Frustrated with their job searches these workers decided to stop looking for traditional jobs. Some retired, while others are reinventing themselves.
Like a lot of real estate agents, Karen Willmus found herself unemployed during the recession. So Willmus went back to a career she had years earlier: Teaching. Willmus liked her job as a 9th grade teacher. But after four years, she wanted to sock away more for retirement. In May, she left the labor force and teamed up with her daughter to start a new business: publishing simplified versions of great literature for non-native English speakers. To get the company started, she's trying to sell some property to get some cash. And she is excited. "If I start my own business and put my nose to the grindstone, I can get paid more."
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