CNN’s New Day co-anchor John Berman dabbled in various jobs, here and there, to pay for his Harvard education.

For good, he got to get involved in his favorite topic—politics—to earn for the payment. And that little experience led him to a job at ABC News, which also propelled his career to what it is today.

Who is John Berman?

The Carlisle, Massachusetts native, is an experienced reporter and anchor who has covered many important issues in his career. Some of them are the September 11 attack and matters of the White House after the inauguration of George W. Bush. He was also embedded in Iraq war coverage and did on-site reporting during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

John Berman Worked as Overnight Desk Assistant at ABC

When John Berman first joined ABC, he worked as an overnight desk assistant. Afterward, he worked as a political researcher for World News Tonight and the political unit of 1996 elections. Eventually, he became the third of the show’s writing staff. Coincidentally, one of the writers retired, and the other left for another job, leaving Berman to be promoted to the senior writer in just three months.

In 1999 and 2000, he worked as an off-air reporter for ABC News covering George W. Bush’s presidential campaign. He also contributed as a correspondent to World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, Nightline, and 20/20 during his time at ABC till 2012. 

After leaving ABC, he joined CNN as the anchor of CNN’s Early Start to work with Zoraida Sambolin. From January 2014 to 2017, Berman co-anchored the show with Christine Romans. After that, he served as the co-anchor of CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow (from 2017 to 2018) and At This Hour with Kate Bolduan.

Since 2018, he has been co-anchoring the New Day of CNN with Alisyn Camerota. He replaced Chris Cumo to join in the role after the former left to lead Cuomo Prime Time.

John Berman with co-anchor Alisyn Camerota

John Berman with co-anchor Alisyn Camerota (Photo: YouTube TV)

John Berman in Construction And Delivery To Pay for Havard Education

Knowing how interested Berman was in Politics, his PA history teacher helped the 18-year-old politics enthusiast secure an internship in the re-election campaign of the then Vermont Republican congressman, Peter Smith. But when Peter lost in November, Berman found himself in need of work to pay for his Harvard education.

So, he joined a construction crew that same winter only to realize that he was bad at it. In a feature interview with the Andover Bulletin in winter 2005, Berman related to his construction worker’s experience.

“The thumbnail on my left hand is permanently disfigured from where I hit it so many times with a hammer,” joked Berman.

To make ends meet for his education, the New Day anchor even delivered mail and performed in Hasty Pudding Theatricals (he was also the theatricals’ President) while studying at Harvard.

Following his junior year, Berman managed a successful re-election campaign for Marty Meehan, the Democratic congressman from his own Massachusetts district. Berman even wrote his thesis on the election.

After graduating with a BA in Social Studies from Harvard, Berman moved to New York. There, he attended Columbia Law School but decided not to further his studies to cover elections.

Soon, he got an interview at ABC News and began as an intern in 1995, kickstarting his journalism career.

What is John Berman’s Salary & Net Worth?

While information about John Berman’s salary has not been disclosed, Celebrity Net Worth reports that his estimated net worth is $5 million.