Find a Job You Really Want In
For the majority of us, first jobs aren’t exactly dream jobs.
In fact, they often involve boring, tedious work and unpleasant tasks ranging from customer service to manual labor. After all, as unskilled labor with no track record, workers often have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get that first job.
Even a lot of US Presidents got their future illustrative careers off the ground with surprisingly humble roles. We found each presidents’ first job. But first, let’s check out the 10 most bizarre first gigs:
10 Most Surprising First Jobs Of US Presidents
- James A. Garfield – Mule tender
- Benjamin Harrison – Court crier
- William H. Taft – Courthouse reporter
- Lyndon B. Johnson – Shoe shiner
- Richard M. Nixon – Chicken plucker
- James Earl Carter – Peanut farmer
- Ronald Reagan – Circus worker
- Barack H. Obama – Ice cream scooper
- Donald J. Trump – Collecting soda bottles
- Joseph R. Biden, Jr. – Lifeguard
Wonder if any of the above presidents knew when they were doing their less than presidential role they would one day hold the highest job in the land? Think Nixon knew it while plucking chickens? LBJ while shining shoes? Or Garfield tending mules?
Want to be president? Apparently you should go to law school
While some US Presidents certainly started out in humble roles, others did start pretty high and mighty. In particular, early presidents had a knack for going from zero to lawyer, or zero to political position.
However, it is nice to see that even if your wrists are sore from scooping ice cream or you spend your summers working at the family peanut farm instead of a fancy internship, you can still achieve some pretty impressive goals.
Each President’s First Job
| President | First Job |
|---|---|
| George Washington | Land surveyor |
| John Adams | Schoolmaster |
| Thomas Jefferson | Lawyer |
| James Madison | Military |
| James Monroe | Virginia infantry |
| John Quincy Adams | Presidential apprenticeship |
| Andrew Jackson | Courier |
| Martin Van Buren | Law clerk |
| William Henry Harrison | Aide-de-camp |
| John Tyler | Virginia Legislature |
| James K. Polk | U.S. House of Representative |
| Zachary Taylor | Military |
| Millard Fillmore | Wool carder |
| Franklin Pierce | Speaker of the House in the New Hampshire State Legislature |
| James Buchanan | Lawyer |
| Abraham Lincoln | Store clerk |
| Andrew Johnson | Apprentice tailor |
| Ulysses S. Grant | Horse handler |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | Lawyer |
| James A. Garfield | Mule tender |
| Chester A. Arthur | Teacher |
| Grover Cleveland | Teacher |
| Benjamin Harrison | Court crier |
| Grover Cleveland | lawyer |
| William McKinley | lawyer |
| Theodore Roosevelt | New York Assemblyman |
| William H. Taft | Courthouse reporter |
| Woodrow Wilson | Teacher |
| Warren G. Harding | Journalism |
| Calvin Coolidge | Teacher at deaf school |
| Herbert C. Hoover | Geologist and mining engineer |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Apprentice lawyer |
| Harry S. Truman | Timekeeper for a railroad company |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | Creamery worker |
| John F. Kennedy | Navy |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | Shoe shiner |
| Richard M. Nixon | Chicken plucker |
| Gerald R. Ford | Painter |
| James Earl Carter | Peanut farmer |
| Ronald Reagan | Circus worker |
| George Bush | Navy |
| William J. Clinton | Grocer |
| George W. Bush | National Guard |
| Barack H. Obama | Ice cream scooper |
| Donald J. Trump | Collecting soda bottles |
| Joseph R. Biden, Jr. | Lifeguard |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
