Not many people start at the top, or even in the career they wind up in.
We get it – being an intern isn’t always fun. But the experience can be hugely helpful in your career path. Here are just a few mega business people and top celebs who got their start fetching coffee and making copies in their internships..
And, a surprising few got their start as a political intern.
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Steven Spielberg
The talented producer and director started his “unofficial” internship at Universal Studios where he had to sneak onto the premises to gain access. Whatever it takes, right? He networked his way through Universal and wrote a short film that eventually found its way into the hands of some execs. And the rest…is history.
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Anderson Cooper
Agent Anderson Cooper. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it? The beloved news anchor got his start as a CIA agent at the ripe young age of 19. How does one get an internship with the CIA in the first place? That may be top secret.
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Conan O’Brien
You’ll never guess where the funny man started out: in politics. He interned for Barney Frank at the House of Representatives. He said he didn’t pursue politics because he “didn’t work his way up.” Personally, we’re glad he chose comedy instead.
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Oprah Winfrey
The mega-star and TV mogul got her start with an internship at a local Nashville radio station, and then at the WLAC-TV station. She was so successful they gave her an anchor position that named her the youngest and first black female anchor. The rest is more history.
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John Krasinski
And speaking of good intern karma, Conan himself had the future Jim Halpert on his staff as a script intern on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” Way to support! Add to the list of Conan interns: Mindy Kaling.
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Bill Gates
One of the most successful men on the planet, Gates actually didn’t get his start in technology. He worked as a congressional page for the U.S. House of Representatives at age 17. Two short years later, Gates co-founded Microsoft. Wonder how he got from politics to software. We’ll have to read the biography!
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Brian Williams
The beloved news anchor, after attending school and not graduating, interned with Jimmy Carter. He never went back to school after that, but went on to a successful career in television.
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Patrick Ewing
Another political intern who went 180 later, Ewing worked for the Senate Finance Committee.
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Lena Dunham
Much like her character Hannah in Girls, Lena spent a summer interning for an independent publisher while attending Oberlin College. Unlike her character, though, she wasn’t fired. In fact she was, “great as expected,” said her former boss, Richard Nash.
Up next, Malia Obama!
Malia Obama just graduated from high school and has been accepted at Harvard! Go girl! Some would take the summer off and hand around the pool, but this girl will be interning in Spain at the US Embassy. I think she’s got this one.
Have any other favorite celebrity or political interns we left off? Share them with us on Facebook!