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What are some important tips for starting a family early in your career?

If you would like to start a family but are fairly new in your career, what would be some actions take to ensure you would be able to accomplish both without affecting each other. Also, how do you decide on where to live with the new family. #family #career #work-life-balance #parenting

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Christopher’s Answer

The best piece of advice I could give here is to have open communication with not only your spouse but your boss/colleagues. Having an open discussion with those you work with can allow them and you to develop a plan to help you meet both your career and family obligations. I found everyone was willing to work with me and be flexible with my work arrangements as long as I kept open lines of communication and was able to complete my work on time.


The same can be said with your spouse. It will take sacrifice on both your parts to accomplish both your work and family goals. So always communicating what is happening away from work as well as what is happening at home is important.


In terms of where to live, finding a location that accommodates both of your needs, even it requires a compromise on both your parts, is important.
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Carrie’s Answer

All of the answers above are absolutely helpful! As someone who had a child while still in school and the second one while beginning my career all of the above would have knowledge that was priceless. But one thing I feel that isn't called out as much above is that you want to make sure you are READY to start a family. Of course not everyone has the luxury of thinking about this before you find it happens. My advice is to do all that you can so that starting a family happens at a time that you decide. Then when you decide this is what you want at the time you want, make sure that both you and the person you want to have that family with are not just financially ready or have that time to dedicate, but that you are mentally prepared. Raising a tiny human is HARD work, there are endless rewards, but the work you will put in is not at all easy. As someone who was a young parent, I raised my children with this thought - if you are not in a position to put aside all things you have every wanted in life to ensure the safety and happiness for your child - you are not ready to have one. It may sound harsh, but honestly, life can be too. If something goes awry, you have to be willing and able to set anything and everything by the wayside in order to make sure your child has what they need on a daily basis to live.
Aside from this, when people say "don't blink" referring to how fast life is and how kids grow before you eyes, believe them. Your kids will be adults before you even thought possible. Every moment is one that you will wish for later. Maybe not their temper tantrums! (haha) But when it feels like one day you are asking your almost 2 year old to slow down on growing out of their clothes and learning new things and the next your kid is half way through their college degree and talking about internship opportunities - then you will understand that cheesy saying and how true it is! :)
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Simeon’s Answer

You'll have your hands full, but it'll be important to figure out a few things. First of all, make sure that you and your spouse have similar expectations for the money and time you'll be spending to make the new family situation work out. Second, work-life balance will be pretty important; make sure that you are at a company that will be flexible if you need to work out things that are family-related. Three, make sure to take into account the cost of child-care. If you are both going to be working, make sure that the cost of child care isn't higher than the salary being pulled by one of you. At that point, it's more efficient to have the lower wage earner stay home. If you can get a remote job, it'll help you with the work-life balance a lot between not having to commute and being able to check in and see how things are going from time to time. If not, try to get a commute that is half an hour or less if at all possible.
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Ann’s Answer

Hello,

I did not have this in place before I had my children, but looking back, this is what I would say:
1. Find where you want to live and make a home there first. Personally, having to move 5 times in 2 years was exhausting, and much more so with little ones.
2. Have automobiles that are safe and up-to-date on maintenance. Have enough room for said new child(ren). Take into account 2 door, vs 4 door.
3. Have a savings built up, enough to cover 3 months of all of your expenses. You never know what kind of situations life could throw at you. Having that cushion will help your stress level if you have it. Trust me, when you have no money to buy formula or diapers, life is rough.
4. Talk with your boss about your wishes, for example, you want to be present during doctor visits, or for paternity leave. See what your company's HR team has available.
5. Talk to your insurance company, or get a job that has good insurance. Having a baby is expensive and you will want to know how much to typically have saved up for birth, regular visits, sick care, injuries and so on.
6. Talk with your spouse about a time each day that the two of you can hold special, like dinner, or a show you watch. Make sure you keep a daily practice of a you and spouse time. If you do not, working, taking care of the child, and tiredness may get you in a cycle where you forget about each other.
7. Decide how you will teamwork housework and parenting.
8. Be patient. It takes us all a while to figure it out. Have people like friends and family support you and your kids in this new chapter.
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PwC’s Answer

Find others at the firm who have done the same and get mentorship and advice. Be proactive with scheduling your calendar and make sure to block times needed for your family and communicate well with your teams. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries and ask for flexibility in scheduling. Be flexible yourself and support others so they are willing to support you.
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Thomas’s Answer

I agree with Christopher.  Open communication is key.   You will need the support of your spouse/partner/coworkers to help juggle daily tasks.  With the help of peers, I was able to off shift work assignments to accommodate class schedules and work commitments.   Your sacrifice is short term, compared to the rewards you will gain in a lifetime. 


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