13 People Who Prove It's Never Too Late For A Career Change (PHOTOS)

13 People Who Prove It's Never Too Late For A Career Switch
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Do you find yourself sitting at your 9-to-5 job feeling like you'll be stuck to that desk forever? There is hope for you, dear reader!

Some of the most successful people in the country didn't start out on a career path anywhere close to that which eventually made them happy, rich or both. In fact, the average American changes jobs 10 to 15 times between the ages of 18 and 46, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. So no, you're not alone if you're unhappy with where you're at.

To convince you that leaving your day job might just be the best thing you've ever done, we rounded up some of most inspirational career changes in recent history:

Walt Disney was a newspaper editor. Dreams didn't always come true for Walt. The founder of The Walt Disney Company started out as a newspaper editor, but was apparently fired because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”

Ellen Degeneres was a paralegal and "oyster shucker." Before being named Showtime's Funniest Person in America in 1982, comedian and TV host Ellen Degeneres held these two much less glamorous jobs.

Julia Child was a spy. The famed chef wasn't cooking up delicious French cuisines until age 36. Before that, she worked as a CIA intelligence officer.

Harrison Ford was a carpenter. After his performance in "American Graffiti," Ford gave up acting for the financial stability of carpentry. That is, until George Lucas came calling about a little movie called "Star Wars."

Ken Jeong was a doctor. Best known as Mr. Chow from The Hangover, actor and comedian Ken Jeong first earned his MD from the University of North Carolina and began a physician practice. In 2007, after a string of stand-up jobs on the side, Jeong made his first feature film debut in Knocked Up as -- what else? -- a doctor.

Elvis Costello was a computer programmer. The songwriter's singing may have made him famous, but his genius was by no means limited to just music. Costello first spent his days in an office operating an IBM 360.

Allen Ginsberg was a dishwasher. American beat poet Allen Ginsberg is best remembered for his bestselling poem, "Howl." But before he found success through writing, Ginsberg held a variety of odd jobs, working as a spot welder, night porter and cargo ship worker.

Andrea Bocelli was a lawyer. After graduating with a law degree from the University of Pisa, Andrea Bocelli worked as a defense attorney until the age of 34, when he left his job to sing full time.

Sylvester Stallone was a deli-counter assistant and lion-cage cleaner. Before stepping into the boxing ring, actor Sylvester Stallone was earning $1.12 an hour at the Central Park Zoo, among some other not-so-glamorous jobs.

Whoopi Goldberg put makeup on dead people. Before Whoopi's big break in 1985, Goldberg worked at a funeral parlor applying makeup to the deceased.

Brad Pitt was a limo driver. For strippers. Yep, Brad used to drive strippers to and from bachelor parties. Before this, he also dressed up as a giant chicken and stood outside of an "El Pollo Loco" restaurant waving to cars.

Joy Behar was a high school english teacher. The host of "The View" and "The Joy Behar Show" wasn't always the comedian we all love. In fact, Behar was a high school english teacher until the age of 40.

Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses sold potato chips. The American folk artist didn't even put paint to canvas until her 80s. For most of her life she worked on her farm in Virginia and practiced embroidery as a hobby. When her arthritis made it too difficult to hold a needle, she picked up a paint brush instead.

