( CareerBuilder.com ) -- Everybody has to start somewhere . That includes all of the celebrities , billionaires , executives and CEOs of the world -- even U.S. presidents . So where did they begin their careers ? Read on to find out what 11 U.S. presidents did before landing in office . 1 . George Washington . Before he became the first president of the United States , George Washington was a surveyor . Surveyors measure land , air space and water , explain what it looks like or how much is there , and then put those facts into legal documents . Washington was the official surveyor for his county in 1749 , which allowed him to purchase his first piece of land in western Virginia . ( `` Washington : A Life , '' by Ron Chernow . ) 2 . John Adams . John Adams , the second U.S. president , was expected to become a minister , but he was n't sure he wanted to take that career path . After teaching for a few years , Adams decided to become a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in 1758 . ( `` John Adams : A Life , '' by John E . Ferling . ) 3 . Thomas Jefferson . Before taking office as the third president of the United States , Thomas Jefferson was somewhat of a jack of all trades . Growing up , he studied history , science , math , metaphysics and philosophy , in addition to several languages . As a result , he was recognized as a horticulturist , political leader , architect , archaeologist , paleontologist , musician and inventor . He also founded the University of Virginia . ( `` Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation : A Biography , '' by Merrill D . Peterson . ) CareerBuilder.com : Jobs that pay well , no degree required . 4 . Abraham Lincoln . After a brief stint as owner of a general store in 1832 , Abraham Lincoln , the 16th president of the United States , was the postmaster for the area in which he lived . After that , he taught himself to become the county surveyor . Then he became a lawyer , another self-taught profession . He was admitted to the bar in 1837 . ( `` Lincoln , '' by David Herbert Donald . ) 5 . Andrew Johnson . Before his career in politics , Andrew Johnson worked as an apprentice tailor for his mother while in his adolescent years . He eventually left his apprenticeship and found work as a tailor in South Carolina and Tennessee . He became the 17th president of the United States in 1865 . ( Encyclopedia Britannica and `` Labor of Innocents : Forced Apprenticeship in North Carolina , 1715 - 1919 , '' by Karin Zipf . ) 6 . James Garfield . James Garfield , the 20th president of the United States , dabbled in education before entering the second-shortest presidential term in 1881 . He was a preacher for about a year at a Christian church when he decided to try his hand as principal of a high school in New York . When another applicant got the job , he became an instructor at the Eclectic Institute , where he taught classical languages and then was made principal . ( `` Garfield , '' by Allan Peskin . ) CareerBuilder.com : An entire career at one company . 7 . William Howard Taft . William Howard Taft was in the legal field before his presidency in 1908 . After passing the bar , Taft was the assistant prosecutor for his county in Ohio . In 1882 , he was selected as local collector of internal revenue ( IRS , anyone ? ) . A few years later , he was appointed a judge on the Ohio Superior Court and then in 1890 , President Benjamin Harrison appointed him solicitor general of the United States , otherwise known as the person who represents the government before the Supreme Court . ( `` William Howard Taft '' by the National Park Service and `` William Howard Taft '' by Walter Hertz , Unitarian Universalist Historical Society . ) 8 . Woodrow Wilson . Woodrow Wilson also got his start in education . After receiving his Ph.D. , he was a visiting lecturer at Cornell University in 1886 , but was n't offered a full-time gig . He landed teaching jobs at Bryn Mawr College ( 1885-1888 ) and Wesleyan University ( 1888-1890 ) , where he coached the football team . Wilson was also the president of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910 and was elected president in 1912 . ( `` Wilson , Woodrow , '' by Arthur S . Link . ) 9 . Herbert Hoover . Herbert Hoover graduated in 1895 with a degree in geology . He served as a geologist and mining engineer while searching the Western Australian gold fields in 1897 . After being appointed mine manager at 23 , he mined the Sons of Gwalia gold mine , and also the Big Bell , Cue , Leonora , Menzies and Coolgardie mines . He continued his mining and engineering career until 1908 , when he became an independent mining consultant . He was elected to office in 1928 . ( Gwalia Historic Site and `` Hoover 's Gold , '' from Australian Broadcasting Corp. ) CareerBuilder.com : 2 weeks at this job and I HATE it -- should I quit ? 10 . Ronald Reagan . Ronald Reagan was an actor before taking office as the 40th U.S. president in 1981 . He starred in more than 50 movies , was president of the Screen Actors Guild , and was a spokesman for General Electric , which is when he got his start in politics . Before that , Reagan was a sports broadcaster at the University of Iowa , where he was paid $ 10 per game . He became a radio announcer before working as an announcer for the Chicago Cubs . He received his contract with Warner Brothers in 1937 . ( `` Actor , Governor , President , Icon , '' by Lou Cannon , The Washington Post ) . 11 . Barack Obama . Current U.S. President Barack Obama had several jobs before being elected as the first African-American president in 2008 . Obama worked for three years as director of the Developing Communities Project , a church-based community organization in Chicago . He also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation , a community-organizing institute in Chicago . ( `` Who 's Who in America , 2008 , '' Karen Chassie . ) & copy CareerBuilder.com 2011 . All rights reserved . The information contained in this article may not be published , broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority .
George Washington measured land , air space and water . John Adams taught for a few years and became a lawyer . Thomas Jefferson was a horticulturist , architect and musician , among other things .