What was Barney Rubble's occupation?

While there are lots of references to jobs, Barney seems to have a number of different jobs at different times in the original series, and it is a topic of great discussion between series devotees.

The best answer is "Barney has different jobs throughout the course of the original series, some of which we can only guess about."

At first, it appears that Barney may work at the quarry with Fred, since he bowls on the quarry's bowling team ("The Flintstone Flyer"). The exact nature of Barney's next job is unknown, but Fred inadvertenly gets him fired from it in "No Help Wanted," the 6th episode produced. (Fred explains that he told Barney to "put his broom down"; Barney later remarks that "it wasn't much of a job"). Fred then helps Barney secure a job as a furniture repossessor, but this career is never mentioned again and appears to have been brief. Other temporary positions include travel agent, co-owner (with Fred) of "The Drive-In," and (again, with Fred) private investigator.

On one occasion we are clearly shown that he works at Pebbles Co. Rock and Gravel (which may or may not be a competitor of Slate Rock and Gravel), though we don't know what he actually does there or how long this job lasted. At times, one is again tempted to believe he works with Fred in the gravel pits; he certainly hangs out there a lot. Indeed, Barney briefly becomes a vice president at the quarry (after once again losing an unidentified job somewhere else) when he turns out to be related to Mr. Slate; once again, he does not hold the position long.

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