Jennifer Penn, 45, wanted a steady job rather than the temporary ones she had held since leaving welfare.

Ronald T. Haskins, a welfare policy expert who worked on the legislation as an aide to House Republicans, said, "Surveys show that about 60 percent of the mothers who leave welfare are working at any given moment, and around 70 percent have held at least one job since leaving welfare."

Mr. Cheney was a surprise choice when he was named chief executive of Halliburton, since he had virtually no experience in the business world and had not held a full-time job since leaving the Pentagon.

Horace Geer, 54, used his fingers to pick off the number of jobs he has held since leaving Tech in 1960; he stopped when he got to 10.

Sven has not changed in the other positions he has held since leaving the England job.

Ellis became a nightclub hostess through nude modelling work, which paid significantly more than the various factory and clerical jobs she had held since leaving school.