She worked as a telephone operator for 34 years.

Source: https://www.centralmaine.com/2023/08/30/obituaryjeannine-p-beland-2/

While she said she had ambitions to be a singer in a nightclub, it is rumored she was once a telephone operator and got married in 1933.

Source: https://www.chipchick.com/2023/10/she-lived-mostly-outdoors-on-the-streets-of-chicago-selling-her-unique-art-to-people-of-all-walks-of-life.html