Although he dreamed of having both a successful career and a rich family life, computer engineer Gaurang Joshi, husband and father of two, found his fast-track career was driving a wedge between him and his family. After a fateful conversation with his 5-year-old son in 1999, he resolved to change course. He’s since found that downshifting at work can be a little like turning a battleship — it takes time, and space for mid-course corrections. His story:
The problem: “I hit the fast track in the 1990s, with many promotions. By 2000, I was a senior manager and principal for a Big Five accounting firm. My hours kept creeping higher, hitting 80 a week.
“In October 1999 the situation came to a head. I was leaving for work at 6:45 a.m. and not getting home until 11 p.m. I saw my children awake only on weekends. I called home one day from a business trip and asked my younger son, who is now 10, if he missed me. ‘Not really,’ he said casually. ‘We don’t see you that much anyway.’ It was a big blow to realize my kids just assumed I was never going to be around. That was a turning point.”
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