Shawn was a jack of all trades, quite literally. In the years since graduation, he'd dabbled in everything from acupuncture to bungee jumping. After leaving his father's house, he'd crossed the country, taking jobs when he needed to or whenever a new opportunity presented itself. He'd even spent a little time out of the country. He'd held over 60 jobs in his wanderings. And he meant what he told Gus, he mastered them all.
Despite having taken off from his father's angry, desperately trying to run from everything his father had taught him, he was unable to actually get away from what he was. And what he was, was his father's son. His father had spent years training him, teaching him, instilling a certain code in him. And though some of it had gone in one ear and out the other, most of it had stuck. The dozens of lessons on how to be a cop were among them- how to tail a suspect, how to lose your own tail, how to solve a puzzle. But there was one other value that stuck with Shawn, and that was always do your best.
In the beginning, the first few years after leaving Santa Barbara, Shawn had tried to do things half assed. But he found he just didn't have it in him. When he took a job, he took it seriously. He followed the rules, he put in the effort, and in places where he managed to stay long enough, he usually made employee of the month. The only problem, was that his dedication and skill usually had him excelling quickly. And once the job no longer presented a challenge, it no longer piqued his interest.
So he bounced from job to job, building his resume. He'd driven the Wienermobile, worked at Graceland, and even taught several different things, including English and how to water ski. He'd worked at 6 Major League Baseball Stadium. He'd jobs in every walk of life, from landscaping to politics, from yachting to constructing Mardi Gras floats. He'd been a concierge, a raft guide, and even spent a few months at Ben and Jerry's HQ. He had charted stars in a planetarium, sold wine in Brazil, and even spent a few days as a 'die hard.'
Shawn was open to any opportunity that presented itself, he was always eager to learn a new lesson. You never know when a strange skill can come in handy, be it the basics of a foreign language or how to make a hotel key. Shawn would try anything once, and sometimes, he'd be willing to go back, keep his skills sharp.
That was why he'd done it. Sure, the initial lie had been to get out of jail, but after that, it had just seemed so blatantly obvious. This was the one job he could never master, the one job that would require a little bit of knowledge in every arena. It opened dozens of doors and presented a plethora of opportunities. That's why he hadn't hesitated in signing the lease, because he knew that this job would keep him on his toes.
It hadn't even really occurred to him how much he loved being a 'psychic' detective until his father suggested he quit. That's what you do Shawn, when things get hard, you give up. But he couldn't quit this, because he hadn't mastered it. And after four years, he knew he never would. So far, since opening Psych, he'd solved murders and kidnappings, gone up against 'ghosts,' 'mummies,' and 'werewolves,'- mysteries straight out of Scooby Doo. But he'd also uncovered chop shops, exposed cheaters, and revealed a counterfeiter. He'd dug up pirate treasure and discovered a dinosaur, how many people could claim either of those things, let alone both?
Shawn had once been quite adamant that he would never grow up, and in this job, he found just that opportunity. He was in charge, he was free to act pretty much however he wanted. There was no dress code to follow and for the most part, he made his own hours. Plus he did it all with his best friend on one side, a pretty (pretty smart, pretty brave, pretty beautiful, pretty amazing) woman on the other, and Lassie at his back. It really was the perfect job for him.
But perhaps the best part, though he'd never admit it, was the fact that he'd finally found something he and his father could share. Henry had never liked his other jobs, he'd been to adamant about Shawn being on the force. But after everything that had gone down, Shawn just couldn't bring himself to wear the uniform. This was the next best thing. It didn't matter what his father said about psychics and PIs, because Shawn knew the truth. He knew that upstairs in his father's closet was a shoebox. It contained every postcard he'd sent while seeing the world. But it also held every newspaper clipping published since Psych had opened.
So yes, Psych let him tarry in a million different fields. And yes, it always kept him on his toes. It offered him a new challenge everyday and it put all of his skills to the test. And Shawn liked it for all those reasons. But he loved it because it made his father proud, and that made Shawn happy.
[A/N: This came to me while watching From the Earth to the Starbucks. Everyone is always talking about what a loof Shawn is supposed to be, but he takes his job there seriously (not counting the planetarium show). It just kind of occurred to me that during the course of the show, when Shawn starts something, he sees it through to the end, despite what anyone else may say. I just wanted to throw this out there to show maybe he's not as unfocused as everyone thinks. Also, all the jobs mentioned are either from the show or off his resume on the USA website.]