Bill Cosby could still work a room in the clink, but it won't be in any comedic capacity -- mostly just in kitchen duty and stitching s*** up for pennies ... TMZ has learned.
A Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections official tells us, if Cosby wants to, he can go right to work if there are positions available. While working isn't mandatory, Cosby certainly has a lot of ways to make up to nearly half a buck an hour.
Just a few examples of what he could do ... maintenance (inside or outside), kitchen work, assisting infirm inmates or working in garment factories. We're told that if Cosby was placed in any of these departments ... he'd work a job that'd accommodate his legal blindness. In other words ... he probably won't slop gruel on trays.
Salaries for these gigs range from $0.19 to $0.45 per hour -- just a slight dip from when he was crowned the world's highest-paid actor, reportedly earning a total of $84 million in 1986 and 1987 ... and millions more he raked in when his hit show eventually went into syndication.
As we reported ... Cosby was sentenced Tuesday to three to ten years in a state prison after being convicted of sexual assault. He was taken into custody immediately, and eventually posed for a very sad mug shot. It's unclear where exactly he'll ultimately serve his sentence ... but his first meal behind bars featured a snack he was very familiar with.
A couple other notes about his prison stint -- Bill will likely be housed with other inmates, unless there's some sort of gang affiliation we're not aware of. He also won't be separated from the general population ... unless he comes down with some serious illness that sends him to the infirmary.
As for guards that might be fans of his ... we're told prison staff are trained to be professional, and wouldn't ask for autographs. Inmates' safety is their top priority.