Cicero's Promising Career

He would have been schooled in stuff like public speaking and the laws. His future career tells us that he was what we call a no-woe homo, so a new man. It's not unusual for equestrians to join the Roman Senate but usually it takes a generation or two for them to be then elected consul. For someone to do it in their own lifetime is phenomenal. Only other sort of two people that I can think of off the top of my head who did this with Marius and Cato the Elder.