Want a New Career? Take an Encore

Bob Williams spent two decades climbing the ladder at Square D, an electrical equipment company based in Illinois, before he retired as vice president at the age of 41.

But the young engineer-turned-executive wasn't done working. He picked up his bundles of cash and bought a shop in Matthews, N.C., that sells baseball cards, comic books and sports memorabilia.

"It's the old work-hard, play-hard idea," he says.

While his position at Square D was fulfilling in its own right, Williams found himself constantly on the road with no quality time to spend with his family. He started collecting cards with his children -- a son, now 23, and a daughter, now 25 -- as a hobby, and parlayed that hobby into a new career when he left Square D in 1996. ...