Does Moving Up Mean Moving Apart?

Your career is no longer simply a job and following your dreams with your partner right beside you is a challenge. But, don’t lose hope! Keshini Dunusinghe guides you to a possible solution.

- Keshini Dunusinghe

Imagine this: You’ve progressed up the corporate ladder when a fantastic opportunity opens up. It’s pretty much your dream gig, but there’s a catch: this job might change the direction of your personal life if your partner isn’t cool with you becoming the HBIC you were meant to be. So, one evening you sit him down to break the news. Now, this conversation can go in two directions, either he’ll be thrilled to bits for you and support your new role, or he’ll be distraught by the change leaving you in a tricky situation.

When you were younger, you may have believed that love alone is enough to sustain your relationship. But unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that while love is the most important element in a relationship, many other factors that play a significant role in deciding its success. One such factor is your career.

What is a career?

One school of thought on the topic of career is that it’s what pays you to put food on the table and a roof above your head. But, today, a career has transitioned into something more—it’s a passion, an accomplishment and a form of satisfaction. Of course, at the end of the day, you need your career to reward you with the means to make a living too. But creating an occupation, working on it, actively making progress towards an end goal is a way of life. So it makes sense that your career fulfills you and allows you to have continuous growth as a professional.

But why do your career dreams hinder your personal life or vice versa?

In the recent past, it has become quite a task to thrive at your job while having a happy love life. Sometimes, your partner may not understand why you want that promotion when money is not an issue in your life or when you want to quit your perfectly comfortable, well-paying job to start a business from scratch! But, why? Let’s investigate…