[mikecaron]

Jonathan Coulton comes to mind. He left his boring job as a programmer to pursue music as a way to make a living. He does not sacrifice family time for his "dream", but provides an example of a dad doing something he enjoys to make money for the family while having fun with the family.

[eliam]

My situation is a little different. I actually enjoy programming. What I miss is the satisfaction of building solutions to real problems and working with other developers who are as passionate and dedicated their work as I am. We put a lot of effort into becoming the best we can. It's nice to have the opportunity to put those skills to good use.