The pithy answer is &#x27;life is complicated, confusing and difficult&#x27;.<p>The slightly longer answer is; I was young, I was (and still am) in love, it&#x27;s my child (and she&#x27;s great btw. Aced all her exams, goes to a top University &#x2F;brag) I felt it was the right thing to do, and, time has borne that out.<p>I agree it has put a damping factor on my career, but, you know what? (and this goes for a lot of commentary on HN) life is not just about making money and having a good career.