Almost no one is born a CEO and just like everyone else, the greatest CEOs in the world started out working. One as a warehouse worker and the other as a paper boy. You have to start somewhere, because success does not just happen. For some CEOs, their first part-time job was a logical first step in their career, while others purely had a part-time job to finance their studies. We list 10 famous CEOs and their first part-time jobs and show you that even the most powerful people in the world had to start somewhere to become a CEO.
Famous and drove Hastings – Netflix
Before becoming CEO of the immensely popular online streaming service Netflix, Reed Hastings had a summer job working door-to-door seller of vacuum cleaners. Not the ideal part-time job at first glance, but Hastings loved it. He even chose to keep his job after being accepted into Bowdoin College in Brunswick, United States. Hasting's first job was somehow related to his current job, because Netflix has become, in addition to the vacuum cleaner, “permanent furniture” of the household.
Jeff Bezos - Amazon
Instead of looking for a side job, Jeff Bezos, CEO of the American e-commerce company Amazon, created his own job. During his high school years, he founded a summer camp called 'the DREAM Institute' with his then girlfriend. The camp was a 10-day course for fellow students, covering topics as varied as nuclear wars, programming and black holes.
Indra Nooyi – PepsiCo
To finance her studies at Yale University, Indra Nooyi, the CEO of multinational PepsiCo, had a part-time job as a receptionist at her student residence. Her job was not popular, as as a receptionist she had far from ideal night shifts from 12 o'clock at night to 5 o'clock in the morning. All for a pittance of 50 cents an hour. In the meantime, Nooyi earns 'slightly' more, her salary in 2016 was 30 million dollars.
Michael Dell – Dell Computers
Founder of the American computer giant Dell, Michael Dell, is one of the 50 richest people in the world. Besides computers, Michael Dell had another passion in his younger years: collecting stamps. To finance this hobby, Michael Dell worked as a dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant.
Doug McMillon – Walmart
The CEO of the American supermarket chain Walmart, Doug McMillion, had a summer job at Walmart in his teenage years. He worked in the warehouse there for $6 a week, where he was later promoted to salesman and even became CEO of the company. A textbook example of growing within a company!
Tim Cook - Apple
Tim Cook's success story begins as a paper boy in his hometown in Alabama. Before he entered the tech world, he also worked in a paper factory and an aluminum factory. Before he finally ended up at Apple, Tim Cook worked for IBM for twelve years.
Richard Branson – Virgin Group
He was only 11 years old when Richard Branson decided to set up his own company. With his best friend Nik Powell, he decided to breed budgerigars and sell them to his schoolmates. However, breeding went much faster than expected as the school holidays drew closer. An error of judgment by the young entrepreneurs.
Bill Gates-Microsoft
Not a CEO, but one of the most powerful people from the tech world walking the planet. Bill Gates is a so-called dropout, as he gave up after just 2 years at Harvard University and left school. During these years, Bill Gates earned a living as a computer programmer.
What was your first part-time job? Has this part-time job had an influence on your career?