The Surprising Job Barack Obama Had As A Teenager

Former United States President Barack Obama is probably one of the most recognizable names and faces in the world. People feel like they know everything about him. After all, a good portion of Americans are aware he was a state senator from Illinois before representing that state in the U.S. Senate. He also was a constitutional law professor before becoming a household name (via Biography). Those are the jobs Obama had as an adult, but he did something else entirely while growing up.

Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Hawaii and although he spent some of his childhood with his mother in Indonesia, he spent most of his formative years in the 50th state, being raised solely by his grandparents for some of that time, according to Biography. Obama may have grown up in what some consider an exotic tropical locale, but he had to get a high school job just like other kids across the country. And that high school job certainly helped people cool off in the Hawaiian heat.

In the summer of 1978, a 16-year-old Barack Obama landed a job at Baskin-Robbins, scooping out those 31 flavors of fun for both tourists and residents, according to Business Insider. However, like many teenagers, Obama had a hard time keeping his mind on the task at hand. He was much more concerned about his high school basketball career and that all that scooping could damage his prospects when the season started again.

"My first summer job wasn't exactly glamorous, but it taught me some valuable lessons," Obama posted on LinkedIn in 2016 (via Business Insider). "Responsibility. Hard work. Balancing a job with friends, family, and school."

He then added that the job could definitely take a physical toll on parts of your body. "Rows and rows of rock-hard ice cream can be brutal on the wrists," he wrote. "As a teenager working behind the counter at Baskin-Robbins in Honolulu, I was less interested in what the job meant for my future and more concerned about what it meant for my jump shot."

In the end, Obama never became a professional basketball player, but his first job did prepare him for having an ice-cream loving vice president, as current President Joe Biden is known for his passion for the cold, refreshing, sweet treat (via E! Online).