A quick return.

Carolyn Wierda's career as a professional educator ended almost as quickly as it started. Just a couple of years into teaching at Merrill Elementary School in Saginaw County, Mich., Wierda received a pink slip. She figured it might be better to find another career field.

But nearly two years later, the school district called her back at age 28 to apply for the principalship of the same school. Wierda won the job, launching a three-decade career in educational administration that ended last June with her retirement as superintendent in Bay City, Mich.