The truth lately? It really sucks.
The truth is, if I want to continue with my career (8yrs), I'll have to uproot my family and move. If I want to stay near my extended family and live in a quiet, safe little corner of the world, I have to give up my career. The state of things right now in my field is pretty bleak, with worse to come in the next 3-5 years.
Gone are the days where I'd dream about giving my daughter all the opportunities I never had. Gone are the days where I'd hope that I could give my daughter most of the opportunities I've had. Now I'm staring down the barrel of maybe not even being able to raise my daughter with anyone other than me & her Dad nearby.
How do families make that choice? Money or family? Why not both? The truth is, many of my peers have one family member living at home, and the other thousands of kilometers away, toiling away in the oil patch or doing some similar horrible-sounding job in some area that's even more remote.
Don't get me wrong, I love spending time at home with my little one on days when I don't get called in. But next year, she starts kindergarten. The year after that, she'll be in school all day. Before long, she'll be making career plans. I hope I have my career figured out by that time!
Some days, even though I'm in my 30s, I feel like I'm 18 and staring into that wide abyss of the future, not knowing what it has in store.
Sorry for the dark tone... just felt a little isolated in this thought and had to get it out there. Not that anyone is actually reading this. But if you are, and you are in a similar situation, I'd love to hear from you.
