Mom Who Gave Up Dream Career to Raise Kids Wants to Spend Time Away from Family to Study: ‘Everyone Is Happy Apart from Me’

A mother who gave up her dream career 13 years ago to get married and raise two children is now ready to chase her ambitions again.

The woman shared on the community forum Mumsnet that she “wasn’t hugely bothered” by her decision at the time, but recently, she’s felt the pull to find a career she can “love again.”

“Everyone is happy apart from me,” she wrote. “However, I have been offered a place on a master’s conversion course that would see me into a new career. Trouble is, all the universities that offer these courses are at least a three-hour drive away. They are full-time training courses, four to five days a week.”

Because of the schedule and distance, she would likely have to live away from her husband and children for parts of the next two years.

The mom, who said she’s in her late 40s, explained that her husband works from home and their kids are 10 and 12. “So time isn’t on my side to wait,” she said. “I already work part-time in the field and love it and know I’ll love it as a qualified professional, but for two years it could mean living away from everyone mid-week.”

Elaborating on how she feels about the choice, she continued, “I don’t want to leave them, but I’m so unhappy at the moment as I have no career and hate where we live. This would mean I can at least have a career I love again.”

Before making her decision, she asked fellow Mumsnet users if she would be unreasonable to go through with it.

In a poll beneath her post, nearly 75% of more than 3,400 voters chose the option “You are NOT being unreasonable.”

“It’s your life too, you gotta do what makes you happy and show your kids to chase their dreams,” one commenter wrote. “If you don’t try it you will always regret it and hold resentment.”

Another agreed: “It’s a great example to show your kids that it’s okay for women to be ambitious and have a life outside of home too.”

That user added, “You’ll have two to three nights a week at home and school holidays to spend quality time with your kids.”