When father-of-one Anand Iyer gave up his high-powered, six-figure job in high-tec, he was more than a little worried about what the future might bring for him and his family.
However, having become fed up with spending such little time with his 2-year-old daughter, Anand told reporters that in fact, his decision to leave his job and career was the best investment he ever made.
“I wasn’t spending any time with her in the evening. We started talking about how hard this was, being a working parent. My friend said, ‘My son is 2 months old and I haven’t bonded with him yet.’ And I felt the same way. I started to ask myself, ‘What am I working so hard for? Why are we trying to make our lives so great but aren’t investing in time with our child?’”
Following that chat, Anand decided at the end of January to be bold and hand his notice into his boss, explaining that he wanted to spend more time at home with his daughter and wife.
Surprisingly, Anand revealed, his boss was not only not upset, but was on his side in the decision, “He told me, ‘I totally get it,’” said Anand.
And although his boss took the news well, Anand’s father wasn’t so pleased. As Anand explained, “The one person who really questions me is my dad. He says it’s an ‘interesting move.’ He’s curious about it but is really more concerned about whether we’re OK financially.”
Nevertheless, Anand’s dad’s fears are a little unfounded, as Anand said he has managed to save a substantial amount of money over the years, “The reality is that I’m fortunate that I’ve been working nonstop for a long time so it wasn’t as difficult a transition for us financially as it could have been,” he said.
The transition into being a house husband wasn’t an easy one though for Anand, socially speaking, as he explained, “I would look down at my phone a lot because I didn’t know how to socialize there. I didn’t know what to say. But I’m slowly starting to make my way into that circle. It’s about being there over and over again, I think. And now that I’ve done this a few times, and I’m recognizing people in the neighborhood, it’s gotten better. ”
Anand concluded that, for now, he is more than happy with his decision to leave his job in favor of spending quality time with his daughter, “Seeing Ava grow from little girl to a big girl is so rewarding and I can’t say that I would have seen it this way if I’d been working all day, every day,” he said.
[Image credit: bastillepost.com]
