I have learned the value of career flexibility. It helps enormously if at least one partner has a career path that allows for good earnings with the ability to

I have learned the value of career flexibility. It helps enormously if at least one partner has a career path that allows for good earnings with the ability to scale back on work or leave the work force for a few years without badly harming long term career prospects. I've noticed that a number of health related professions, ranging from dental hygienist and registered nurse up through dermatologist or radiologist, are big winners in terms of "career flexibility." Some of these fields have very high early barriers to entry (radiologist), others have medium-high barriers to entry (nursing isn't a trivial degree program, nor is dental hygiene). However, out in SF, these fields often pay (at the median) as much as or considerably more than software development (again, at the median). Now that I've gotten older with kid, I place a much higher emphasis on financial and career stability, and time with the family is more important than long hours at the office (or the small possibility of a huge financial score), I really do see vastly greater appeal in these health-related career paths than I did when I was younger. I wouldn't go so far as to say I wish I'd gone into one of these fields (grass is greener etc., and there's a reason I was so interested in computers and math as a young person and continue to be as a middle aged person). I'd just say that becoming a parent who would like a stable income and more time with my kids has helped me understand the desire to go into these fields far more than I used to.