In November, Mark accepted a position supervising renovation crews for a larger contractor.

The salary was steady, the hours predictable, and the title less impressive than the one on his old business cards.

He complained about taking instructions from a manager younger than himself.

Then, unexpectedly, he told me the job was teaching him something.

“When I ran my own company, I kept thinking the next contract would solve everything,” he said during a custody exchange.

“Now I have to finish the job that’s actually in front of me.”