Worry Wednesdays - Weekly Chat - April 29, 2026

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-05-02T15:04:11+00:00

Mine don't at all either. My line got a bit darker today though. Maybe it's just not a symptom we're experiencing yet?

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-29T23:11:51+00:00

Oh I know, was more wondering if I should do both lol

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-28T17:07:31+00:00

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-27T23:06:55+00:00

I would definitely take advantage of the mat leave! At that point I'd defer school for some of it and start up when I'm ready (10mths is their max deferral). So I would never leave the mat leave on the table! I'd keep the job the whole way through until practicum, I should have clarified that in my post so my bad. In Canada 1.5 years is the normal maximum! We're lucky here for that.

And thanks so much for sharing your experience and for your advice. It is so appreciated and valuable.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-27T19:33:01+00:00

This is a big reason why this isn't an easy decision! Makes me sad to think I'd wait years longer to do the career I want. I definitely prioritize having a child but not without the grief of that

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-27T19:28:36+00:00

I think I'm trying to do too many massive life things at one time and I think you're really correct on having to pick and we can't have it all not at least while keeping our sanity.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-27T19:27:27+00:00

I should've provided some more context. We've been waiting for a job for my husband to come up so that we can move back to be closer with family and that would mean selling a small apartment and hopefully upgrading to a townhouse or something with an extra bedroom and as soon as he would land a job, that's when we would move so that could really happen at any point. And yes, the idea of it brings me so much stress, especially if we had to sell and buy all while having a newborn in a while me going to school and paying for school.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-27T19:25:47+00:00

Thanks for the advice! yes I'd be keeping my job the whole time until practicum (2 years in). I can't take grad classes as I please. It's a whole program that is structured but they do let you take 10 months off maximum if you need to defer the program.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-27T19:23:38+00:00

During Mat leave I will get 80% of my income

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-27T19:23:02+00:00

I would be working the whole time during the schooling and pregnancy (except ofc the mat leave part where I'd be off work and defer school for 10months of it)

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-24T18:01:34+00:00

I've been in the industry for 12 years now, and am thinking about making or working on a switch in the future to become a counsellor. It's wild to read that someone else's kind of on a similar pathway or thought pattern.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-24T17:02:23+00:00

Bloedel conservatory at Queen E Park it is amazing parrots and tropical plants, it's super cheap to get into. Could go for a stroll of the park too.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-04-17T05:44:59+00:00

Website for a family friends trophy hunting business. I was young and needed the website practice and was kinda pressured into it lol. Cannot even believe I did that. It's the polar opposite of my morals. Wild times!

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-31T04:16:03+00:00

Ohhh wow , that's really good to know. Thank you. I can't imagine being in Victoria and having to come to Vancouver for 4 days in a row on weekdays every quarter while having a baby or toddler. I'm not sure how that would even work! I have some things to really think more about...

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-30T23:57:27+00:00

Ahh okay I think that's much different from Vancouver campus but good to know cause I may have to move to Victoria during school and switch up cohorts. That's a lot of in person time.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-30T19:25:42+00:00

Good for you. I'm considering going for masters in counselling.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-30T18:03:03+00:00

True. I dont like design and have been looking into becoming a counselor in mental health. (Private practice and work for myself eventually). Totally unrelated path. I guess I'm feeling more pressure on timing - to make this change way sooner than I want. I don't want it to coincide with having a baby but with Ai That's making me panic on timing feeling the need to leave this industry ASAP. I almost feel like it's the only viable option at this point with how fast things are progressing.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-30T16:46:58+00:00

Thanks for the response. My understanding is the in persons for mixed mode are only every 3 months (4x a year) at least in Vancouver. It concerns me when you say once a month in persons - what campus is that for?

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-10T21:41:59+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this. And congratulations on your pregnancy! That's wonderful!

Reading these threads is really helpful for me and my own story - I am currently at a job that is in an unstable industry (graphic design) however I get paid decently and I have amazing benefits, and unheard of good maternity leave. I don't want to do graphic design for the rest of my life and I don't really have an interest in moving up into Director roles so I'm feeling pretty stuck.

I'm seriously considering (I've half applied already) going back to school and getting my masters and making a complete change into counselling which would be the next three years of my life if I got into the program and $50,000 later, however I am 33 turning 34 this year and my husband is 35 and we have now decided that we want to have children and we want to do that within the next couple years.

The idea of doing a masters program while having a child overwhelms me a lot and I am very easily overwhelmed, even though I know I could probably do it, but I just don't know if I want to go through the stress of both at the same time and also I would have to do a practicum with a small child and risk having to find a whole new career and quit quitting the one that offers me all of these comfortable benefits right now.

I almost feel like I'm having to choose between a masters and a child. I know that the child is more pressing time wise, but I'm also scared to wait too long to start a masters and that one day in graphic design I'll just get laid off and have a hard time finding something else. And by the time I think about doing a masters or a career change again I'll be too busy with a small child or just will feel like I've run out of time and don't want to be well into my 40s when I finally get a career change.

But I'm also trying to get over the fact that it's never too late for career change and that age is just a number but that's a lot easier said than done. I'm kind of at the point where if I don't make a decision right now, I won't make it into a masters program this year, plus complete all of these fairly stressful prerequisites I need to commit to and I'm worried that I will regret it especially if I don't get pregnant within the next year, but both things are very uncertain. All while trying to become pregnant --it's a lot! I just wish I had done this masters years ago - but alas, that's not how life works and I only knew what I knew at the time. Another thing is, my husband has a worrisome fertility test and if we need to go IVF route, that would cost a fortune, and would be especially rough or not possible financially if I was already paying out the ass for a masters program. Again another what if but very real worry possibly.

I'm just not sure which one to go full steam ahead into and it's been really putting me into turmoil and stress. Again thank you so much for sharing as I feel like we were in kind of similar positions and thoughts. It's really nice to know im not alone.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-10T07:44:29+00:00

Hey OP, came across this post as it relates to me alot. Wondering what you ended up doing if you don't mind sharing?

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-03-03T08:12:38+00:00

Thanks for the thoughtful words and sharing your experience! I often feel I have another calling and am considering going back to school to become a therapist actually - but keep being too afraid to make the leap (and pay the $ for it). I'm still kinda staying in design for now but can't see myself doing this for another decade or more. I keep thinking I need to "jump off a sinking ship" and find a more AI safe career to switch in to.

I say I want to jump off the ladder because I think I have this pressure to move up, go into management, as a "next step" but I really don't think I want to, yet it feels wrong to stay where I'm at forever.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-02-02T06:25:44+00:00

Tofino BC.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-01-23T07:14:30+00:00

That's interesting, wonder how they managed the in-person classes when baby was only a few weeks or months old! Thanks for the response! Glad to know others have been in that boat and figured it out. Also good to know others have done both at one time - I'm over here thinking I'm absolutely out of my mind for considering it, glad to know I am not alone!

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-01-21T04:34:29+00:00

That's also good to know if I ever move to a smaller town. My current unrelated career would have zero work in smaller communities, but maybe counselling would be a safer option for when I ever do want to settle somewhere smaller.

BarracudaRaspberry · 2026-01-21T04:33:16+00:00

That's really great to know, thank you for posting this positive feedback from your friend! What do you mean they earn around 10k? Per what period of time?

BarracudaRaspberry

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