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Before You Go

20 People That Will Prove Its Never Too Late To Change Careers
Allen Ginsberg(01 of20)
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20th-century American poet Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997) is most known for his contributions to the Beat Generation. But before he found success through writing, Ginsberg held a variety of jobs including a dishwasher, spot welder, night porter, and cargo ship worker. Eventually, Ginsberg quit his day jobs to write full time. His most famous poem is "Howl," which became a bestseller and brought Ginsberg instant fame. (credit:Getty Images)
Nate Silver(02 of20)
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Today, Nate Silver is known as a leading statistician and journalist. But before he grabbed the attention of the nation by analyzing and predicting the results of the 2008 United States presidential election, Silver held a not so exciting position. He worked as an economic consultant at KPMG, but quit in 2004 and turned his attention to playing poker and analyzing Major League Baseball. (credit:AP)
Andrea Bocelli (03 of20)
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After graduating with a law degree from University of Pisa, Andrea Bocelli worked as a defense attorney and did not begin mesmerizing the world with his voice and instrumental genius until age 34, when he left his job to sing full-time. (credit:Getty Images)
Ken Jeong(04 of20)
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Better known as Mr. Chow from The Hangover series, actor/comedian Ken Jeong is actually a physician. Jeong earned his MD from the University of North Carolina in 1995, completed his residency at Ochsner Medican Center in New Orleans, and then began his practice in California, with no intention of becoming an actor. In 1995, Jeong won his first comedy competition, "Big Easy Laff-Off," and after a string of stand-up jobs he landed his first feature film role in Knocked Up as what else? A doctor. (credit:Getty Images)
Dan Salls(05 of20)
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Dan Salls left his job as a stockbroker to open up his dream food truck known as, "The Salsa Truck." Whipping up authentic Mexican food from scratch, "The Salsa Truck" is Chicago's first mobile food service. (credit:huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/31/watershed-moment-as-salsa_n_2593548.html)
Sylvester Stallone(06 of20)
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Before stepping into the ring and fighting heavyweight champions, actor Sylvester Stallone held some not so glamorous jobs. Most notably, he worked as a deli-counter assistant and cleaned lion cages at the Central Park Zoo for $1.12 an hour. So, he did what any unhappy employee would do: wrote a hit movie that stars himself as the hero. (credit:AP)
Ellen Degeneres(07 of20)
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Before being named Showtime's Funniest Person in America in 1982, comedian and TV host Ellen Degeneres worked as both a paralegal and an "oyster shucker" at a restaurant. (credit:Getty Images)
Tim and Nina Zagat(08 of20)
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The next time you go online to find reviews for that new restaurant in town, you have Tim and Nina Zagat to thank. Both graduates of Yale Law School, Tim and Nina held jobs as corporate lawyers for over 20 years before dropping their careers to pursue working on their dining survey service, ZAGAT. (credit:Getty Images)
Julia Child(09 of20)
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This famed American chef wasn't cooking up delicious French cuisines until age 36! Before that, she worked as a spy for the U.S. Government. (credit:AP)
Terry Finley(10 of20)
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Founder of West Point Thoroughbreds Racing Partnerships and Stables, Terry Finley spent the early part of his life out of the race track and in the U.S. military. Just before finishing his military service, Finley and his wife bought a horse and after he won his first race, there was no going back. Finley quit his job as an insurence worker and put everything he had into West Point Thoroughbreds.This leap of faith certainly paid off. Today, West Point Thoroughbreds buys up to 25 horses a year and purses total in at more than $16 million. (credit:Getty)
Harrison Ford(11 of20)
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While we all know him as Hans Solo, many people first knew him as the guy that fixed their roof. After his performance in "American Graffiti" left him with little reward, Ford decided to give up on acting for something more financially stable: carpentry. Ford was a carpenter for many years until he met up again with American Graffiti director George Lucas to audition for Star Wars...and the rest is history. (credit:AP)
David Arrick(12 of20)
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After spending much of his career as a securities attorney, David Arrick left Wall Street and took it to the kitchen instead. Frustrated by all of the new bakeries advertising their "cute" cupcakes, Arrick opened Butch Bakery, an original kitchen that puts a masculine spin on cupcakes. (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bb2f7eae4b0480ca65fd47e" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="9" data-vars-position-in-unit="24">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/81305097@N00/9018530004" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="The Pink Princess" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bb2f7eae4b0480ca65fd47e" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/81305097@N00/9018530004" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="10" data-vars-position-in-unit="25">The Pink Princess</a>)
Joy Behar(13 of20)
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Host of The View and the Joy Behar Show, Joy wasn't always the confident and lively comedian we all love. In fact, Behar was a high school english teacher until the age of 40, when she first decided to pursue her childhood love for comedy. (credit:Getty Images)
Laura Ingalls Wilder (14 of20)
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Writer of the beloved "Little House" children's book series, Laura Ingalls Wilder (left) did not publish her first book until she was 65. Before this, Ingalls worked a number of other jobs including seamstress, farm worker, and Secretary-Treasurer of Mansfield Farm Loan Association. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Anna Mary Robertson Moses (15 of20)
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Also known as Grandma Moses, the famous American folk artist didn't even put paint to canvas until her 80's. For most of her life she worked on her farm in Staunton, Virginia, churning butter, selling potato chips, and practicing embroidery. When her arthritis made it too difficult for her to hold a needle, she picked up a paint brush instead. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Kristina Kern(16 of20)
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In 2011, busy single mom Kristina Kern quit her job at a high-end catering company in DC to start her own mobile food business. Kern left her dazzling and sophisticated life of gourmet food, caviar, and crystal and hopped behind the driver seat of Stella's PopKern--her own gourmet-popcorn food truck. (credit:huffingtonpost.com/kristina-kern/stellas-popkern_b_2839663.html)
Shep and Ian Murray(17 of20)
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Co-founders of the Marthas Vineyard-based tie and clothing company, Vineyard Vines, Shep and Ian Murray weren't always living the nautical life. Until the grand opening of their first store in 2005, both men held corporate jobs, Ian at a public relations firm and Shep in advertising. Missing their childhood days of spending weekends on the beach, Shep and Ian quit their jobs and began selling ties out of the back of their car and on the beach. Today, Vineyard Vines has 20 stores and can be found in over 500 retail stores. Just let the front page of their website say it all: "We're brothers, who quit our jobs in New York City to make ties so we wouldn't have to wear them any more." (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bb2f7eae4b0480ca65fd47e" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="5" data-vars-position-in-unit="20">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29757897@N00/441177943" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Darien Library" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bb2f7eae4b0480ca65fd47e" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29757897@N00/441177943" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="6" data-vars-position-in-unit="21">Darien Library</a>)
Michael Jordan(18 of20)
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Perhaps the best basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan made an epic career change after he retired from the NBA in 1993 to pursue his lifelong dream of playing pro-baseball. At age 31, he made the transition to right fielder for the Birmingham Barons. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Ray Romano(19 of20)
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Eveybody loves a bank teller. That's right. Until a stand-up comedy competition in 1989 that launched his acting career, Ray Romano worked as a bank teller. (credit:AP)
Walt Disney(20 of20)
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Dreams didn't always come true for Walt. The founder of The Walt Disney Company started out as a newspaper editor until he was apparently fired because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bb2f7eae4b0480ca65fd47e" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="1" data-vars-position-in-unit="16">Flickr</a>:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65193799@N00/466751240" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="dbking" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bb2f7eae4b0480ca65fd47e" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65193799@N00/466751240" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="2" data-vars-position-in-unit="17">dbking</a>)