Manaing family expectations when living away from home

I am sure alot of you are living away from your family. Wanted to know how do you take care of your parents and their expectations and at the same time fulfilling your career ambitions? Sharing my personal story here. I come from a small town in Rajasthan and I belong to a upper middle class Jain family. With God’s grace, we are comfortable financially with a sizeable ancestral wealth. My father is 58 and is getting weak and old with time. He wants me to comeback and take care of the family business and properties. He fears that if the transition is not made quickly then my uncle’s family will take over my share. (My uncle is very well connected politically in my hometown) But at the same time, I am not interested in taking over the business as of now and want to explore more in the field of tech and startups while living in different cities in Indian and abroad. I am now in a dilemma as to what is the right path moving forward and how do I balance my individual aspirations with my family responsibilities? I am sure alot of you must have faced the similar issues and I am seeking your advice or experience in handling such problems.

Karilyn Everett

Google

a year ago

Lucky man. Don't slave for some corporate in Bangalore or whichever city. Be the owner of your company your father built with his blood. Nothing matters more than your family and I can assure you that you won't like the nonsense that happens in the corporate world as you grow up the ladder. I am not saying you will like your father's business either in the long term. Just that the difference is you will get to be the boss. Your father has already built a "startup" if that's the word you find catchy. Introduce tech there if it's not there already and start a tech company with the profits you make there. Who can fund you better or in a sustainable way than your family?

Jordon Nadeen

Google

a year ago

I have known friends who shifted from US to take care of their father's business in India. Of course, it sounds like doing a menial job for inexperienced youngsters. The fact is that it isn't. It's as demanding, challenging as doing any start up.