Think your first job was a grind? Discover the humble beginnings of world leaders, from bus drivers and bouncers to ice cream scoopers and shoe polishers.

New Delhi: We watch those leaders on television. They wear fancy suits and give big speeches and there are security people all, around them. We think to ourselves “They must have had everything for them from the very beginning”.. That is not true. A lot of these leaders started out doing jobs or even jobs that were not very good just like the rest of us do.

Scooping ice cream, selling bread on the street, bouncing at clubs, driving buses… these were real gigs that taught them grit, patience, and how the world actually works for regular people.

Ones who served people every day

A lot of people who work in this field started out by dealing with customers. They had to work hours. Sometimes they had to deal with people who were grumpy. Many of these people got their start this way dealing with customers and long hours and the occasional grumpy person.

Barack Obama was a teenager when he worked at Baskin-Robbins in Hawaii. He had to scoop ice cream all the time. Barack Obama said this job was really bad for his wrists. It actually made him stop liking ice cream.. Barack Obama thinks it was good, for him because it taught him some valuable lessons.

Rishi Sunak , the former United Kingdom Prime Minister had a very different job when he was younger. He used to work as a waiter, which means he had to carry a lot of plates at the time and talk to the people who came to eat. This was a way for Rishi Sunak to learn how to deal with people, which is a very important skill for someone like Rishi Sunak who became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Rishi Sunak had to be good, at talking to people and making sure they were happy when he was a waiter.

Jacinda Ardern , the Prime Minister of New Zealand had a job, at a fish and chips shop. She would fry food. Try to keep up with all the customers when it got really busy. This was an example of what it means to work in service and deal with a lot of pressure. Jacinda Ardern had to hustle to get everything done at the fish and chips shop.

Sanna Marin (Former-Finland PM, super young when she got the job) — She was a cashier at a bakery, ringing people up and making ends meet while studying.

Tough, hands-On survival jobs

Some people grew up in tough situations so their early work was all about helping the family have food to eat. They had to work to help their family get by. That is what their early work was, about helping the family eat.

Narendra Modi , who is the Prime Minister of India has an interesting story. As a kid he used to help his dad sell tea at a train station. Narendra Modi still talks about this experience. It is something that helps him understand everyday people, like the ones he met at the train station. He really gets what everyday folks are going through because of this experience selling tea with his dad.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is the President of Brazil also known as Lula had a tough time when he was a kid. He was very poor. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had to shine shoes on the street. He also did laundry jobs. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did these jobs to help his family at home.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey’s President) — Little kid in Istanbul, selling simit (those sesame bread rings) on the streets for pocket money.

Xi Jinping (China’s leader) — At 15, he got sent to the countryside during tough times in China—lived in caves, did heavy farm work for years.

The one who switches career

These things are like surprises in a film. They are like the parts of a movie that you do not see coming. These ones are really, like that.

Pope Francis. This is what he was, like before he became the Pope. The young Pope Francis, who was called Jorge then did some pretty cool things in Argentina. At night Pope Francis would work at nightclubs throwing out people who were causing trouble. Pope Francis also swept floors. Worked in a lab where they did chemistry experiments.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy , who is the President of Ukraine used to be a funny guy and a big star on television. He actually played the role of the president in a comedy show called Servant of the People before he became the President of Ukraine. This is a weird thing to happen to someone going from playing a president on a comedy show to actually being the President of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy was really good at making people laugh. He was very famous in Ukraine for being a comedian and a star, on television.

Javier Milei, who is the President of Argentina was a teenager when he sang in a band that played songs by the Rolling Stones. He was the singer in this band and he liked to perform like Mick Jagger when he was, on stage. Javier Milei and his band would play music like the Rolling Stones.

Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela’s President) — Drove buses for years before jumping into unions and politics.

Protectors and Helpers

A couple took paths to keep people safe. They also took paths to keep people healthy. The couple wanted to make sure people were safe and healthy.

They took paths around things that could hurt people. The couple did this to keep people from getting sick or hurt. The paths they took were good, for people.

Justin Trudeau (Former-Canada PM) — Bounced at nightclubs (handling rowdy crowds), taught school, and even instructed snowboarding.

Michelle Bachelet (Former-Chile President) — She was a pediatrician first—taking care of kids as a doctor before running the country.

These stories are pretty inspiring. None of them were born on a throne. They started with sweaty, everyday jobs that forced them to deal with real life—dealing with rude customers, back-breaking work, or just hustling to get by.

That stuff probably made them better at understanding what regular people go through. So next time someone says “you can’t make it from nothing,” point to these folks. Where you start doesn’t decide where you end up.