From CEO To Math Teacher

As the CEO of H&R Block (HRB) — America’s top tax preparation firm that revolutionized electronic filing — Tom Bloch produced huge profits and earned nearly $1 million a year.

Despite his success and fortune, he gave it all up at age 41 to do what he saw as more fulfilling and beneficial to society: teaching math at an inner-city middle school.

His career change drew national attention in 1995. Oprah had him on her TV show, as did NBC’s “Today.” People magazine featured him, as did the New York Times.

They all quoted people wondering how a CEO could leave the firm that his dad built and take a 98% pay cut.

Bloch’s answer? He borrowed one from the Dalai Lama on the meaning of life: Be happy and useful.

“I think when you find your calling and you follow your heart, you just become a more fulfilled person,” Bloch told IBD. “I find that my work in urban education in a very, very small way (is) working at repairing the world. And what I learned over these years is that when you work at repairing the world, you repair yourself.”

BY TRANG HO
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY

Read the full story From Tax CEO to Math Teacher

Related Posts:

• Tom Bloch interview with Entrepeneur.com - Sept 2008
• Seven Lessons Learned by CEO turned teacher Tom Bloch - Aug 2008
• Tom Bloch’s book - Amazon.com
  • Stand for the Best: What I Learned after Leaving My Job as CEO of H&R Block to Become a Teacher and Founder of an Inner-City Charter School (Hardcover)