I’m 29 and about to start working in the cath lab, and I was honestly really excited about it… until recently.
My boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years, and we’re planning to get engaged this year, buy a house, and hopefully start a family in 2–3 years. That timeline always felt right to me. But someone recently told me it doesn’t make sense to go into the cath lab before having kids, and that most nurses in this specialty already have older children because of the lifestyle and call schedule. It made me feel like I’m going to waste my time and regret it when the time comes to have a future baby.
Ever since then, I can’t stop overthinking it. Add in family pressure about having kids sooner, and now I feel like I’m somehow choosing between building this career I’m excited about and starting a family at the “right” time.
Part of me feels like starting younger is actually the smarter move so I can gain experience and confidence first. But another part of me is worried I’m setting myself up for something that won’t be sustainable once I have kids.
For those of you who’ve been in the cath lab (or similar roles), when did you start? how did you navigate timing your career with having kids? Did you ever feel like one had to come before the other, or starting before vs. after kids made a difference?