Though the late 31-year-old built an impressive acting resume during his 10-year stint in film and television, he didn't always set out to be an actor. Even so, when asked what his dream job was, Cory Monteith told Seventeen, "Being an airline pilot." While involved with substance use from an early age, Monteith self-professedly struggled to find an identity throughout his youth. "I had no idea who I was, I had no idea where I was going," he told CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos in 2011. At 19, following his second stint in rehab, Monteith decided to pick up the pieces and give his life direction.

Per Parade, he moved to Nanaimo, Canada and began his career working as a roofer. Brief jobs at Walmart and 7-Eleven also figured among his work experiences, according to GQ. Acting happened by chance, apparently through a grapevine of friends. "I had nothing else going on, so I kind of threw myself into it," Monteith told Boston Herald of his early acting days. After his passing, Monteith's acting coach Andrew McIlroy recalled, "He came to the studio and sat in on a class, and he recognized some of the things that I was saying in class as some of the same expressions used in recovery." Remembering Monteith as having natural talent, McIlroy revealed he grew so passionate about acting that "he swept the studio to pay for his classes."