Most bosses think they do a pretty good job of keeping their subordinates happy. Don Bibeault has no such illusions. "I'm not a jolly fellow who's fun to be with," says Mr. Bibeault, a former turnaround specialist and CEO in Mill Valley, California . "I'm extremely dedicated and determined, and I don't have time to sugarcoat problems. If that's considered abrasive behavior, so be it."
Unhappy lawyers often feel guilty about wanting to find a new profession . Not Robert Saypol. He spent two years with a law firm and nine more as a sole practitioner before accepting a sales and administrative job with a New Jersey mortgage bank. "I hated to get up in the morning," says Mr. Saypol, 49.
As recruiting season begins on business-school campuses, the collapse of major banks on Wall Street has many soon-to-graduate M.B.A.s rethinking their post-graduate paths. That's especially true for students who had set their sights on a career in investment banking .
Giving up a profitable psychology practice in midtown Manhattan to play music full time may sound crazy. But for Lucy Kaplansky, traveling the country with guitar in hand is just what the doctor ordered. "I was in therapy when I had a life-altering revelation," says Dr. Kaplansky, 46, who spent much of her youth playing folk music to rave reviews. "I was explaining why I didn't want to become a professional musician, spending so many days on the road, when I realized I was lying to myself.
Alan Reisberg was eager to find a more challenging job that would broaden his expertise. But unlike candidates who hope only to move from point A to point B, the New York advertising manager already had point C in sight when he quit his job at a major ad agency after nine years.
