Sometimes the most fulfilling career is the one you didn't initially plan for. This was certainly the case for the following people, who realized well into their professional lives that the jobs they had were no longer the careers they wanted. Read on for their inspiring true stories.
Throwing Banking to the Dogs
No one was shocked by Jim Burwell's decision to start a professional dog training company more than him. In 1986, the corporate banker discovered a passion for dog training after adopting and training his golden retriever puppy, Charlie.
Burwell began training friends' and neighbors' dogs on nights and weekends; meanwhile, he found himself more and more turned off by the heavy workload of his day job and longed for a career that would give him flexibility and time to spend with his dog. "Working as many hours as I had been didn't provide me with the benefits I felt I needed, so I started saying to myself, "What else can I do?" says the 61-year-old entrepreneur. "I thought to myself, 'You know, it would be really good to have a company where I could work with my dog.'"
He had longed to turn his part-time hobby into a full-time business, but he wasn't sure that he could make a living off it. One day, on a whim, he called the local newspaper's pet columnist to ask for advice. The two ended up talking for three hours, and by the time he hung up the phone, Burwell knew he had to try it. Applying the skills he'd acquired in the corporate world to market his services to the local community, Burwell made the transition from corporate banker to small-business owner.
Today, Burwell's company, which he runs with his wife in Houston, has trained over 20,000 dogs and is about to become a national franchise. He still remembers the determination he had when making that fateful decision nearly 20 years ago: "I was ready to hang up my Brooks Brothers suit and wing-tipped shoes and never look back." And he hasn't.
A Reluctant Entrepreneur
"I promised myself I would never run a business," says Kim Kleeman, the president of an educational and professional development product design company based in Glenview, Ill. The daughter of deli owners, Kleeman, 33, saw how hard owning a business was on her parents and didn't want that life for herself. But in 2002, five years into her teaching career, Kleeman went back on her promise to herself. At the time, her husband had just quit his job to begin student teaching, and, with a second child on the way, she was eager to make some extra income -- but her freelance writing and editing gigs weren't cutting it.
Utilizing the skills she'd gained as both an educator and a mother, Kleeman established Shakespeare Squared a year later. Today, what began as a small enterprise comprised of Kleeman and a few of her teacher friends has grown 800 percent to become a network of 400 staff editors and freelancers, and has received national recognition, including a spot on Inc. 500's 2007 list of 'The Fastest Growing Private Companies in America.' Contrary to her initial belief that owning a business would take over her life, Kleeman says, "Being an entrepreneur has allowed me to design my life the way I want. I think the greatest tip I can give is first envision your life in total. Write it all down on paper and start building your business with that life in mind."
The system has worked for her: She still gets home by 5:30 to feed her three kids and doesn't work weekends. Despite her accomplishments, however, Kleeman resists the urge to think in terms of "failure" and "success." "It is a long road; instead think of these things as growing opportunities that you learn from."
From Higher Ed to HollywoodIn 2001, Tom Ingrassia, now 54, left behind his 25-year career in higher education administration to pursue his dream of working in entertainment. Today, he runs a successful artist management agency that represents pop, soul and classical musicians from around the world. The former business school dean's lifelong fascination with show business began when he saw The Supremes perform on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964 at the age of 11.
Years later, he went backstage at a Supremes concert in pursuit of an interview with singer Mary Wilson for a magazine article he was writing. That meeting blossomed into a friendship between the two, and throughout the years, Wilson would call on Ingrassia to help her with research and writing projects. But in 2001, Wilson came to Ingrassia with his biggest project yet: co-managing her merchandising business, Supreme Legacy. Ingrassia tendered his resignation the next day.
After three years of successful collaboration, Tom decided to branch out on his own in 2004 to begin his own business, a now-thriving enterprise. "I can say without a doubt that I am more fulfilled now than at any other point in my life," Ingrassia says. In fact, he's channeled his success into another burgeoning career: Motivational speaker. Ingrassia just began a lecture program titled that he will present at an upcoming higher education conference. What's his foremost piece of advice to others who want to follow their dreams? "My motto is: 'Learn from the turtle. It only makes progress when it sticks its neck out.'"
Copyright 2008 CareerBuilder.com.
