The First Jobs of Highly Successful People Did you know that Meghan Markle, the actress turned Duchess of Sussex, worked as a calligraphy writer?

By Stephen J. Bronner Edited by Dan Bova

Chris Jackson | Getty Images

Everyone has to enter the workforce somewhere, even royalty. Before Meghan Markle tied the knot with Prince Harry or landed her big break as an actress on Suits, she worked as a wedding invitation calligraphy writer.

"I would sit there with a little white tube sock on my hand so no hand oils got on the card, trying to pay my bills while auditioning," Markle told Esquire.

Related: 11 Successful Entrepreneurs Reveal What They Learned From Their First Jobs

Though the Duchess of Sussex didn't handwrite the invitations to her own royal wedding, she knows the most accomplished people worked their fair share of jobs.

From stripper to banana mascot to christmas tree exterminator, here are the odd first jobs that highly successly people had to do to make ends meet.

Stephen J. Bronner

Entrepreneur Staff

News Director

Stephen J. Bronner writes mostly about packaged foods. His weekly column is The Digest. He is very much on top of his email.

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