Charest was born and grew up in Sherbrooke. Before politics, he worked as a lawyer. He received his diploma from the University of Sherbrooke in 1981, and was admitted to the Bar of Quebec the same year. After 3 years of working in court, Charest decided to join the Conservative Party of Canada in 1984. He was only 26 years old when he was elected as the representative of Sherbrooke.