Chandler Bing - Career

Career

Chandler works as an IT procurement manager with the specialization "Statistical analysis and data reconfiguration (seasons 1 - 9)," which he began as temporary work and, although he has worked in the industry for years, thoroughly loathes. It remains a running joke through most of the seasons that no one is exactly sure of what he does. In a trivia game his friends could not guess his job, with Rachel calling him a "transponster". The other friends admit that they have no idea what he really does for a living. Monica admits repeatedly that she doesn't pay attention when he talks about his work, but finally learns when he quits in Season 9, although he mentions his job title in "The One with the Cooking Class," a job which inspired Chandler's oft-referenced office slang word "WENUS" (Weekly Estimated Net Usage System), as well as the "ANUS" (Annual Net Usage of System). Because of this job, Chandler, with Ross, is the most financially well-off. He reveals in one episode to have a considerably large (the exact number is unknown) sum of money which he has saved for six years. He is also shown to hold a position of authority in his company. However, Chandler was unable to simply quit his job as it was his nature to avoid ending anything forcefully, be it his job, a relationship, or even his membership with a gym.

Chandler tried quitting in Season 1, but was lured back by a huge raise on top of the yearly bonus structure. During one meeting, Chandler falls asleep and on waking, realizes that his boss has chosen him to head the new division in Tulsa. On Christmas Day, Chandler quits his job so that he can fly home to New York to be with Monica. Monica helps Chandler secure a job in advertising through an old college friend of hers. Much to Chandler's dismay, the job is as an intern, which leaves him in the awkward position of working alongside people who are significantly younger than him. However, his more mature approach eventually pays off for him compared to the other interns, and he secures a full-time job in the business as a junior copywriter when he only expected to receive an assistant position. The company concluded that he would be better suited for a more senior role.

In an alternate reality storyline during the show ("The One that Could Have Been"), Chandler did quit his job and works as a freelance writer, specializing in comics.