Bruno Mars Broke Records At His First Job As Mall DJ ... Literally

These days, celebrities like Ellie Goulding and Miguel might be at the top of their games. But there was a time in their lives when they weren't much better off than the kids on MTV's latest scripted series, "Underemployed."

The show's Chi-Town characters should take note: don't fret too hard over your current less-than-stellar jobs. Why? Well, if these stars prove anything, it's that once you pay your career dues, all that is left to do is rise all the way to the top.

Take Bruno Mars for instance. Before finding chart-topping success, he attempted an early career in music. Unfortunately, he picked the one part of the industry he knows nothing about. "I was 18-years-old. The worst job I ever had was I applied to be a DJ at the mall at the Beverly Center. The only problem was I don't know how to DJ," he recalled. "So I showed up to the Beverly Center with my friend's records and I broke their record player."

While Mars' gig was at least a bit glamorous, Ellie Goulding was busy getting her hands dirty. Like, very dirty. "Well I grew up in a village and down the road was a pub called the Royal George and I used to clean the toilets," she shared. "Men's toilets, mainly."

Xzibit shared his own rather colorful pre-fame occupation. While he wasn't pimping rides just yet, he was tricking out something sweeter. "The worst job I ever had was working at the Original Cookie Company, and it was like at the mall, and it was like one of those places where you just write 'Congratulations' on the big chocolate chip cookie," he said, before sharing how he shifted gears to an entirely different trade.