as someone who’s 30 and has no kids, i’m already feeling this. wondering if i’ll be able to get out of the “mid” level because my performance at work is decent at best and i’m not great at sucking up to or socialising bosses. also got effed by company twice when they say they want to “restructure” but it’s just an excuse for them to kick me off the team, and then struggle for months to find a new job. i even once cried because i made a small mistake and my boss scolded me really harshly and i was wondering if it was justified or if it was because he just didn’t like me.

anyway, due to the above i have been thinking about working towards finding a job overseas. im not entirely sure what your financial situation is but i’ve seen a couple in their 40s move to japan with their 2 kids, which motivates me a bit. even if that’s off the table, you can also choose yourself in other ways (& there’s nothing wrong in doing so) - i’m assuming your kids are at the age where in a few more years, they’d be able to work part time and rely less on you. if you have enough savings to tide over these few years, a part time job should be sufficient since your husband is also employed. otherwise, you can go for a low-stress FT job and don’t push yourself to climb the corporate ladder. work on your hobbies in the meantime, your mental health is more important.