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Before he managed one of New England’s biggest network of car dealerships, Herb Chambers fixed copy machines. Before she was a U.S. Senator, Elizabeth Warren taught special needs kids at a public school. And Legal Sea Foods President and CEO Roger Berkowitz…well, he’s always liked fish. The Bay State’s movers and shakers didn’t walk off a graduation stage and settle into their current careers. It took them a while to get where they are today. See how Massachusetts’ leaders got their start when they left college and how their early jobs helped shape their future careers.

Herb Chambers

Herb Chambers — Current occupation: President & CEO of The Herb Chambers Companies “When I [left the Navy] at age 21, I took my first job repairing copy machines which led to my building a company called A-Copy America that sold new copiers, used ones, trade-ins, and offered discounts. But most importantly I understood the importance of giving people prompt, reliable service…[That’s] the thing I learned that served me well in the automobile business.’’

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren — Current occupation: United States Senator for Massachusetts ‎”I always wanted to be a teacher. My first job out of college was working with special needs kids in a public elementary school. I loved the work – in fact, it never felt like work. I learned the lesson early that it is a truly great gift to be able to do work that matters.”

Joanne Chang

Joanne Chang — Current occupation: Owner of Flour Bakery “My first job after college was as a management consultant for Monitor Company. I got to travel the US and talk to executives at Fortune 500 companies about how they could better their companies. At 22 years of age. I loved that I was always learning something new and it was a great challenge to learn to deal with clients who looked at me like I was nuts to give *them* advice (I was often younger than their kids). In the end though I didn’t know if all of my hard work was really changing anyone’s company or anyone’s business- or was I just making lots of reports and attending a lot of meetings? I decided that I wanted to do something much MUCH more concrete. Like make food that I could then watch people eat and enjoy. To this day the immediacy of what we do is what drives me.”

Martin Walsh

Martin Walsh — Current occupation: Mayor of Boston “I graduated from college at age 43. At the time I was already a State Representative in the Massachusetts Legislature. My story is an example of how anyone can finish college if they set their mind to it.’’

Tracey Noonan

Tracey Noonan — Current occupation: Owner, Wicked Good Cupcakes “My first job out of high school was as a waitress at Jimbo’s Fish Shanty on Northern Ave. I liked the money. The restaurant had a lot of tourists and was busy but I did not want to make waitressing a career. This job definitely taught me how to work hard and understand how good customer service works. It truly didn’t inspire me other than to know I wanted to work for myself.’’

Roger Berkowitz

Roger Berkowitz — Current occupation: President & CEO of Legal Sea Foods “As a kid, I started out selling fish behind the counter at Inman Square and then, after graduating from college, I bought fish. I spent most of my time on the fish pier, selecting our fish and bringing it back to the store and restaurant. It was a great education. Often times, it was a race to beat out competition for the best product, and that competitiveness for the best (and pride that’s associated with it) has always stayed with me.’’

Drew Gilpin Faust

Drew Gilpin Faust — Current occupation: President of Harvard University “My first job after I graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1968 was at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Civil Rights Movement, the Great Society, and the newly launched Model Cities program inspired me to embrace an opportunity for public service in an agency established less than three years earlier to address critical national issues of poverty and opportunity.’’

Rafael Reif

Rafael Reif — Current occupation: President of MIT “Two and a half years into my undergraduate college experience in Caracas, Venezuela, there were so many rallies by university students against the government that it closed the place down. During the closure, and before transferring to another university a two-hour drive from Caracas, I made a living tutoring kids in high school. Since I was the youngest of four brothers, it was really the first time I was the one doing the teaching, and I loved it. It is hard to describe the pleasure of seeing someone understand a new concept for the first time.’’

Bob Anderson

Bob Anderson — Current occupation: CEO of The Paper Store “Right after graduating from Babson College, my first job was a store trainee at Filene’s Basement. And honestly, finding a place to park that I could actually afford was the biggest challenge. There are four keys to life in general: dedication, desire, determination, and discipline. Learn and practice those and you’ll go far.”