Career goals change. Maybe you first started on your career track in college because they told you that you had to pick a major. You weren’t sure what you wanted to do, but you made that choice at 18 years old, and it guided the rest of your life.
Now, in your 30s, you realize that you want something else out of life. You want to start a new career. While you may have the freedom and ability to do it, what type of impact is this going to have on the rest of your life?
If you’re married, experts warn that something like this can lead to a divorce. It puts a lot on your plate, so to speak, that your spouse never anticipated. That can stress your marriage and break up your relationship.
“Major life transitions, especially career transitions, are stressful, and that stress often bleeds into the marriage,” noted the National Marriage Project’s director.
For instance, maybe you worked as a teacher close to home. In your new career, you have to spend weeks or months on the road. You like to travel, but your spouse agreed to marry you when they thought you’d be around all of the time. They don’t like being alone so much, and the distance takes a toll on your romantic relationship. Over time, you drift apart and start thinking about ending the marriage.
This is just one example, but it’s important to think about the future with every decision you make. If you do wind up getting a divorce, make sure you know about all of the legal rights you have.
