examples of well-known people who "bounced around" for years until they found just the right 'fit'?

Cafe Society
21

You’re in trouble deep for that one.

22

I heard of one guy in the early 20th century who considered a career in architecture or painting before he found just the right fit in politics.

23

I was just a paper hanger
No one more obscurer
Got a phone call from the Reichstag
Told me I was Fuhrer
Germany was blue
What, oh, what to do?
Hitched up my pants
And conquered France
Now Deutschland’s smiling through!

24

He spent a bit exploring the careers possibilities of “bum” for a while. He then went into the army, was a highly decorated soldier, and as you mention, went into politics. The military was good for him. Dammit.

Regards,
Shodan

25

John Houseman was successful enough as a producer, but he didn’t turn to acting until he was 70, won an Oscar for his first role, and became a recognizable star. He made it the old fashioned way: he earned it.

26

Harry Truman had a varied career until entering politics full time. He did get that introduction into politics as a teenager though as a page at the 1900 Democratic Convention.

27

John Mahoney (probably best known for playing Martin Crane on Frasier) was a teacher and editor, before deciding that he wanted a different career, and going into acting full-time at age 37.

28

And soldier. He lost his English accent because he was tired of getting teased about it while in the US Army.

29

He’s not all that old yet, but apparently Benedict Cumberbatch was slogging along doing workmanlike jobs in BBC period pieces until Sherlock, and then, boom, he was a star.

30

Harrison Ford was less than two months away from turning 35 when Star Wars came out.

I couldn’t imagine being 34 and still not finding success in life.

31

Well la-di-da, because I’ve got a birthday coming this summer to mark just that occasion.

32

And four years prior to that, he had a major role in American Graffitti. Granted, he worked as a carpenter for four years before that…

Schwarzenegger is kind of the polar opposite of this phenomenon: put himself through college and started a company that supplied medical supplies to hospitals, self-made millionaire. Switched to bodybuilding, Mr. Universe. Switched to acting, Conan. Added restaurateur, Planet Hollywood. Married a Kennedy. Switched to politics, Governor of California.

33

Wait, what (bolding the questionable parts)?

  1. Ford’s role was in no way major in American Graffiti. You could argue that Star Wars made him, not AG.

  2. I’ve read that Schwarzenegger got into bodybuilding as a boy and continued it until moving to movies. Then, after movies, he went into politics.

34

Thomas Paine, I mean who decides at 40 to become a prolific revolutionary author?

35

Huh. My apologies; that’s not listed in his bio, and I don’t recall where I heard it. I retract that one. Still, one of the more serially-successful guys out there.

36

One even, coincidentally enough, being the short-lived sitcom E/R.

37

Robert Ludlum published some 30 thriller novels, including the Bourne blockbusters, but none until he was over 40.

38

A small handful in comparison. I’m not sure if this says something about the difficulty with doing something significant in math/science as a late-bloomer, or about what we value as a culture. Probably some of both.

39

Nobody for Col. Sanders?

40

He’s a good one. I drive by the “World’s First KFC” every day on my way home from work. I’m not sure they’ve changed the oil in all that time…