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11. Your career will suffer Point #11 is not necessarily a bad thing. Having a child is a forcing function, requiring you to really prioritize what's important

11. Your career will suffer Point #11 is not necessarily a bad thing. Having a child is a forcing function, requiring you to really prioritize what's important (and not important) in your life. All of us only have 24 hours in the day. All of us have limits. Also, be prepared that not all fathers (especially in the corporate world) will see eye-to-eye. My relationship with one of my mentors dissolved practically overnight when my priorities shifted from work to home; I only realized later on that when his 3rd child was born, he threw himself at work even more. Some men find work as a way to escape life at home. I now understand why.

swader999 4y ago
My career took off with kids. Something to do with purpose and motivation I think.
- seanicus 4y ago
  Francis Ford Coppola said something to the effect of how having a bunch of kids served as a huge financial and artistic motivator for him. Not sure I'd recommend in that my kid is 2 and I'm not sure if I've done even 1000 words of creative since then. I did turn down a near-lateral promotion that would've require 60%+ travel. Everyone has to do right by their families and values but appreciating and maximizing my time for me this era in my life is worth a price above rubies (though even I have a selling point, lol).
  - IvanaSays 4y ago
    Oh my god. Trust me, you'll NEVER hear a woman say that. Yuk.
- georgeburdell 4y ago
  What kind of job do you have?
  - swader999 4y ago
    Software dev
octetta 4y ago
My 3 kids are all grown and I have only now begun to realize why they have hard and “real” conversations with my wife and light and simple ones with me (to the frustration of my wife)… I suppose it’s because I was an absent parent. Do better than I did!
paulhodge 4y ago
Another thought on careers, I think parenthood is also a good gateway into management level roles. You get practice being the boss at home and that skill translates. A lot of work problems are very similar to dealing with angry toddlers.
markus_zhang 4y ago
LOL so true...damn I thought I wrote this.

swader999 4y ago

My career took off with kids. Something to do with purpose and motivation I think.

seanicus 4y ago
Francis Ford Coppola said something to the effect of how having a bunch of kids served as a huge financial and artistic motivator for him. Not sure I'd recommend in that my kid is 2 and I'm not sure if I've done even 1000 words of creative since then. I did turn down a near-lateral promotion that would've require 60%+ travel. Everyone has to do right by their families and values but appreciating and maximizing my time for me this era in my life is worth a price above rubies (though even I have a selling point, lol).
- IvanaSays 4y ago
  Oh my god. Trust me, you'll NEVER hear a woman say that. Yuk.
georgeburdell 4y ago
What kind of job do you have?
- swader999 4y ago
  Software dev

octetta 4y ago

My 3 kids are all grown and I have only now begun to realize why they have hard and “real” conversations with my wife and light and simple ones with me (to the frustration of my wife)… I suppose it’s because I was an absent parent. Do better than I did!

paulhodge 4y ago

Another thought on careers, I think parenthood is also a good gateway into management level roles. You get practice being the boss at home and that skill translates. A lot of work problems are very similar to dealing with angry toddlers.

markus_zhang 4y ago

LOL so true...damn I thought I wrote this.