WSJ.com’s ‘The Juggle’ has some interesting views on a prevalent dilemma -

“If a Juggler knew then (i.e. back at my age and stage in life) what they know now… is there anything they’d do differently: Save money? Have children at a different time? Move to a different area? Do things differently at work?”

Anyone who has or has had a full-time job will eventually have to do “the juggle.” The juggle, of course, refers to that between your personal and professional lives. While at some points the two lives co-exist well, there are times when they are highly conflicting. Especially at this time early in our lives, many of us feel that the choices we make now will set the direction for the future. I can say from my current situation that this juggle is not easy. Because of all the alternatives available at any given time, I often wonder which would be the optimal step. Would the knowledge and experience that I have now have helped me choose a better step before? My personal take is that there isn’t a perfect point of equilibrium between the two competing forces; everyone has there own situations (maybe person A doesn’t have a choice in working long hours because his family needs it to survive), and each situation will balance differently. How are you dealing with the juggle?

If I Knew Then What I Know Now . . . from WSJ.com