Before power: The first jobs of presidents, other world leaders

By : Azeez Kareem

Date: 4 January 2026 10:05am WAT

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Photo session of world leaders

Photo session of world leaders

From selling tea on the streets of India to driving buses in Venezuela, the personal histories of many of today’s and past world leaders shows a totally different journey towards attaining power.

Across continents and political systems, several heads of government and state began their working lives in modest or unconventional professions before rising to national and global prominence.

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whose rule has come to an end following US military intervention in the country, worked as a bus driver in Caracas before becoming involved in trade union activities and politics.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early life as a tea seller at a railway station has become one of the most widely cited stories in modern Indian politics.

Modi, now in his third term in office, frequently references his upbringing as part of his political identity, particularly as India continues to assert itself as a major global and economic power.

In the United States, President Donald Trump built his career in real estate before entering politics, while his predecessor Joe Biden has spoken publicly about undertaking maintenance work earlier in his life before embarking on a long political career that eventually led him to the White House.

While former President Barack Obama worked briefly as an ice-cream scooper during his youth.

Africa has also produced leaders whose paths to office were shaped by careers outside politics.

Liberia’s former president George Weah rose to international fame as a professional footballer before transitioning into public service.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu trained and worked as an accountant, while former South African president Nelson Mandela practised law before becoming a central figure in the country’s anti-apartheid struggle.

In Europe, German former chancellor Angela Merkel was a trained chemist before entering politics, while French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy worked as a cleaner during his youth. In the United Kingdom, former prime minister Boris Johnson began his professional life as a journalist.

Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg also worked in journalism before later serving as prime minister and subsequently becoming NATO secretary general.

Eastern Europe and Russia present similarly diverse backgrounds. Russian President Vladimir Putin served as a KGB officer during the Soviet era, while former president Dmitry Medvedev reportedly worked as a street cleaner as a student.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky built a career in entertainment as a comedian before entering politics, a background that has drawn renewed attention amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Elsewhere, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sold lemonade as a youth, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau worked as a bouncer, and Iceland’s former prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir worked as a flight attendant.

Religious and military paths have also featured. Pope Francis worked as a nightclub bouncer in his youth, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu served as a soldier.

China’s President Xi Jinping spent time working as a farmer during the Cultural Revolution, an experience frequently referenced in official biographies.

Past jobs of selected world leaders:

Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela) – Bus Driver Donald Trump (United States) – Real Estate Developer Narendra Modi (India) – Tea Seller Bola Tinubu (Nigeria) – Accountant Imran Khan (Pakistan) – Cricketer Vladimir Putin (Russia) – Intelligence Agent Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine) – Comedian Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel) – Soldier Barack Obama (United States) – Ice Cream Scooper Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey) – Lemonade Seller George Weah (Liberia) – Soccer Player Angela Merkel (Germany) – Chemist Edi Rama (Albania) – Painter Tony Abbott (Australia) – Trainee Priest Boiko Borisov (Bulgaria) – Bodyguard Justin Trudeau (Canada) – Bouncer Stephen Harper (Canada) – Mailroom Assistant Ivo Josipovic (Croatia) – Music Composer Nicolas Sarkozy (France) – Cleaner Jimmy Morales (Guatemala) – Comedian Johanna Sigurdardottir (Iceland) – Flight Attendant Michael D. Higgins (Ireland) – Waiter Silvio Berlusconi (Italy) – Singer Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia) – Drugstore Clerk Dalia Grybauskaite (Lithuania) – Factory Worker Andy Rajoelina (Madagascar) – DJ Khaltmaagiin Battulga (Mongolia) – Wrestler Jens Stoltenberg (Norway) – Journalist Dmitry Medvedev (Russia) – Street Cleaner Borut Pahor (Slovenia) – Model Adama Barrow (Gambia) – Security Guard Boris Johnson (United Kingdom) – Journalist Joe Biden (United States) – Maintenance Worker Tabaré Vázquez (Uruguay) – Oncologist Pope Francis (Vatican City) – Nightclub Bouncer Nelson Mandela (South Africa) – Lawyer Shinzo Abe (Japan) – Steel Plant Worker Michelle Bachelet (Chile) – Paediatrician Moon Jae-in (South Korea) – Human Rights Lawyer Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Argentina) – Lawyer Dilma Rousseff (Brazil) – Guerrilla Fighter Alexis Tsipras (Greece) – Civil Engineer Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand) – Policy Adviser Mark Rutte (Netherlands) – Teacher Enrique Peña Nieto (Mexico) – Lawyer Mariano Rajoy (Spain) – Property Registrar Salman bin Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia) – Deputy Governor Saddam Hussein (Iraq) – Ba’ath Party Organiser Hassan Rouhani (Iran) – Cleric Prayut Chan-o-cha (Thailand) – Army Officer Xi Jinping (China) – Farmer Andrzej Duda (Poland) – Lawyer Source: https://x.com/i/status/2007408269514432847

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