If there’s any theme in this business that rings loudly true, it’s the fact that there is NO one single correct route to success. Everybody’s trajectory is different. For some, maybe it is based on who you know and what social circles you run in. For others, opportunities come across in unexpected ways. Big breaks happen when opportunity meets preparation. Are you prepared for yours?

Here are 3 fantastic examples of people who got to where they are today by unconventional big breaks:

1) Jennifer Lopez: She became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry following a minor role in the 1986 film My Little Girl, to the dismay of her Puerto Rican parents, who believed that it was an unrealistic career route for a Hispanic. Lopez gained her first regular high-profile job as a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Color in 1991, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993. She received her first leading role in the smash-hit biopic Selena of the infamous late Tejano starlet in 1997. Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn over $1 million for a role the following year, with the film Out of Sight. She ventured into the music industry in 1999 with her debut studio album, On the 6. The road was rocky, but she now sits pretty at her destination – being one of the most famous, highest-paid, successful actors/singers/designers/performers in the world.

2) Steve Carell: The comedian had appeared in small roles on a handful of TV shows – much how a lot of actors start out – including The Colbert Report, but the combination of his starring roles in The Office and The 40-Year-Old Virgin made him a household name at the age of 43. Carell is now one of Hollywood’s most respected, highest paid actors with one of the most dynamic careers in Hollywood.

3) Rosario Dawson: The now famed actress had no prior acting experience, decided to audition and landed a role as Ruby in the 1995 film Kids. The Guardian writes that despite the premise of the film, which delves into child sex, drugs, theft, and violence, Dawson was “one of the few mild beacons of hope. Her character was tough, too, laughing and joking about the difference between sex, making love and fucking (she preferred the last), but there was something essentially redemptive about her.” Her career took off from there, and now she’s one of Hollywood’s most unique headliners for major films such as RENT.

4) Brad Pitt: Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism with a focus on advertising. As graduation approached, Pitt did not feel ready to settle down. He loved films—”a portal into different worlds for me”—and, since films were not made in Missouri, he decided to go to where they were made. Two weeks before earning his degree, Pitt dropped out and moved to Los Angeles where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs – including a dancing chicken for El Pollo Loco. Yup. He was a mascot for a fast food chain. Then Pitt got discovered and gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma & Louise. His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the dramas A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall, and Interview with the Vampire. The rest is history.