Being one of the most urbanized ethnic groups in Bessarabia, the majority of Russian population was engaged in professional activities. Th e article analyzes the specialized occupations of the Russian-speaking intellectuals from Kishinev when this region was a part of Royal Romania. Changes taken place in the labor market during this transitional historical period have transformed the formerly existing hierarchy of employment, moving the Russians from managerial and administrative structures to economic and cultural spheres of activity. Based on the materials that deal with the life trajectories of diff erent professional groups of intellectuals (offi cials, employees, lawyers, doctors, journalists, artists, etc.), the author reviews a less studied plot of adaptation of the Russian-speaking specialists to new political and socio-economic conditions, determining the ways and chances of their self-realization. Previous professions or the acquisition of new ones, able to realize the creative potential, could emphasize their signifi cance as the “owner of the profession” and allowed them to consistently maintain their habitual lifestyle and cultural traditions, contributing to social adaptation to the new reality.