Project Developer and Author Bob Griffiths

My name is Bob Griffiths, and I’m the originator of this Do What You Love Career Change Study, as well as the author of the book based on it. The book has grown out my own transition from Wall Street executive to playwright, director, actor, author, musician, teacher, and professional speaker.

In 1988, I left my position as an Institutional Sales Manager and Senior Vice President of L.F. Rothschild & Company to begin doing what I love. In the years following my career change, I witnessed friends and Wall Street colleagues become devastated by downsizing, by burnout, by frustration, and by deteriorating health. That devastation was financial, emotional, and especially spiritual. I witnessed the difficult times that other voluntary career shifters have encountered with fear, finances, and family. Some of these people have come to me for advice, knowing that I’d accomplished a successful transition. Out of these conversations came the realization of the need for a book that would guide people through this profound life shift - that others could benefit from the insights of those who’ve gone before.

My career change was a difficult one. It was especially trying because of the financial situation I’d gotten myself into. For those like me, whose new vocations require economic downshifting, and particularly for those of you who have children, I recognize and respect the very difficult decisions you face. Most of my survey participants are parents; their first-person testimonies will inspire you at the same time that their collective experience will help you to navigate the career change waters.

Since my career change, my plays have been produced Off and Off Off Broadway, as well as in regional theatres around the country. I’ve directed and acted up and down the eastern seaboard. My professional speaking career has taken me from Toledo, Ohio to Florence, Italy. I’m a professional church keyboardist. I coach executives in presentation skills. I volunteer with my local hospice, and in the hospital emergency room. I have never been happier.