Bankers are greedy profiteers.
- Office and Retail Workers:
- Salaryman: Cubicle workers are interchangeable besuited drones stuck in dull jobs with no chance of advancement.
- Soul-Crushing Desk Job: White-collar desk jobs are tedious, unrewarding, and draining.
- Soul-Sucking Retail Job: Retailers are grouchy and/or tired, and hate their jobs.
- Operator from India: Telephone helpdesk operators are from cubicle farms in South Asia, leading to various misunderstandings on both sides of the phone.
- Oppressive Immigration Enforcement: Those in charge of immigration control are prejudiced and corrupt.
- Orderlies are Creeps: Hospital orderlies are creeps, thieves, and/or sexual predators.
- Pilfering Proprietor: Business owners are thieves who steal from their guests.
- Pizza Boy Special Delivery: People who deliver pizza (or other kinds of things) are available for sex.
- Police:
- Bigot with a Badge: Police are bigoted.
- By-the-Book Cop: Police always follow the rules.
- Da Chief: The leaders of police departments are gruff, strict, and by-the-book.
- Cowboy Cop: Cops go against the regulations that police are meant to abide by.
- Dirty Cop: Police do morally shifty things.
- Donut Mess with a Cop: Police love donuts.
- Lemming Cops: Police doggedly pursue their targets, no matter the risk to their own safety.
- Noble Bigot with a Badge: No matter how prejudiced they are, cops never let their biases affect their jobs.
- Police Are Useless: Police can't be relied on.
- Rabid Cop: Police are loud and crazy.
- Smart Cop, Dumb Cop: Duos of cops always have one half be clever and the other less intelligent.
- World of Bad Cops: All police are evil or useless.
- Politicians:
- Corrupt Politician: Politicians and government officials are dishonest and abuse their authority for personal gain.
- Politicians Kiss Babies: Politicians kiss infants to look good in front of the public.
- Sleazy Politician: Career politicians are greedy, lecherous, hypocritical, and generally contemptible.
- Windbag Politician: Politicians love hearing themselves talk.
- Prima Donna Director: Film directors are temperamental, bossy, and demanding.
- Psycho Psychologist: Therapists are manipulative and self-serving.
- Quirky Janitor: Janitors and custodians are odd, quirky characters.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Authority figures are understanding and reasonable.
- Repulsive Ringmaster: Circus ringmasters are con men and exploit their performers.
- Royalty:
- The Caligula: Monarchs are Ax-Crazy.
- Evil Chancellor: Royal chancellors, advisors, and viziers are scheming and treacherous.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: Queens are corrupt and tyrannical.
- The Good King: Kings are benevolent.
- The High Queen: Queens are noble and serene.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Monarchs get things done themselves instead of sitting around and waiting for others to do stuff for them.
- Schlubby, Scummy Security Guard: Security guards are aggressive and dopey.
- School Administration:
- Creepy Gym Coach: Gym coaches/teachers act perverted or lecherous towards their students.
- Dean Bitterman: School principals and college deans are strict and nasty.
- Evil Principal: Villainous school principals.
- Foul Cafeteria Food: School dinner ladies are terrible cooks and have nasty temperaments.
- Scientists:
- Absent-Minded Professor: Professors and scientists are disorganized and have their heads in the clouds.
- Mad Scientist: Scientists are obsessive, evil and insane.
- Professor Guinea Pig: Scientists have no problem experimenting on themselves.
- Guinea Pig Family: Or experimenting on their family.
- Secretaries:
- Ditzy Secretary: Secretaries are not particularly intelligent and are likely to not do their jobs properly, such as losing important papers.
- Sassy Secretary: Secretaries are apathetic, wise-cracking and snarky.
- Servants
- Haughty Help: Servants are snooty and disdainful.
- Servile Snarker: Servants are unamused and snarky.
- Sexist Used Car Salesman: Used car salesmen are more likely to be scammers toward women than men, because they think women know nothing about cars.
- Shady Real Estate Agent: Real estate agents lie to get away with selling crummy houses.
- Sleazy Streamer: Streamers are phony attention seekers.
- Smart People Build Robots: Engineers are smart enough to build robots.
- Smooth-Talking Talent Agent: Agents in entertainment are oily manipulators obsessed with money and clout.
- Snipers:
- Cold Sniper: Snipers are emotionless and impersonal.
- Friendly Sniper: Snipers are nice, cheerful, and social.
- Spies:
- Spies are Despicable: Spies are treacherous and dishonest by trade.
- Spies Are Lecherous: Spies are very flirty and promiscuous.
- Surfer Dude: Surfers are laid-back and have American accents.
- Sweet Baker: Bakers and confectioners are cheerful, generous, and friendly.
- Teachers:
- Apathetic Teacher: Teachers are jaded and world-weary.
- Badass Teacher: Teachers can perform amazing feats and protect their students.
- Cool Teacher: Teachers are laid back, popular with their students, and often flout convention to make learning fun; they also serve as confidants for troubled kids.
- Enthusiastic Newbie Teacher: Fresh-out-of-college teachers are energetic, cheerful, and determined to make a difference in the lives of their students.
- Evil Teacher: Teachers are villainous.
- Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher: Teachers treat teenagers like five-year-olds.
- Sadist Teacher: Teachers are mean.
- Stern Teacher: Teachers are strict and grumpy but ultimately care about their students.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Those who make a living out of making and mending textiles are women.
- Upper-Class Equestrian: Horse riders are aristocratic.
- Venturous Smuggler: Illegal smugglers are daring, adventuresome, and intrepid.
- Waitresses:
- Bubbly Waitress: Waitress are friendly and cheerful.
- World-Weary Waitress: Waitresses, especially older ones, have Seen It All and are bitter, cynical, and disillusioned.
- Wardens Are Evil: Prison wardens bully and torment their prisoners.
- The Watchmaker: Watchmakers are highly intuitive and wise, perhaps even supernatural.
- The Wicked Stage: Stage performers are shifty and immoral.
- Wrestling Managers Are Heels: Wrestling managers are bad guys.