How many of you started from the bottom up?

I was talking with a ~30 year old classmate once who told me how he started washing glassware and over the next 10 years would transition to different manufacturing roles and is clearing 6 figures but came to get his degree since he hit a ceiling.

I myself just got a lab tech job without even finishing my associates yet and was curious on the stories and career paths of those of you who started out at the bottom and are now well into your biotech career.