He Was a What?! Before They Were Stars

Not everyone is born into the celebrity world. Many people spend years, even decades, working normal or next-to-normal jobs like the rest of us, before they hit it big. For some, it was their cue that they weren't in the right profession, while for others it served as the inspiration and leg-up they needed to launch their career.

Read on to learn about six celebs and their less-than-stellar former jobs...

Beauty School Dropout
Before Mariah Carey was a hit singer, she worked as a hat checker and even attempted a stint at beauty school. Fortunately for us, curling irons and dye kits were not her forte. Carey soon became a beauty school dropout and in 1990 hit the charts as pop singer.

Neither Rain nor Sleet
He may seem like a good-natured and natural-born comedian, but Steve Carell went postal before he hit it big. That's right, before Carell joined the Chicago improv troupe, The Second City, he spent a few months working for the United States Postal Service. Carell also briefly contemplated law school.

This Job Shucks
Comedienne and daytime host Ellen DeGeneres had her fair share of less-than-glamorous careers. She was everything from an oyster shucker to a vacuum saleswoman. DeGeneres even quit her studies at University of New Orleans to work as a paralegal with her cousin.

Building a Career
How's this for a solid foundation? Long before Harrison Ford became a household name with his role as Hans Solo in "Star Wars," he was building up a reputation as a professional carpenter. It was a job building cabinets for George Lucas that would steer him towards the red carpet.

High School Horror Show
Writers can draw inspiration from anywhere, but how about in a girls' locker room? Before hitting it big as a top-selling horror novelist, King was hitting the showers as a high school janitor. That's exactly where Stephen King got his idea for the novel Carrie.

Can You Dig It?
Movie star Marlon Brando's life was the pits before he made a name for himself. Not only was this Godfather star expelled from both the public high school and military academy he attended, he also was once employed as a ditch-digger.

So whether you're stuck in a profession that's not quite you, or working hard to finish your degree, take inspiration from that fact that even the biggest stars had it a bit rough before they hit it big.

-- Sources for this article include Hardly Famous, Wikipedia, and IMDB.

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