Bent on living a dream, Linus Hall quit his engineering job at Bridgestone Firestone in 2001.

FORBES: Money on Tap

In 1997 Yera's obsession finally got the better of him, and he quit his engineering job to become a full-time fishing guide.

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Karel Baloun, 40, quit his Facebook engineering job in 2006 after a year, leaving behind three quarters of his possible stock, to start his own start-up.

WSJ: Missing Out on Facebook Jackpot