For the last four years I’ve been a data scientist whilst working a 4 day week. I look after our 3 young kids on Friday - my wife is a corporate lawyer who work

For the last four years I’ve been a data scientist whilst working a 4 day week. I look after our 3 young kids on Friday - my wife is a corporate lawyer who works 24/7 so this arrangement lets our kids have a bit more parent time. The kids and I have a lot of fun going to places in central London that I would typically avoid due to high crowds on weekends. I don’t think my career has had a negative impact - all the companies (a mix of v early startups and large multinationals) have been very supportive, and I’ve managed to do some of my best professional work during this time. The work life balance is really great this way. It’s clearly not an option if you need that fifth day to pay the bills, but if that’s not the case then it’s worth considering. One slight negative is not having time to learn new skills or work on side projects in the evenings - I’m too exhausted! - but I’ve also been lucky to be able to learn everything I need on the job, so it hasn’t mattered much up till now.