Coming of age during the sixties was a tricky feat. Did you go the political activist/protester route or the hippie flower child one? These 11 celebs—who were just starting to get their feet wet as real adults, with real careers and real responsibilities—chose neither. From fire-eater to zookeeper, which first jobs did these now-established personalities have during the swingin’ decade? To paraphrase our dear friend Drake, they “started from... somewhere...and now they’re here.”

Martha Stewart

Occupation: Model

During her teen years in the early sixties, Stewart worked as a model to help pay her way through Barnard College. The lifestyle guru appeared in a handful of campaigns (including Chanel) and was featured in the pages of Glamour for a “Best Dressed College Girls” editorial.

Jimi Hendrix., Photograph by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images.

Jimi Hendrix

__Occupation:__U.S. Army soldier

In 1961, the rock star enlisted in the army after the police caught him riding in stolen cars, twice. They gave him an ultimatum: he could either spend time behind bars or sign up to join Team Uncle Sam. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t gel well in the military, and with little interest in taking it seriously, he was later discharged.

Pierce Brosnan

Occupation: Fire-eater

Before he went on to become James Bond, Pierce Brosnan (like 007) was a man of many talents—one of which was fire-eating. As a rookie actor in 1969, he learned how to perform the not-to-be-tried-at-home stunt after stumbling upon a workshop at London’s Ovalhouse theater. And, not surprisingly, it was his love of women that initially drew his attention to the class: “There was a big group of people in there but I noticed that there were women and they had their tops off,” he said in an interview with The Guardian. “So I thought I’d join in.”

Reminisce about the sixties with more celebrities who defined the decade, including Henry Winkler, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, and Peggy Lipton in this short film by Bryce Dallas Howard.

Harrison Ford

Occupation: Carpenter

In the late sixties, Ford paved the way for the transition from carpenter to actor (you’re welcome, Nick Offerman). Before catching his big break, the Han Solo and Indiana Jones actor worked as a self-taught woodworker for the rich and famous, creating pieces for the likes of Joan Didion and Richard Dreyfuss.

Morgan Freeman

Occupation: Dancer at the 1964 World’s Fair

The voice. The acting. And...the dancing? While the Academy Award winner was involved in theater from a young age, in the early 1960s he also took dancing lessons, which helped him land a gig performing a routine at the 1964 World’s Fair.