Six before they were famous first jobs

Six ‘before they were famous’ first jobs by Amber Rolfe Think you’ll never make it to the top? Some jobs can make you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, especially when they’re totally unrelated to your life goals. But don’t panic, because many successful people (from CEOs to celebrities) started out just like you before making it big.To help inspire you, here are six before they were famous first jobs:Barack Obama â€" Ice Cream Scooper Obama was just 16 years old when he started scooping ice cream during his first summer job at Baskin Robbins.And although he says he lost his taste for the frozen treat ‘after one too many free scoops’, he also talks about it teaching him ‘valuable lessons about responsibility, hard work, and balancing a job with friends, family, and school’.The job is also part of the reason he launched the Summer Opportunity project, a national programme dedicated to getting teenagers into their first jobs during the school break.OK, so it may not have been the only thing that set him up for his legal and political career, but it’s still not a bad start for a man who went on to be POTUS for a full eight years.*hands CV in to nearest ice cream shop*  JK Rowling â€" Secretary JK Rowling has already given us so many things; quidditch, butterbeer, and an everlasting dream that we’ll one day get our Hogwarts letter (it just got lost in the post, OK?)But what was she doing before she dreamt up the multimillion pound franchise?Working for Amnesty International as a Bilingual Secretary â€" a job she landed after studying French and Classics at university â€" as it turns out.And before our favourite wizarding world came into fruition, Rowling had also lost her job, moved to Portugal, got married, had a child, got divorced, and moved back the UK as a single mum on benefits.Then, after 12 rejections, and five years after the initial idea â€" she went on to write seven Harry potter books, inspiring a massive movie franchise (and a whole lot of feelings. RIP Hedwig).  Ri chard Branson â€" Bird Breeder and Arborist Branson was only 11 years old when he saw a gap in the market for his first small business â€" budgies.Branson and his best friend started breeding and selling the birds to their classmates after seeing their popularity.And although the birds multiplied faster than he could sell them (and you know, he had school and stuff), his first business venture not only inspired his love for entrepreneurship, but also for animal conservation.Also, trees (apparently). Inspired by the success of his bird breeding venture, he then went on to buy small Christmas trees in the hope he could sell them for a profit when they got big. Unfortunately for Branson, the rabbits got to them.But he took setbacks like these like a pro, and is now the billionaire founder of the Virgin Group.  Michael Dell â€" Dishwasher As a 12 year old with a passion for collecting stamps (but no money to build his collection), Dell landed his first job as a Dishwasher at a Chinese r estaurant. The pay was low and the hours were long, but he was grateful for the opportunity to learn and earn some pocket money.He also says the ‘wisdom of the restaurant owner was the best part of the job’, explaining that ‘he took great pride in his work and cared about every customer who came through the door’.It was this first role that taught Dell the importance of customer service in business, ‘whether you’re selling Chinese food or personal computers’.  Brad Pitt â€" Chicken Shop Promoter Ever danced around in a chicken costume for money?If not, then count yourself lucky; because this was Brad Pitt’s genuine first job.After enrolling in university to study journalism, Pitt decided this route wasn’t for him, and set off to LA to pursue his acting career. It was during this time that he worked for a chicken shop helping to promote their food (by literally dressing up as poultry).But hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do; and lucky for him, his big br eak came shortly after in the form of an occasionally shirtless minor criminal in the 1992 classic, Thelma and Louise.And considering his success, maybe we should all dress up as a chicken at least once in our lives.#chickenlittle #chickenbigJames Reed â€" Grave Digger We’re not saying he’s a grave digger…actually, we are. That’s exactly what we’re saying.Although the Reed group has always been a family run business (founded and previously run by James’ father, Sir Alec Reed), James didn’t always have a prevalent part in its operations.In fact, his first job was a lot less glamourous â€" with main duties involving levelling graves at a burial site in Old Windsor.However, grave digging clearly wasn’t his calling, as he got fired soon after starting because ‘it was cold, it was horrible and it was hard’.You know what they say: grave digging’s loss is recruitments gain…(They may not actually say this).Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs nowImage creditsBarack Obama  https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcn/2174935053/JK Rowling  https://www.flickr.com/photos/fast50/4512481735Richard Branson  https://www.flickr.com/photos/26359084@N08/14286491456/Michael Dell  https://www.flickr.com/photos/oracle_images/5015729782/Brad Pitt  https://www.flickr.com/photos/66525489@N04/8266811504/