10 CEOs and Their First 'Kidult' Jobs

4. John Coleman

CEO, The VIA Agency

First Job: Welding Inspector

John Coleman between his sophomore and freshman years in college he was a welding inspector as a part of engineering internship at a nuke plant. He had no real job experience and was frightened of heights. Though the money was good for him but he didn’t enjoy the job. John said “This was the beginning of my realization that mechanical engineering was not the best profession for me and I eventually went on to open up The VIA Agency, where I could use both my left and right brain (while not causing a nuclear meltdown)", as quoted by Business Insider.  

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5. Richard Stainer

Managing Director, BBH New York

First Job: Tour Boat Guide.

When Richard was studying at Cambridge, he got a job of a tour boat guide on the river Cam which is a hugely popular tourist activity. Richard listed the experience of his first job as few learning lessons. The first was that if anyone lied in the interview, they will end up in learning some serious learning skills in near future. Second was there was no training for every situation. And as a final lesson he added “If 'rules' make competition tight ... make up some new ones. And a find a friend with big arms."

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