I compiled the below entirely from the wikipedia entries on Obama and Palin.

I picked up with their college and listed through their major positions. I left out a lot of the sorts of volunteer and committee stuff that budding polititions engage in, but it's all there in the articles if you care to look. Without further ado...

Obama
- Occidental College (hey that's pretty close to where I'm sitting) - 2 years
- Columbia University - 2 years - BA in political science/international relations
- Worked at Business International Corporation then at New York Public Interest Research Group - 4 years
- Worked as director of the Developing Communities Project (going from 1 to 13 employees) in Chicago - 3 years
- Harvard Law - 2 years - JD magna cum laude
- Worked at law firms - 1-2 years?
- Taught law at U of Chicago Law School - 12 years.
- (simultaneously with above) worked for civil rights law firm - 12 years.
- Illinois state senator - 6 years
- US senator - 4 years

Palin
- Hawaii Pacific (university?) in Hawaii - 1 semester - Business Administration
- North Idaho College - 4 years (minus one semester?) - BS communications-journalism/political science
- TV sports reporter - ? years/months
- helped with family fishing business - ? years/months
- Mayor of Wasilla - 6 years
- gap here
- Chair of Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission - 1 year.
- (partly simultaneous with above) co-director of "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group - 3 years
- governor of Alaska - 2 years