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Do not do this until your youngest child is at least 4.

There is no profession better matching what women in western countries expect from a co-parent than tech. The money first and foremost, but the flexibility to work (more accurately, pretend to work) remotely, too.

Let me reiterate:

For your marriage, do not do this until your youngest child is at least 4.

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As someone who changed careers as my youngest was born - hard agree.
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This would be ideal, but practically speaking, it will only become harder to switch careers and make up the income gap as I get older (i'm 30) and more people leave tech for less volatile industries. Plus, I don't think we'll be one and done re: kids. I don't think waiting is necessarily a smart long-term move given rising anti-tech sentiment among workers, even if it would be better to wait until the perfect age from a lifestyle perspective. This is just my opinion.
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I guess it depends on how the pay actually compares.

If the tech salary is more than the trade salary, every year you hold on is more runway for the eventual transition. Even if it takes you longer to get into the new thing because you were slow jumping ship, the extra runway might cover the difference.

Obviously I've had similar thoughts to the ones you're having. But this is a pretty cushy gig and I don't think leaving it before they make me is the right decision.

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Incel logic for relationships. This isn't how people actually work. Lost my job, considering career switch, marriage and baby are fine
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Everyone has different situations and different level of risk.

If u lost your job already, u didn't choosingly give up a stable(don't know u, so guessing) job as the other person alludes (don't know their situation so people guessing here).

So if u had a stable good paying job, giving it up to start something new while having a new kid can be very hard .. but doable. Still I'll advised.

If u lost your job, based on job market, career switch makes total sense as you need to help provide and a career switch may provide a better or stable opp.

Many people have successful home life/family life with no financial stability or even a job altogether...

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> Everyone has different situations and different level of risk.

that's true, and also why it's prudent to not go around giving unsolicited family advice to strangers.

also it's why, when you're talking about one particular woman you've never met, you should keep the demographic insights you think you have about her to yourself.

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important context for me is that layoffs keep eating my company every 6 months or so, meanwhile the due date is fast approaching. treading shark-infested waters
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If you start a post talking about what you think western women value and then continue with the idea that women just want to be taken care of by a man, their partner your world view is distorted by garbage information.

Healthy and stable relationships sre built on care and being good people, not what you're job provides.

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> my wife is pregnant

You're just about to become much more dependent on a stable income.

> i have to find a profession that comes reasonably close to tech salaries. i've been writing poetry by hand.

These two sentences are completely independent of each other.

Sorry to be a downer, but once you have kids shit gets real and room for idealism shrinks fast.

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> my wife is pregnant >> You're just about to become much more dependent on a stable income.

I would say your priorities and what you value are about to radically change. Parenthood is very instinctual, you'll work so much harder and struggle and worry so much more than you ever have but you'll find so much more joy than you ever thought existed at the same time. Once you hold your child for the first time the only thing that will matter will be your family and that will drive your decision making from there forward.

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>once you have kids shit gets real and room for idealism shrinks fast

I get what you mean, but if there's any part of me I want to pass onto my daughter, it's my idealism. What would be the point? "Hey, I would like to get involved in this 'Next Generation of Humanity' project because I love people and think we are wonderful and can do anything. Before I go having a kid though, let me actively forget all that!"

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> you're just about to become much more dependent on a stable income

would you consider the 2026 SaaS market stable? Very naive take.

> These two sentences are completely independent of each other.

They are two separate thoughts. Two thoughts that are separate can exist in one comment. They are just next to each other. The profession that comes close to tech salaries is elevator mechanic. The poetry is for my heart, which is related to this guy's post, in which he talks about leaving tech for the sake of his heart.

Not only are you a downer, but you have a highly unusual approach to parsing information.

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Typically two sentences directly following one another are related. You are missing a paragraph to separate your completely unrelated thoughts. The person you are replying to has a normal way of passing information. You need to work on how you present your information.
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Aren't they related in the sense that they're not tech/SaaS/software related? "I'm looking into being an elevator mechanic; I need the money because my wife is pregnant." and then "I'm writing poetry by hand." Like, their life is going in a non-tech direction?
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> would you consider the 2026 SaaS market stable? Very naive take.

There is lots of stable software work outside of SaaS. Not exciting but reliable and pays decently. That's what might take priority when you start a family.

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Why is it a sacred journey? They are quitting a job at Sentry and taking one a Home Depot. As much as I value the role that Home Depot plays in society I'd never use the word "sacred" to describe the work, nor the work at any other job.
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I guess it depends on what sacred means to you. i'm not a religious person, so my definition is entirely personal, but i consider honoring yourself even when it looks like a failure to others, or even when it doesnt give you money/power etc. to be a holy act.
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I am reminded of the lesson "Some say he is a holy man. Others say he is a shithead.", from the Principia Discordia.

https://www.principiadiscordia.com/book/12.php

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brother I've thought about the tech to blue collar transition too. for me, I would choose plumbing or electrical, but it seems like 4 years of low apprentice wages are unavoidable.
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