If you take a different path, you should remember that many such a choice was made and it's usually irreversible. And then you must also use the consequences o

If you take a different path, you should remember that many such a choice was made and it's usually irreversible. And then you must also use the consequences of that decision to direct your "return" - strictly you can never really return "status quo ante". There's an opportunity cost you've already committed to and taken. You close a door but a window opens - but you NEVER have all the same choices ever again. This strictly happens even without having children just you don't notice the gap caused by opportunity cost as much. And that's perfectly OK. BUT if you think it is a reversible choice, then you are the cause any trouble that results. Instead think outside the box instead because you must. I'm guy who's rarely taken the "safe path" of a career. For example, my father worked for the same company for 40 years; I've never worked in the same job for more than 5 years. And the range of jobs I've had covers a wide range of industries despite always being technical. I've had to do the above "contextual reset" over and over again. It's both a pain in the ass and a joy at the same time. The latter mostly because it means everything must be "new" again; the former because you are forced out of your comfort zone as your prior job defined it. Each time I changed jobs, the change was big enough that I destroyed my chanceso to ever "follow the original career continuity path". I could never "recover" status quo ante by simply going back to any one of those jobs expecting nothing had changed nor expecting I should be caught up with anyone else who didn't take a diversion. You can't go back. But you can find a new direction with new strengths and weaknesses that never would have been possible if you'd never left. It's time to get creative. Honestly it's a WONDERFUL opportunity that this kind of career diversion creates. You need to reset your context in planning next moves. But you've made an irreversible decisions. Having children is one of those. Doing what I have done is much the same. BTW I learned early in my career that resumes/CVs are low effort and low effectiveness. I stopped using them as my primary job search tool except to "seal the deal with HR bureaucracy" after I'm already "hired" back in my 20s (I turn 60 this year). I NEVER "lead" a job search with a resume; I lead with network building and one-on-one campaigns to find the job I WANT at the company I'VE DECIDED TO WORK AT. My current employer was CHOSEN to be an M&A target for my most recent startup. The person to "closed" our acquisition is someone I networked with 15 years before.