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What key lessons did the world's billionaires learn from their first jobs...

Mark Zuckerberg is the only person among the billionaires club who hit the jackpot with his first full-time job. Facebook, the social networking site Zuckerberg founded while at Harvard in 2004, took off almost immediately, and he hasn't looked back. As of March he was worth an estimated $4 billion.

Other billionaires started off small. Dole's David Murdock, who quit school after year nine, changed oil and greased car parts at a petrol station before joining the army. Banking billionaire Andrew Beal fixed used TV sets and sold them door-to-door to poor families. During high school Steve Jobs scored a summer job at tech pioneer Hewlett-Packard ( HPQ - news - people ), where he met Steve Wozniak. The pair founded Apple ( AAPL - news - people ) together in 1976.

Though the jobs may seem menial, these uber rich made the most of their experiences. As a 12-year-old, Adelson, the future richest man in Las Vegas, borrowed $200 from an uncle to buy the right to sell newspapers on two busy corners in Boston. Oilman-to-be Pickens also showed zeal as a 12-year-old paperboy, quickly expanding his 28-house paper route to 156 by taking over the routes of his competitors.

Patrick McGovern, founder of the technology media, events and research company International Data Group, says "the key lesson that he learned was how to manage one's time effectively. I learned to be proud of what you do and to strive for excellence in service."

Billionaire's first jobs in pictures here.

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