Delaying the parenthood!

Minority view... If given a choice, would you want to be born in your house... You are working, means no generational wealth to rely on. You yourself feel your job is not conducive to raise children. Your emergency fund is just 6-8 months (sorry to sound rude but that's not much, and will burn through with kid expenses). There must be more things that you have not shared with us. At the end of it if doesn't sound great, why would you want to bring another person into existence and force them to lead a life which is middle class, mediocre, already over populated society...

Your wife's age matters more than yours. Older she gets, lesser the chances of pregnancy and equally higher chances of complications.

Btw, if you have a kid by 35, forget retirement ever because you will be 58 when he just graduates.

My only input here is - Don’t define your life basis macro factors, all these things are cyclical. You won’t be able to push the kid back if there’s recession in 2035.

With sufficient financial covers, move on with life processes.

I had my first son when I was 34 and second when I was 36. Wife's the same age as me. We got married when we were 26 so we waited 8 years to have our first child. We are both from a third tier city so you can expect the level of overt and covert societal pressure. However, we decided to have kids when we were mentally ready (financially you will always feel that you are not ready) and it has been great so far. One important thing to note is that pregnancy can get complicated as age progresses but since your wife is 28 you guys can easily take a couple of years to decide.

What is your wife's age ?

Divorce your job from personal life. Financials can change either ways. Your biology changes only one way as you age. Unfavourably.

Bhai chill hai. Dont have kids because of pressure. People have kids into their 40s also now. Most of the women in my extended family had their kids when they were 35+, bandho ko kya hi load

There is no job today that guarantees job security. There are always constraints in life and it’s how you manage these constraints that defines the heights you reach. Think of it this way, if you were to die tomorrow would not having kids be on top of your regret list today?

I'm in the same situation. My wife is 33 already and I don't think I'm financially ready but they say we are never financially ready for kids, we would be ready only when we have kids. Lol. I'm thinking of cryopreservation.

If you had a steady job, would you have children? Because of the warm fuzzy feeling of having children? It's real I know but it's gonna write off at least 15 years of your and your wife's life, yet the warm fuzzy feeling is real. If that feeling is what you really want, do it. Get a higher paying job and do it. i personally didn't know the extent of it but knew it would take a lot of tears and sweat, still I wanted that warm feeling of a child (two!). I took that plunge and I had no steady income so I figured things out.

Expectations from parents and relatives, honestly if that is your reason then just get a vasectomy. Having kids because others want you to, is just stupid.

Lastly there is nothing wrong with not having children at all. If you don't want, just don't have em. Esp if you're wife doesn't want a child.