4 lessons: What we learned in Detroit
In a region hard hit by the Great Recession, people are taking risks to build a brighter future. Here are four families' big chances.
Big decision: Cutting his losses
Trained as an engineer, Mark Munteanu moved to the Detroit area from his native Romania in 1996, exactly as his brother, Gabriel, also an engineer, had done a year earlier.
The U.S. was Mark's "dreamland." And he made a good living working for the Motor City's automotive firms -- until November 2008, when he was laid off.
Soon after, he attended a job fair held by a military-vehicle manufacturer. "They had 100 positions open, and there were 8,000 people there," says Munteanu. "It was utterly a nightmare." The experience got him thinking beyond Detroit.
Read his whole story -- and how the experts say to make it work.
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Last updated October 29 2010: 12:22 PM ET
