The surprising first jobs of 17 US presidents

Jacquelyn Smith,Áine Cain

Oct 28, 2016, 19:20 IST

President Obama's first job was as an ice-cream scooper in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The road to the White House isn't always glamorous.

Sure, most US presidents throughout our history have had experience in law, politics, or the military - or some combination thereof.

But many future presidents had rather unconventional first gigs- from plucking chickens to working at a circus to selling comic books at a grocery store.

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It's definitely encouraging for anyone who suffered through a weird start to their career.

Here are the surprising first jobs held by Washington, Lincoln, Obama, and 14 other US presidents:

Natalie Walters contributed to a previous version of this article.