President Obama enjoys an ice cream sundae during a 2012 visit to the University of New Hampshire. | AP Photo Obama writes LinkedIn post about his first job scooping ice cream

President Barack Obama is using his first job as an ice-cream scooper at Baskin-Robbins to announce a new summer job initiative for young people.

Obama announced the Summer Opportunity Project in a post on LinkedIn Thursday.


“My first summer job wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it taught me some valuable lessons. Responsibility. Hard work. Balancing a job with friends, family, and school,” Obama wrote in the post. “We’re kicking off a Summer Opportunity Project that brings together state and local leaders, community organizations, schools, and businesses – including LinkedIn – to get young people into their first jobs and create strong transitions between school years and from high school to college and careers.”

The president called on employers and businesses to give young people their first jobs this summer.

“And while I may have lost my taste for ice cream after one too many free scoops, I’ll never forget that job — or the people who gave me that opportunity — and how they helped me get to where I am today,” he wrote.