How to Keep Career Change from Destroying Your Relationship
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January. 11, 2024 Do you know what is the main source of conflicts in a relationship? If you answered parenting, finances, and household responsibilities, then you are mistaken! According to a 2023 survey, Americans believe that career change is the biggest issue in their relationships.
A job change can, in fact, cause a great deal of strain and stress in your relationship. While changing careers can present new opportunities, it may also come with new challenges. This holds true for both a person's professional and private lives.
How to Face Career Change as a Couple
Transitions are tough, regardless of the kind of transition. When it comes to a couple, both people are required to make adjustments in their lives. If the two do not realize how challenging a career transition can be, it will only add more issues down the road.
1. Talk Immediately
As soon as possible, you must tell your partner of your intention to change careers. She will have time to consider the implications of the change and come around to the idea.
Too often, a man who plans to change careers will reveal his ideas after they have already been implemented, which can definitely cause chaos. Men tend to forget that changing careers may result in a lot of unintended consequences.
Therefore, if you want to keep the relationship going, involve the other person in the process as soon as you have the thought. Communication is essential to a healthy relationship, as it determines whether it will endure a hard time or not.
2. Make Calculations
Understanding how a career change could affect your finances is another essential thing to do. Use a spreadsheet to list your expenses. It will also help to have a year's worth of bank and credit card statements at hand.
Now, take a look at your income and deduct your salary. Referring back to the budget sheet, identify any areas where you could make savings. It is important to have an honest conversation about whether you could survive on one salary, even in the near future.
3. Set Goals and a Time Frame
Couples often commit the mistake of not setting realistic goals during the planning phase. There will almost certainly be obstacles in the short term, even though a new role may benefit your family in the long run. Having said that, the change must be firmly accepted by both sides.
See what kinds of jobs you might be able to get once you make the switch by looking at job postings in your desired field. This will allow you to calculate the potential variations in earnings that you and your spouse will experience.
Plan for a minimum of a year before you begin making the shift. Use career-focused websites to begin expanding your network. If you must return to school, you may need to budget for tuition and extend your time frame.
4. Eliminate Unnecessary Stressors
It is best to get rid of other stressors in your relationship because changing careers can be very stressful. You'll be more adept at handling this big life change if you try to make things easier for yourself.
Changes are disruptive, even the ones we are very eager to pursue. Thus, be very kind to yourself and treat each other with a great deal of generosity. You might also think about setting up a weekly or daily check-in.
Reconsidering A Career Change
The majority of people find that changing careers isn't the best solution for burnout and dissatisfaction in the workplace. Thinking ahead about how to stay current in your work is the better option if you want to maintain your connections and the abilities you have.
For instance, you could enroll in a course that keeps you current on technological developments in your industry. It can also be difficult to get back into the working world once you've left it, which could further strain your relationship.
Reconsidering a career change, therefore, is a must, especially if it requires a multi-year break. Ideally, you should test things out. For example, you could try living off of one salary for the entire year while the two of you continue to work.
A drop in income is a common occurrence during career changes. Testing things out in the above way can help you see how you two, as a couple, behave during the transition period. You'll also have a nice amount of money saved up at the conclusion of the testing phase.
The Takeaway
A change in career typically lines up with a lifestyle change. It often requires returning to school, which would involve a significant time and financial commitment. This explains why many couples run into problems during a career change.
All things considered, choosing to change careers is a choice that affects not only you personally but also your significant other and the complexities of your relationship. If you get bogged down dealing with topics like this, the tips above can help.
