Abby Connolly
Do you have a friend that you can’t help but be envious of? You want to be supportive, but they may have your dream home, dream partner, or dream job, which drives you crazy.
For one man, it’s not his friend that he’s envious of, but his wife.
Ever since he was a little boy, his father wanted him to become an engineer. His father started preparing him at a young age, telling him he would go to MIT and become an engineer by the time he was an adult. He was enrolled in multiple math and science competitions and worked very hard.
He got into The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a great school, and got to work.
“It was at this school where I got a little more exposure to the real world, and I eventually decided to pursue a different career path,” he said. “This led to my father and I going through a pretty big familial rift.”
A few years have passed, and he and his dad have begun to repair their relationship. This might have to do with the fact that his dad loves his wife, an aerospace engineer.
Whenever they’re out with his family, he’ll watch his dad and wife talk about math, science, and the engineering industry. Essentially, they talk about everything he chose to give up in college.
“To say I feel left out would be an understatement,” he explained. “I feel ousted from my position. I feel like lesser of a man in my father’s eyes, to the point where I don’t speak as much around my family, and when I do, I’m hostile and snappy.”
His insecurities about his career change have affected his relationship with his wife. As he watches her thrive and succeed in engineering, he feels like a failure and struggles to connect with her.
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