Facebook’s Most-Common #firstsevenjobs Prove Even Astronauts Start Somewhere

Last year, Marian Call, an Alaskan singer-songwriter, asked people to list their #firstsevenjobs as inspiration for a new song she was working on. The hashtag quickly caught on — because everyone loves an origin story — and soon, everyone from celebs to CEOs were joining in on the fun. We learned Buzz Aldrin washed dishes, Lin-Manuel Miranda made slushees, Maria Shriver shucked oysters and Sheryl Sandberg babysat and got fired… twice.

Facebook recently took a closer look at the trends from #firstsevenjobs to uncover the most commonly listed first jobs in the US. And while some of them will be foreign to millennials (newspaper delivery — what?), we can all relate to at least a few of the jobs in retail or food service. The top 20 first jobs are:

1. Babysitter

2. Cashier

3. Lab assistant

4. Newspaper delivery

5. Teacher

6. Camp counselor

7. Retail

8. Dishwasher

9. Receptionist

10. Manager

11. Waiter/server

12. Hostess

13. Intern

14. McDonald’s

15. Student

16. Barista

17. Store clerk

18. Pizza delivery

19. Lifeguard

20. Research assistant

Additionally, Facebook looked at where those first jobs led to, and of everyone who posted, 17.4 percent were in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media; 13 percent were in Education, Training and Library; 12.9 percent were in Management, 8.7 percent were in Sales and Related; and eight percent were in Office and Administrative Support.

So let this list give you some major motivation as you embark on your professional goals. Not all career paths are predictable or linear, and everybody’s gotta start somewhere.

What was your first job? Share it with us @BritandCo!

(Data via Facebook, photos via Getty)