The careers, lives, and work habits of successful individuals were examined to identify factors that might explain their success. Each researcher selected one successful individual to interview. The researchers attempted to select a diverse group of interviewees from the general population, taking special effort to include females and nonwhites. The interview protocol contained 21 questions that were based on Walberg's Theory of Educational Productivity model. Nine of the 10 participants reported encountering a variety of obstacles in the following categories throughout their careers: problems caused by people; personal limitations; financial problems; and job instability. The individual interviewees provided a wide variety of answers when asked about what they were most proud of in their field of expertise, the things to which they attributed their career satisfaction and their success, their methods of sustaining a productive environment, and their sources of inspiration outside work. The interviewees' diverse responses were taken as evidence of the need for educators to take the following actions: (1) recognize and remove the social and institutional obstacles of racism that continue to exist for minority students; (2) focus on increasing students' confidence levels; and (3) help students learn to maintain a balance between school and life outside school and, eventually, between work and life outside work. (Contains 9 references.) (MN)