Hi everyone,
I'm 39 years old and originally from near Mangalore. I work as a Design Engineer in the automotive industry in Chennai and currently earn over ₹25 LPA. Professionally, things have finally started going well after many years of working my way up from a low salary.
Unfortunately, my personal life has become very difficult over the past month.
My father (68) has been 75% disabled due to left-side paralysis since 2015.
My mother (66) was recently diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma. We're still waiting for the IHC report to determine the primary cancer site.
My wife recently started working as an Assistant Professor.
We have a 3-year-old child.
Because of childcare and work, my wife is currently staying with her parents, who live about 70 km from my parents' house. I'm working in Chennai, while my parents are near Mangalore. I feel like I'm being pulled in every direction.
Financially, I don't have substantial savings apart from my PF because I spent many years earning a relatively modest salary before reaching my current income.
I'm now questioning whether I should:
Continue in my current job and support my parents financially from a distance.
Look for a lower-paying job closer to Mangalore or Bengaluru.
Try to move into consulting, teaching, or a remote role. I completed Diploma only
Or take a completely different approach.
My biggest fear is making an emotional career decision that I regret later while also not being there enough for my parents.
If you've been in a similar situation—balancing aging parents, serious illness, a young child, and career responsibilities—how did you handle it?
What would you do if you were in my position?
I'm looking for honest advice and different perspectives. Thank you for taking the time to read this.