From corporate drone to stay-at-home dad, 2 years in

Feb 251 min read

Left my job at a tech company making decent money to stay home with the kids when my wife got promoted. Honestly thought I'd hate it but man, I don't miss the 6am commute or the meaningless meetings one bit. What I DO miss is having my own money and not asking for permission to buy things. The identity shift was weird though - people used to ask what I did for work, now I just say I'm a dad and I can see them recalculating who I am as a person. But getting my kids off the bus every day and being there for the small stuff? Worth every penny I'm not making. Just gotta get over feeling like a failure sometimes.

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Comments(5)

DDerek M.New DadFeb 26

Respect for making this work. A lot of dads talk about wanting to be more present but you actually did it. How did your work friends react when you told them?

DDanNew DadFeb 26

Two years in, how's the financial stress? I think about doing this sometimes but the money part scares me. Did your wife's promotion cover the gap okay or is it still tight?

MMarcusRegularFeb 26

This is the dream and the nightmare at the same time right? You get to be there for everything but you also never clock out. What do you miss most from the corporate job?

RRuben A.RegularFeb 25

That's awesome man, good for you. I left the corporate grind too and family dinner became my favorite part of the day. Two years in and I can't imagine going back, even with four kids to feed.

MMike T.RegularFeb 25

This is what I needed to hear right now. I'm a brand new dad and terrified about potentially being the stay-at-home parent someday, but seeing you thrive at it gives me real hope.