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A man’s identity is typically very deeply wrapped up in his career. Being a provider is something that run’s in a man’s DNA. It may sound antiquated, but I don’t think we get very far by denying realities and just acting as if things are how we want them to be. No matter how much your partner says he’ll be happy no matter what happens with his career and that his relationship and family are what matter most, almost any man will start to break a little if things don’t go his way in his career, by a certain age. That doesn’t mean that his family, relationship, friendships, and other more meaningful things like that don’t bring him lots of joy. But, men just kind of need to feel like they plant their flag in their careers to feel fulfilled. It’s one very big piece of the pie of feeling satisfied in this life. And that is why, when a man reaches, say, his late thirties through late forties—somewhere in that range—and he doesn’t feel he’s made the career strides he’s hoped for, he may start to behave a little wonky.
If you’re with this man when this happens, you’re going to need to prepare yourself for a bit of a bumpy ride. Don’t leave him, even if he’s grumpy, unpredictable, and temperamental. I promise you that you won’t find a man on this planet who wouldn’t behave a bit nuts if he felt he was getting older, and hadn’t made good enough strides in his career. It’s just in their nature. But, you will need to do some damage control. Behind every great man is a great woman, as they say (though I think the saying should be beside every great man is a great woman, because we are equals). Here’s what men might do when they panic about their careers.
Rid themselves of certain friends
Your man may decide that it’s his friend group that is holding him back. Maybe he has some friends who are settled in their careers—they make decent money at jobs they don’t love but don’t hate, and are just enjoying a calm, simple life. But your man may decide he needs only and exclusively super-ambitious people around him, and start making some friendship cuts.
