Your career is an important part of your relationship.
While it doesn’t hold your hand or make you laugh, it does determine how financially stable you are, whether you’re equipped to start a family, how much free time you have with your spouse, and where you are currently living.
Needless to say, these are some pretty important factors in a happy marriage. That’s why it’s so important to discuss where you see your career paths headed before getting married – not after!
Don’t let your future career moves come as a shock to your sweetheart.
Here are 7 reasons why you should discuss your professional goals with your spouse before you head for the altar.
1. It’s Just Good Manners
When you love someone, you want to be open and honest about your intentions – especially if they are considering sharing their life with you.
For example, perhaps you are working your way up to run the business you are in and need to devote extra time to your work for the next few months or years. This would require patience on behalf of your partner. Are they comfortable sharing you with your work for as long as you both shall live?
It is simply good manners to keep your spouse updated on where you see your life headed in the future so that they can plan accordingly.
2. It Gives an Idea about your Financial Future
There is no doubt that your career path will affect your standards of living.
Do you plan on pursuing the life of an entrepreneur? If so, this will greatly impact how you and your spouse will live.
Statistics show that 90 percent of new start-ups will fail, meaning your decision to pursue your dreams will not be an easy one. Entrepreneurs often rely on their spouses to take care of the household financial needs while they are building their business.
The finances you share with your partner will also determine what you can do with your life. If you want to have children, financial stability is a must. The same goes for buying a home or traveling together.
3. You May Not Agree
One big reason to discuss your future career plans with your spouse is that they might not agree with your goals and decisions. For example, your partner may not be as thrilled as you are about your taking on overtime every single week.
Or perhaps your spouse works days and you exclusively work nights. This may cause problems within the marriage as this schedule would not afford you an opportunity to have regular quality time together throughout the week.
Discussing your career moves gives you and your partner an opportunity to work through any disagreements you may have about where you see your futures going.
4. Potential for Relocation
Your career choice has the potential to affect where you live. Whether it’s the nature of your job or due to a promotion, your work may involve regular travel or a complete relocation.
It’s important to share this information with your spouse before you get married. They may not be as jazzed about moving to a new country for the next five years as you are – or they may love it! The point is, you will never know until you discuss it openly.
If your spouse has agreed to marry you, letting them know about your potential plans for relocating would be the loving thing to do. After all, they likely have easy access to friends and family where you currently live. They probably also work in your current city. Springing a sudden move on your partner would not be respectful.
5. Discuss Your Life Goals
When you get married you are blending two lives together. You are creating a new path to walk as a couple. But what will you do if you get married only to realize your futures don’t align?
This is why it is important to discuss where you see this path going before you’ve committed to one another for the rest of your life.
Discuss your goals regarding where you want to live, whether you want to buy or rent a home, how you plan to retire, share or separate debts, start a family, and more.
6. Improves Trust
Imagine this scenario: You have just married the love of your life. You live together and have your lives planned out and firmly planted in your city. Now your spouse comes to you stating that their intentions all along were to move across the country for work, but they never clued you into their plans.
Would this be a loving situation? Of course not! You would feel left out of the loop of your own life.
A marriage is a partnership. Couples should not make important life decisions alone, nor should they want to. They should want to openly discuss their goals and dreams with their spouse, as a team. By doing this not only do they show love and respect for their spouse, but they also improve trust.
7. It’s Healthy to Communicate
If you know how to communicate with your spouse, you’re already ahead of the game. Studies show that communication leads to improved sexual satisfaction and greater relationship quality.
This is no surprise. It has often been said that communication is the foundation of a great relationship. It helps couples get to know one another better and work as a team. Knowing how to communicate also helps solve arguments in a way that is fair and respectful.
When you communicate with your partner about your career goals before you tie the knot is a way of preparing for marriage then you promote a healthy, satisfying relationship.
8. You May end up Working Long Hours
Another reason why you should really discuss your career with your partner before you marry is because you may end up working long hours. If you are currently training to become a nurse or if you are thinking about enrolling in online MSN FNP programs, then you may end up having to work nights, or 14-hour shifts. This can take its toll on your marriage, so make sure that you are open and that you discuss it properly with your partner before you make your marriage commitment.
Your career can take you to many places in life. It can bring you to a new country or to a different socioeconomic class. Wherever your professional life takes you, you want your partner to be there by your side. Communicate openly with your spouse about your career goals before you walk down the aisle to ensure you’re on the same page about your future.
Author Bio:
Rachael Pace is a noted writer currently associated with Marriage.com. She provides inspiration, support, and empowerment in the form of her motivational articles and essays. Rachael enjoys studying about today’s evolving forms of loving partnerships and is passionate about writing on all types of romantic connections. She believes that everyone should make room for love in their lives and encourages couples to work on overcoming their challenges together.
LifeAsMama
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