When it comes to a career, the dream is always a job you feel passionate about that also pays well, but not everyone is that lucky. Most people have obligations and responsibilities that mean passions get saved for after-work hobbies instead of risky career moves.
That’s the exact dilemma one woman is currently facing. She is struggling between being a supporting wife and being financially stable for their two children.
A wife is confused after her husband asked her to move across the country and live out of their car so he can pursue a career as a comedian.
In a since-deleted post on Reddit, later uploaded to YouTube, the wife explained her situation.
She thought their life was wonderful. She had a job that she loved and was the “main breadwinner” for the past 12 years. Her husband, however, was an unemployed line cook who spent his days lounging around the house and listening to the comedians on the “Kill Tony” podcast.
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“He wants me to leave my job and live in our Mazda 3 at 40 while he pursues comedy,” she wrote.
Although she was happy that her husband finally found something he would like to pursue, she did not like that he asked her to leave her job.
Unsure of what to do, she debated whether or not to tell him she would stay home with the kids while he pursued his dreams.
The husband was clearly only thinking of himself and not the stability of his family.
She explained that he wanted to travel, go camping, and spend time doing comedy shows, but as a person who was homeless when she was 18, she worried he was going down the same path she lived when she was young.
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She wanted him to pursue his dreams, but she thought he should find a job that was less of a risk for their family.
“I have established myself in my career while doing the job of a full-time housewife for the last 20 years,” she confessed.
Her husband refused to give up on his dream without trying.
She shared that it was not a pursuit he was willing to take without her going with him, however. And they have been arguing about it.
He asked her to consider using their retirement savings to head out on the road as a family. Needless to say, commenters and this woman agreed that was a bad idea.
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Aside from the irrational thinking that leaving a home and financially stable environment would be healthy for kids, the sad reality is that a successful career in comedy would not be likely. Although a survey showed that around 50% of comedians perform 1-2 times per week, 66% said that they make less than $100 a month.
The couple needs to find a compromise or their marriage will end.
Everyone has the right to pursue their dream, no matter their age, but when dependents are involved, priorities must change. There is no reason this man can’t pursue his comedy more locally so the family doesn’t have to risk living out of a car, but his wife needs to put her foot down.
If you are willing to risk everything, including your family and finances, that’s your choice, but it’s also this mom’s choice to choose her career and her kids over this irresponsible decision.
If he’s truly committed to making this dream a reality, he should prove to her that it’s sustainable first. If he’s not willing to do that, she should not entertain the risk.
Lauren Reams is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news.